Agents & Editors Recommend

“Write every day” can be a good motivator, but it doesn’t work for everyone. In some cases, it can even be counterproductive if it prioritizes word count at the expense of creating fully realized worlds. 

I also believe writing is a craft that goes beyond simply putting pen to paper (or fingers to keypad). Some of the most talented writers I know spend months thinking about their story elements outside of the physical act of writing. This might take the form of outlining or research, but a lot of the time it looks much closer to daydreaming. 

If you’re a writer, I recommend reading a lot. I might not recommend reading this article, but I do recommend reading literally anything else. I recommend reading books especially, though I also recommend reading journalism, short stories, and really long essays. As a literary agent, I often recommend my own clients’ work and the work I use as reference points to develop my own taste.  

You’re ready to submit your manuscript to agents and excitedly or nervously working on your pitch. The Author Bio is looming large and you’re trying to figure how to funnel your entire essence, your whole life, into one paragraph that will prompt the agent to say, Yes, this author is solid! For so many of us, writing about ourselves is a painful process because we are self-conscious about trying to find that fine line between not wanting to sound pompous or downright dull. If you’re stuck crafting the bio, my advice is to find that place within you when you’re most relaxed—say, after

I don’t know where I’d be without my writers group. We’ve been meeting every week—to critique each other’s work, give advice and pep talks, and troubleshoot this fickle industry—for almost three years now. We’ve helped each other through manuscript revisions, agent searches, submission blues, prepublication anxiety, and the publicity whirlwind.