Ever wanted to see your name splashed in the pages of your favorite magazine, but not sure how to do it? You’re not alone. Pitching and even being published in magazines seems so elusive, and you could drive yourself mad just searching for the secrets online. Writing for magazines is like any other kind of… Read more »
One of the first things I ask a writer I’m working with is, “When do you want to be done with your book?” Sometimes people have a definite answer: “This year.” Sometimes they look at me and go, “Uhhh…”. The answer depends, of course, on how quickly they write, how much time they have to… Read more »
Hello, fellow kid lit writers! This week I have another interview to share with you from the wonderful author Heather Mateus Sappenfield. About Heather Mateus Sappenfield Heather Mateus Sappenfield loves adventures, especially in the Rocky Mountain landscape that’s been her lifelong home. As part of women’s teams, she’s won 24-hour mountain bike races and road… Read more »
We are continuing our quest to craft complex characters and build dynamic worlds that readers with marginalized identities can connect with. In my last column, It’s Messy in The Middle: Answering the Call, we discussed how to find the messy middle of writing underrepresented identities. In this essay, we will explore the historical context and… Read more »
My first experience with astrology was probably like many of yours: reading a horoscope for my sun sign in a magazine. As a Virgo, my horoscopes were generally about being tidy and organized and not being so critical. Which, sure. I could 100% use that advice. But I’m more than a pathological organizer with a… Read more »
For the first time ever, an editor had accepted one of my pitches. And he just so happened to work at a lit mag of my dreams. I dashed off my reply, mentally adding this triumph to my author bio, then looked at my calendar. I’d agreed to send him a 2,000-word personal essay on… Read more »
Much has been said about the importance—or rather, the need—for a writer to have a room of her own. All the better (at least, in the 21st century), if the said room comes with a door that locks from the inside and with zero Internet connection. But what if you don’t have a spare bedroom… Read more »
How many times have you attempted to shoehorn a new habit into your life? Did you start a diet that ignores the camaraderie of pizza night, begin a yoga class that meets at an inconvenient time, and set up a cleaning schedule that includes dusting the baseboards? Many new habits fail because we try to… Read more »
I know I’m in trouble when I’m taking my work too seriously when I can’t find something to be amused by. I have written about some really unfunny things—addiction, cancer, death. My latest novel, An Upside-Down Sky, is set in Namyan, a Buddhist country modeled after Burma, which is a kissing cousin of North Korea… Read more »
The most important pages you need to prepare before you query a literary agent, besides the query letter, are the first pages of your book. But how do you start a book? Or, how do you know when the first chapter you’ve written will hook your reader? Sometimes in an attempt to seduce a literary… Read more »
