Big Reveals Shouldn’t Happen In A Conversation
STATUS: Gosh, it was too gorgeous outside to work. What the heck. It’s January. I need it to snow so I don’t want to skip work! What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? RIGHT DOWN THE LINE Gerry...
View ArticleFridays With Agent Kristin: Episode 7 – What is A Plot Catalyst?
STATUS: TGIF! I actually had a great work week. Yes, I need to read some stuff over the weekend but I’m feeling almost caught up. This means I’m forgetting something huge I’m sure. What’s playing on...
View ArticleWhy 50 Shades of Grey Makes Agent Lives Harder
STATUS: The appointment schedule is firming up! Get ready for some posts on what editors will be looking for in 2012. What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? THIS IS IT by Kenny Loggins It’s pretty...
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Writing Craft: Breaking The Rule: Show Don’t Tell
STATUS: What is up with over 100 degree days in Denver in June? We live here because summer tends to be awesome. We could be confused with Phoenix this week. What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now?...
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Writing Craft: Action Vs Active Openings To Grab Attention
STATUS: 105 degrees today. WTF? It’s like walking in an oven… What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? HOSPITALITY by Friends of Friends Can I see a show of hands of how many of you have been told...
View ArticleWriting Craft: Mechanics Vs Spark
STATUS: Everything is literally on fire around the city of Denver. From Colorado Springs and Monument to Boulder to Fort Collins. I was so happy to see the rain this afternoon. Sadly it only lasted 20...
View ArticleFridays With Agent Kristin: Episode 8 – Three Reasons Why Prologues Don’t Work
STATUS: Agency is going to be closed Monday through Wednesday of next week for the 4th of July holiday. It’s a summer mini-break! What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? VIVA LAS VEGAS by Jimmy...
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Blogging Authors Beware! You Can Get Sued. Roni Loren Guest Blogs
Re-posted with permission from original blog post here. Sara, our lawyer,and I all helped Roni through the situation but here is the whole story below. You can no longer say that you haven’t been...
View ArticleWriting Tip Of The Week
Aspiring writers always want to know why agents pass on sample pages. I figured I’d starting doing a writing tip of the week or the month – depending on how many good examples I have to share. So...
View ArticleRushdie Discusses What it is to be a Writer in this World
Last night Anita, our intern Chris, and I went to see Salman Rushdie’s talk at Mackey Auditorium on the CU Boulder campus. Mr. Rushdie is eloquent and quotable. I was one finger typing furiously on my...
View ArticleThe Perils of Waking Characters
OBSERVATION: Beginning your novel with the main protagonist waking up in bed will have agents passing on the material 99.9% of the time. Here’s why: It’s an opening we see way too often (not sure why)...
View ArticlePerils of Waking Character Openings – Take 2
Q: Why does the opening character awakening scene of the HUNGER GAMES work when 99.9% of slush pile opening pages do not? Wowza. With over 7000 people reached on Facebook and untold number of Twitter...
View ArticleDebut Authors Pass On the Inspiration
After listening to an amazing series of keynote presentations at the 2015 National conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), during which authors wear their hearts...
View ArticleFixing These Three Mistakes Could Transform Your Manuscript
With the fall leaves, I finally wrap up four months of travel and two wonderful Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrator (SCBWI) conferences. I’m delighted to be spending the rest of the...
View ArticleThree Tips for NaNoWriMo Success: An Agent’s Perspective
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and the TwitterVerse and Blogosphere are alive with advice from writers helping other writers knock it out of the park. There isn’t much I can add...
View Article#1 Reason I Pass Even If The Writing Is Good
I’m not sure this has ever been said aloud…. For submissions, I’m pretty certain that writers assume that if the writing is good, an agent is going to be interested in offering representation to the...
View Article#2 Reason I Pass Even If The Writing Is Good
Writers tend to assume that good writing trumps all when it comes to getting an offer of representation. Not true. Here is the #2 reason I will pass on a full manuscript even if the writing itself is...
View Article3 Strategies For Your Post NaNoWriMo Project – From An Agent’s Perspective
You pounded out 50,000 words or more in the month of November. You rocked NaNoWriMo. Huge Congrats! But wait, before you press send, here are three things to consider: Strategy #1: Consider the...
View ArticleYour Writing Should Not Be Your Main Source of Validation For Who You Are as...
I think this can be the most debilitating mistake an aspiring writer can make. There be dragons if you start down this mental path. I recently gave a talk to Regis University’s MFA in Creative Writing...
View ArticleWhy It’s Dangerous To Think That “Diverse Books” is the Latest Hot Trend
Just recently, PW published an article in which agents shared their thoughts on children’s books and YA trends. Although I’m quite tickled that so many agents are seeing lots of submissions featuring...
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