We do have a craft post coming next week, I promise, and it is based on the new hit TV show REVENGE. I'll let you stew on that for a while. In fact, comment on your prediction of what I'm going to write about, and I'll give away a great YA novel for the most creative answer. BUT meanwhile....
We have a guest post today! Amber Keyser is a former ballerina and evolutionary biologist, who writes about science and adventure for tweens and teens. Currently, she’s the go-to-girl and YA novelist for Angel Punk. Look for action-adventure heroine, Mara Layil, to burst onto the scene, fists flying in summer 2012. Find out more at her website or on Twitter.
Mastering McBean’s Machine (Or How to Find Your Way in the Publishing World)
If you’re like me, you write stories because you want people to read them. That means tangling with the illogical, capricious, and sometimes downright unfair business of publishing. Sometimes the behemoth resembles the Star-On/Star-Off Machine of Sylvester McMonkey McBean, but deal with it we must. So here’s my absolute best advice for you with examples from my own fledgling writing career.
1. Strive to improve your craft.
2. Cultivate meaningful relationships.
3. Learn everything you can about McBean’s Machine.
I’m not going to linger on CRAFT in this post. Suffice it to say to survive the Star-On Machine, you’ve got to write freaking good stuff. Attend workshops, write often, read up on craft, and get thee to the best critique group you possibly can. (Shameless self-promotion: The brilliant Viva Scrivas and I blog about critique and the writing process at vi
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Well, your request is a little like Daniel having to tell Nebuchadnezzar what his dream was, but I'll guess that you're going to write about getting revenge on editors and agents by writing an over the top opening that takes away their power to lay your manuscript down.
: )
Great tips here, worth bookmarking! Thanks for the insight...
P.S. Also: thanks, Amber, for your good writing insights. : )
Nice! Learning all we can about the industry is the way to do it. Writers can bumble their way into an agent or an editor, but it takes a lot longer. Being informed helps a lot. Thanks!