#mywritepath Day 10 A Dream Worth Fighting For It didn’t hit me until I took this picture at my local Barnes and Noble a few months ago that my dream had come true. Ten years of writing, getting rejections, feeling hope, and then defeat, as I worked day after day to create the right book. I wish I could go back to younger me and tell her to hang in there. That even though it’d be years before she’d reached her goal, she’d get there. One day she’d stand in the YA aisle and hands shaking, tears running down her cheeks, she’d take this picture of her book babies next to each other on the shelf. It’s what I tell other writers just starting out when they ask about my journey. I tell them that I got crushed a lot along the way, but because of my will to succeed, and the support of so many friends, I refused to give up. I hope that if you’re reading this, you’ll look back at my path and remember that even though it’s a struggle, it CAN happen for you. Just continue to write, believe, and dream. Any day now, your “yes” could be on its way! 💗 #writingjourney #pathtopublication #aspiringwriter #writingdream #yawriter #storyteller #amwriting #writergram #writersofig #authorsofig #authorgram https://www.instagram.com/p/B_S0pWYAAWT/?igshid=1vsuj4qs9tazj

#mywritepath Day 9 Your reviews I wish I had some sage advice when it comes to reviews. People are always saying reviews are for readers, that is very true, but as an author it’s hard not to read them. A big part of you wants to know if people are getting your story. Connecting with your characters. It’s a very hard line to walk. Truthfully, for Nothing But Sky I read everything. I rejoiced at the 5 stars and cringed at the less than favorable reviews. In fact, those less than complimentary reviews stayed with me for hours, even days later. It sucked the joy out of what should have been a triumph. I learned my lesson then that I shouldn’t read reviews unless they came from trades- which I couldn’t avoid because my publicist sent them to me. I had to embrace the fact that once the story was on shelves it was no longer mine. With time this has become easier to accept, but I’ll admit that when I catch a glimpse of a review, a biting comment still stings. The only difference now is that I’m smart enough not to go searching for them. #pathtopublication #bookreviews #yawriter #storyteller #authorlife #writerlife #writersofinstagram #igauthor #igauthorlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QJO4xADZn/?igshid=9ab1nzsv8109

#mywritepath Day 9 Your reviews I wish I had some sage advice when it comes to reviews. People are always saying reviews are for readers, that is very true, but as an author it’s hard not to read them. A big part of you wants to know if people are getting your story. Connecting with your characters. It’s a very hard line to walk. Truthfully, for Nothing But Sky I read everything. I rejoiced at the 5 stars and cringed at the less than favorable reviews. In fact, those less than complimentary reviews stayed with me for hours, even days later. It sucked the joy out of what should have been a triumph. I learned my lesson then that I shouldn’t read reviews unless they came from trades- which I couldn’t avoid because my publicist sent them to me. I had to embrace the fact that once the story was on shelves it was no longer mine. With time this has become easier to accept, but I’ll admit that when I catch a glimpse of a review, a biting comment still stings. The only difference now is that I’m smart enough not to go searching for them. #pathtopublication #bookreviews #yawriter #storyteller #authorlife #writerlife #writersofinstagram #igauthor #igauthorlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QJO4xADZn/?igshid=9ab1nzsv8109

#mywritepath Day 8 Querying again There’s this quiet, unwritten rule in publishing. When things go wrong, you’re not supposed to talk about it. Your deal goes sideways, keep quiet. You part ways with your agent, don’t mention it. All of these things makes it harder to be a writer. There is this sort of belief that you can’t talk about the hard things. Now I’m not saying you should be able to air your dirty laundry, but it should be okay to talk when you’re having a hard time. I see this issue come up the most when a writer leaves their agent. There is this sort of pall of shame that taints that experience that isn’t fair. Many writers have break-ups with their agents for any number of reasons. It is a plain and simple fact of publishing. When I had to go back to the query trenches a second time, I felt more jaded. I understood how the process worked, and I was A LOT more picky about who I sent my work to. Knowing about this business has its pluses and minuses. You learn who is great to work with and maybe those to shy away from. But no matter how you handle it, going back to the trenches is no fun. After having two books published, I knew it was time to get back out there. I wrote something very different than my historical books, and I needed someone who would let me widen my brand. The quote I’ve shared is from that book. A YA Contemporary set in L.A. It still has a strong female lead, she’s just battling the paparazzi now instead of social boundaries. It took a few months until I finally connected with someone who got my story, but also understood my career goals. In the end, that’s what you want in an agent. Someone who can look past the current book and plan for your future. Don’t settle for any less. #pathtopublication #querying #publishing #writerlife #writersofinstagram #storyteller #yawriter #igauthor #igauthorlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B_NgwNjgZlO/?igshid=141esa8b8vnpb

#mywritepath Day 7: Research No matter what type of book you write, some element of research is required. Yes, it’s true that there is more with historical, but no matter the genre you still need tools to wordbuild. These are just a few of the books I used to do research for my second book, Across a Broken Shore. As you can tell by the flags, they were very helpful. Books weren’t the only resources I used. I watched documentaries and listened to oral histories to make sure my story was authentic. It does take a lot of time, and you fall down many rabbit holes, but it’s all worth it if you get a great story at the end! #acrossabrokenshore #yahistoricalfiction #yawriter #storyteller #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #authorlife #pathtopublication https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Lc7phgXW2/?igshid=pqzl5gkouctz

#mywritepath Day 6 After the deal There are so many things that happen after you get a book deal. Contract negotiations. Do you keep English rights? World rights? How is your advance split up? This can all be new territory for a debut. It’s sort of mind boggling how much can go on before a contract is officially final. What happens next is eye-opening too. Usually what shows up is your edit letter. The timing on this varies. I know people who got their edit letter weeks after their deals. Others didn’t see it until months later. It depends on the house & how busy your editor is. Let’s say that your edit letter comes a month after your deal. This in my opinion is the hardest parts of the process. Most likely you’ve had a conversation with the editor about the changes, but in all honesty nothing prepared you for seeing it in black & white, & usually in multiple pages. At first, I freaked out. I’d spent years on this book and now I had weeks more of changes. It’s okay to have a small meltdown. Give yourself time. The best advice I can give is to make yourself a plan of how you plan to tackle the edits. I begin by writing a list with a box next to each item. I start with big picture changes regarding plot & conflict. I will then drill down to smaller things like character inconsistencies & dialogue issues. As I work, I go through and check off what I’ve completed. It helps organize things & gives me a sense of accomplishment. If you have questions or concerns, make a list. Have a conversation with your agent & discuss if a call with your editor is needed. Some agents may step out at this point and let you & the editor work one-on-one. The key is to communicate so everyone is on the same page. After your notes are clear, take a deep breath and start. Believe me, you can do it! #mywritepath #yawriter #writersofinstagram #storyteller #editletter https://www.instagram.com/p/B_IecyGgDII/?igshid=1hege8ctgighp

#mywritepath Day 6 After the deal There are so many things that happen after you get a book deal. Contract negotiations. Do you keep English rights? World rights? How is your advance split up? This can all be new territory for a debut. It’s sort of mind boggling how much can go on before a contract is officially final. What happens next is eye-opening too. Usually what shows up is your edit letter. The timing on this varies. I know people who got their edit letter weeks after their deals. Others didn’t see it until months later. It really depends on the house and how busy your editor is. Let’s say that your edit letter comes a month after your deal. This in my opinion can be one of the hardest parts of the process. Most likely you’ve had a conversation with the editor about what changes they want to see, but in all honesty nothing prepared you for seeing it in black & white, and usually in multiple pages. At first, I freaked out. I’d spent years on this book and now I had weeks more of changes. It’s okay to have a small meltdown. Give yourself time. Let the notes simmer in your brain. The best advice I can give is to make yourself a plan of how you are going to tackle the edits. I begin by writing a list with a box next to each item. Usually the first thing I look at are big picture changes regarding plot & conflict. I will eventually drill down to smaller things like character inconsistencies and dialogue issues. As I work, I go through and check off what I’ve completed. It helps organize things and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Again, this part of the process can be overwhelming. Give yourself time to let the notes marinate. If you have questions and/or concerns, make a list. After, have a conversation with your agent & discuss if a call with your editor is needed. Some agents may even step out at this point and let you and the editor work one-on-one. The key is to communicate so everyone is on the same page. After your notes are clear, take a deep breath and start. Believe me, if you’ve written and sold a book, you are more than ready to tackle an edit letter! #authorlife #writersofinstagram #editletter #writingcommunity #yawriter https://www.instagram.com/p/B_IdcMLAxHq/?igshid=31jx3xy7vxrz

#mywritepath Day 6 After the deal There are so many things that happen after you get a book deal. Contract negotiations. Do you keep English rights? World rights? How is your advance split up? This can all be new territory for a debut. It’s sort of mind boggling how much can go on before a contract is officially final. What happens next is eye-opening too. Usually what shows up is your edit letter. The timing on this varies. I know people who got their edit letter weeks after their deals. Others didn’t see it until months later. It really depends on the house and how busy your editor is. Let’s say that your edit letter comes a month after your deal. This in my opinion can be one of the hardest parts of the process. Most likely you’ve had a conversation with the editor about what changes they want to see, but in all honesty nothing can prepare you for seeing it in black & white, and usually in multiple pages. At first, I freaked out. I’d spent years on this book and now I had weeks more of changes. It’s okay to have a small meltdown. Give yourself time. Let the notes simmer in your brain. The best advice I can give is to make yourself a plan of how you are going to tackle the edits. I begin by writing a list with a box next to each item. Usually the first thing I look at are big picture changes regarding plot & conflict. I will eventually drill down to smaller things like character inconsistencies and dialogue issues. As I work, I go through and check off what I’ve completed. It helps organize things and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Again, this part of the process can be overwhelming. Give yourself time to let the notes marinate. If you have questions and concerns, make a list. After, have a conversation with your agent & discuss if a call with your editor is needed. Some agents may even step out at this point and let you and the editor work one-on-one. The key is to communicate so everyone is on the same page. After your notes are clear, take a deep breath and start. Believe me, if you’ve written and sold a book, you are more than ready to tackle an edit letter! #authorlife #writerlife #editletter #writersofinstagram #storyteller https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Ics76gV82/?igshid=j25vrrgdwb5y