Writers who want to publish with the Big Five need literary agents. To get a literary agent, one must query. To do that, you need your entire publishing package ready. That includes your formatted manuscript, query letter, and 1-page synopsis. Let’s say you have all three of these items right in front of you. How… Continue reading When Are You Ready to Query?
Tag: publishing
I Almost Self-Rejected Myself Out of a Publishing Opportunity
Last month, you may have noticed my blog post - Yes, Writers Need to Hear the Hard Truths. But Warnings Can Go Too Far. - go up on Jane Friedman’s website. I was absolutely thrilled by this. I’m a long-time fan of Jane’s blog and book, The Business of Being a Writer. I also regularly attend… Continue reading I Almost Self-Rejected Myself Out of a Publishing Opportunity
Shannon’s Top Three Tips for Writing Romance
It's February, so romance is in the publishing air. Whether or not you write romance novels or have romantic subplots in your work, almost every writer has had to think through a couple's relationship in their work. Here are my top three tips for writing romance. 1. Read Romance: As Stephen King famously said, "If… Continue reading Shannon’s Top Three Tips for Writing Romance
January Writing Journey Wrap-Up
Every month I write about everything I did to chase my writing dream. These were my wins this past January.
The Truth About Giving Up on Writing
Have you ever considered giving up on writing? I know I have. Though I’ve been writing stories as long as I can remember, I consider myself as having two true starts. 1) When I was eleven, my mom died unexpectedly, and I told myself that day I would spend my life pursuing my dreams, no… Continue reading The Truth About Giving Up on Writing
Make This Your #1 Writing Goal in 2022
Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2022? I know I sure can’t. This year, I will have my ten-year blogging anniversary in September. That fact alone gives me a lot of reasons to reflect. But enough about reflecting. What about taking action? Setting goals can be a tricky business. How many should you set?… Continue reading Make This Your #1 Writing Goal in 2022
2021: The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change
Every year, I take time to reflect on where I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going. Last year was deemed The Strangest Writing Year (Hopefully?), and this year, I’ve decided to call it The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change. (Though, that may be too dramatic in itself.) Onto why that is (and also… Continue reading 2021: The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change
An Ode to My Laptop
My trusted laptop since 2014 died the other week. I know that may not sound like a big deal, but for me, it was like letting go of an old friend. You see, writers spend an extraordinary amount of time on their computers. There are very few days in the year that I don’t use… Continue reading An Ode to My Laptop
Behind the Scenes of Pitch Wars with Team Stellify
In case you missed it, Team Stellify announced our 2021 mentee for Pitch Wars! (But more on that below.) Since announcement day has come and gone, I thought it would be fun to give everyone a behind-the-scenes peek at what went down with Team Stellify. This year, Sandra Proudman and I decided to mentor a… Continue reading Behind the Scenes of Pitch Wars with Team Stellify
Writing the Cliffhanger
Love them or hate them, cliffhangers are popular and utilized in lots of books nowadays, even the ones that never get (or intend) a sequel to follow up the ending. So what’s the difference between a cliffhanger that makes a reader pick up the next book and the one that makes the reader chuck the… Continue reading Writing the Cliffhanger
