Tips for Debut Writers

18 May, 201613 March, 2017Leave a comment

It’s only Wednesday, and already I’ve seen several great resources for debut writers linked on Twitter.

10 Common Querying Mistakes from agent Maria Vicente

5 Secrets to Publishing Your Debut Novel from agent Carly Watters

When I read, I want to experience new ideas and characters and situations. Writer protagonists aren't bad at all, but they are common.

— Lara Edits (@LaraEdits) May 16, 2016

Here’s a link to finding sensitivity readers if you’re writing apart from your own experience.

Also in publishing news, Dan Brown is abridging The Da Vinci Code for young adult readers. YA authors and readers are rightly peeved. Newsflash: YA novels are not dumbed-down or shortened versions of adult stories. What makes YA a YA? You’ll find out in lesson 2 if you take the Cadet Course!

Agent Carly Watters’s #1 secret in her 5 Secrets (above) is to network with other writers, and I’ve got two opportunities in the next few weeks to do just that:

1—pg70pit is coming up in July!

These are last year’s stats:

79 MG entries
236 YA
198 Adult
14 winners from each category
42 total winners
60 agent requests

Entry dates are July 1 for MG manuscripts, July 2 for YA, and July 3 for Adult (18+).

2—Cadet Course in pitching and publishing starts in 3 weeks!

Check out the StoryCadet blog for more details about each of the lessons and how you and your friends can save $50 off the price of enrollment.

Giveaway + Pitching and Submission Course

11 May, 2016Leave a comment

There are a few days left to enter my giveaway for Marvel’s Pride & Prejudice graphic novel. To enter, click here.

In other news, the StoryWorldCon courses now have their own website: StoryCadet.com.

The Cadet Course (for pitching and submitting your stories) will start June 8 and go for eight weeks. Find out the different pricing options and the schedule here. If you purchase the complete workshop before June 1, you get an extra $10 off!

Curious about what it takes to become a freelance editor? Soon I’ll be doing another #AskEditor series and sharing my chat with my 2015 intern about how I got into editing and my advice for freelancers-to-be.

StoryWorldCon: Find Your Cabin!

8 March, 2016Leave a comment

It’s orientation at StoryWorldCon! Which cabin do you belong in?

I’m still working on curriculum for the StoryWorldCon courses, but in the meantime, check out the campsite, meet and mingle with other campers, and start asking your questions about the courses in the free forum!

If you’ve ever wanted to go to a writing conference but didn’t have it in your budget, this is for you. If you’re a conference junkie, this is for you. If you want to meet other writers and find critique partners, this is for you.

The campsite is only as good as its campers, so tell your friends to join! The forum is going to be year-round, but workshops will happen based on interest and enrollment.

Find out more about StoryWorldCon here. To receive updates on the conference and when the workshops will be available, make sure you subscribe to this blog!