Today is extra special for us because we have a guest writing the post for you. Please welcome Sadie Chelsea from Pick Up The Pen! She’ll be sharing with you two super simple rules to help better your writing life (and, hey, maybe even life in general). Here we go! Two Simple Rules for Bettering Your Writing Life Writers are everywhere now, along with writing advice. This is great news! Especially considering what a bad rap the writing lifestyle got in the earlier days. However, because of all the writing craft information out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the writing world. Fear not reader! Though there’s crazy amounts…
Pitch Wars: The Hope Inside Yourself
Yesterday, the mentors were announced for Pitch Wars 2019. For those unfamiliar with Pitch Wars, it is a once-a-year manuscript submission contest. Chosen participants spend six months working through their novels with a trained, professional editor/writer. More often than not, the finished products are picked up for literary agent representation and then publication. Basically, in my mind, the coolness-factor of the whole thing is right up there with Coachella or a reservation at Frenchette. As I obsessively perused glanced over the list of participating faculty for this year’s Pitch Wars program, I started thinking a lot about the importance of mentors. The term ‘mentor’ is actually a homage to the…
The Common Ground of Validation
Writers are constantly scrambling towards the common ground of validation. For example, this weekend I’m attending a writing conference where we are getting feedback on the pitches for our novels. (obsessed with writing conferences lately, see related post here) You can picture it like a workshop for door-to-door sales, but the speech ends with a thoughtfully crafted Central Dramatic Question instead of an offer for a magazine subscription. Pitches are a finicky and endlessly important part of novel writing. (In fact, one of the great ironies of writing is that you spend half of your time locked in a room alone, scribbling in notebooks and mumbling to imaginary people. Then,…
Book Expo America (and other mysteries of life)
It took me four weeks to gather up the courage to apply for the Book Expo America badge. In my understanding, Book Expo America (BEA) is one of the most significant events in the publishing world. Also, it happens to take place a 23-minute subway ride from where I am currently living in Manhattan (God bless the Second Avenue subway). It sounds like a win-win-win. First, Great networking, interesting panels, some free books (27 and counting, and I’m only taking the ones I really like). Second, I get to see the weird Hudson Yards womb-statue from relatively close up. But I was still nervous to apply. Here were some of…
What Next?
Happy May! Spring is in the air and it’s a great time to ask the all-important questions: What next? The question provokes a change in mindset. It’s a perspective I’ve been adapting mostly due to my fancy, new, goal-oriented planner. My planner (which I love-buy one here!) has pages for reflection scattered throughout. Two questions that inspire ‘What next?’ reflections Are you continuing to progress, redirect, or facing unexpected challenges? What were your most significant accomplishments in the last thirty days? The bulk of what I wrote about for April centered around an activity called Camp NaNoWriMo. There is lots of great information about the event available here, but for…
Are blog posts meant to be written fast?
Are blog posts meant to be written fast? I agonize over mine!I consider them letters to you, all my dearest Internet friends. When I write it is from the same anxious feeling that sits in my stomach before a first date, when I am intrigued by the hot tinder profile picture interesting text message banter and know I want to make a good first impression so I frantically read the newspaper headlines while putting on enough bronzer to intimidate an MTV deejay some classy red lipstick. Case in point, in 7 minutes all I have written is the above. So, for my first attempt at rapidfire (10 20 minute!) blogging-here goes: 5 Quick, Moderately Interesting…