Today’s topic is Tips For New Writers. Here are four suggestions based on things I did (or wish I’d done!) along the way from inspiration to publication. 1. Have some very generous friends read as you write. If you’re writing a novel, that is a long journey with a lot of work and a lot of rejection. You’re going to need encouragement along the way. Now is not the time…
This week we are interviewing publishing industry insiders to get some scoop for you on what they do, their advice for aspiring writers, and changes they’d like to see in the business. I’ve chosen to ask my agent, Jane Dystel, and my editor, Kerry Donovan, for their insight. Both are beloved to me and I am deeply appreciative of their time in answering these questions. Kimmery Martin: Writers are…
I remember the day when I pulled my car off I-95 and sat crying in a parking lot outside of a McDonald’s. And the day I went to bed at 1:00 in the afternoon and stayed there. Until 1:00 the next afternoon. And then there was the morning that I called my sister, yelling, “Fu*k it! I quit!” What prompted my outbursts, foul moods, and misery? Phone calls with my…
This week we’re asking industry experts to answer the many questions that we debut writers have as we get started in the publishing industry. So, I’d like to introduce you all to Bess Cozby, editor for Tor Books, an imprint of Macmillan, and more importantly (to me at least), I’d like to introduce you to my amazing editor. I’m extremely fortunate to be working with this gal, folks, and today she’ll be…
When I started writing my first book–my “practice” book–I had no idea what I was doing. I told when I should have showed. I had no writing schedule, and as a result it took me six years to finish the book. There was no outline to follow, and I only thought about tension as it related to the bike in my spinning class. My characters were at times clichéd in…
This week at the Ball it’s all about the 5 people who made our books possible, and first I need to say how TICKLED I am to even be writing this! Because it means I have a book. MY BOOK IS GOING TO BE A BOOK. You can’t see me, hiding behind my laptop screen, but every time I think about this I break into the Kermit flail. It’s just…
