I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post for weeks now. As someone who frequents querytracker, I’m often thinking of how helpful it would be for writers if more people documented their experiences with agents on the site. I couldn’t figure out how to articulate my thoughts in a post, yet almost…
When I first started querying last year, I remember doing Pitmad and getting zero likes. Since then I swiped twitter pitch events from my mind. I believed we all had our luck with different things and pitch events just weren’t mine. Mostly because they seemed in the favor of tweeps with high following or the…
“Querying is so much harder now than it was few years ago!”. All over Twitter, varieties of this phrase are leading conversations. And honestly, I’ve never bought into it. Over the months spent on the Twitter writing community, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt about it, it’s that it loves to grab things and run…
I’m going to start by saying that when I self published, I didn’t even know I wanted to be a published author. I found out about self-publishing on Amazon, thought about how awesome it would be to have people read my stories, and went for it. It was all fun and easy with no pressure.…
I believe wholly and utterly in jinxes. When I got an R&R from the publishing house, I didn’t tell anyone besides my family and super close friends because I didn’t want to jinx it. There were times I’d want to tweet about it SO bad but I’d bite my nails instead, telling myself I’ll share…
One of the reasons I was able to write a regency novel after months and months of writing only fantasy/dystopian (both which involve heaps of world-building), was because Destitutes and Fiends gave me the perfect opening to world build once more. When I first got the suggestion to write a regency novel, the supposed lack…
I’m just going to start off with saying I wrote the first draft of this post while I was waiting to take my second shot of COVID vaccine. And after an hour of typing and tweaking, the post refused to save... and I lost the ENTIRE post. (Tears). Hopefully, I still recall my points well…
First of all, apparently yesterday was a WordPress Anniversary for Lucia’s Fiction. How awesome! I hadn’t even known I’d had this account for up to five years!😯 How the time flies. Today’s post is inspired by a recent experience. One now added to my trove of experiences on the journey to publication and lessons to…
Literary agents have various styles of working, and if you’ve been in the writing world long enough you must have heard of hands-on and hands-off agents. If you haven’t: A hands-on agent is one who is very editorial. To improve the quality of your manuscript, they can have you do at least two rounds of…
As the PitchWars Agent Showcase draws nearer I’ve found myself reflecting a bit. Kind of by force, because my mind is determined to be a wistful, drama king when I just want to focus on my editorial notes, lol! (Also, in case you haven’t checked out our first agent interview on Path2pub.com you totally should.…
I’ve heard writers slam the idea of having an online tool edit their manuscripts. How it ‘soils the art’ or something along that line. How they would rather use their own eyes and hands to clean out errors than allow online tools cheapen their labor. Hehe. When I first saw a conversation on this, I…
Self-discovery as a writer, I’ve learnt, can be achieved only through writing broadly. And I learned more about myself as a writer because when I first started writing and for years after, I wrote any genre/sub genre that tickled my fancy. Action, adventure, drama, sci-fi, etc. so long as it had romance in it. As…
Giving a critique can be a tricky affair. Especially when the manuscript is at a very early stage. It’s even trickier when you both are working together for the first time. Why? Because how you package your feedback can make or break or bend your relationship. Now, you owe your critique partner honesty because you…
Hello, everyone! 🙂 This is an official announcement of a new website I’ve just launched with some lovely writers called: Path2pub I’d love it if you can join us there! Why did I create this site? For one, there are so many things I want to share about the road to publication, so many tips…
You’ve probably read my How I Got My Agent post and the crazy stunt I pulled at the final quarter of 2021 to get past the querying threshold. And I got lots of messages from people about how amazing that was, but do you know that all the while I was querying I wasn’t paying attention to how it shaped me as a person?
Actually, the full topic is ‘How You Know You Have A Good Mentor And How To Be One For Others’. But gotta leave enough room for December Special, right? Cause that’s what we’re doing here good folks! After helping out with her WIP, a friend of mine said that I should register to become a…
I can’t begin to emphasize how essential self-discipline is for writers, but of course I shall try — SELF-DISCIPLINE IS CRITICAL FOR WRITERS!!!! When it comes to writing fiction for young adult or adult readers, the lowest industry-level word count is often around 60k - 70k. For some writers that’s A LOT of words (I’m…
I want to start by saying: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to all my new followers—and my older followers! It’s been amazing how this blog has been growing and I’m so excited! I know there are dozens of querying advice out there, if not thousands! However, why I felt the need to create this…
‘Fantasy is saturated!’ has almost become a saying now. It’s probably one of the first phrases I heard when I first stepped into the publishing world. It’s on everyone’s lips or blogposts. Yet writers continue to write fantasy in hopes that it would be published/adored by readers. And confession? I’m one of those writers. When…
In the spirit of Christmas, I thought that I might be the opposite of Scrooge and share some of my all time favorite reads with you good folks! I’ll just say that I love these books to pieces and over the years, they’ve come to mean SO much to me. Like if I recommend them…
Happy, Happy, December Everyone! For this December Special, I’ll be reminding you—yes you— that you’re awesome. 😊. Despite what others says. Despite what the world itself screams. You’re awesome, you deserve great things, and you WILL achieve that goal. So when self-doubt starts to whisper in your ear that you aren’t good enough, whip out…
December Special’s Query Package Critique has been fun, and I appreciate the bloggers who helped me get word out! (Hi Jaya, Kat, and Amelia!) I’ve really enjoyed reading and giving feedbacks on query letters and first pages; you guys are so talented! At the moment, I only have the space for one more critique so…
Let’s start up with my quick and easy definition of Bookstagram. Bookstagram: A lively, aesthetically pleasing corner of Instagram dedicated to sharing a love of books. Hello, hello everyone. I’ve been so excited to write and share today’s post because I’m a HUGE fan of Bookstagram! When I first joined in 2020, I was obsessed.…
Happy, Happy December, Everyone!!! It’s time to jolly and hang some holly! ...Or is it? December signifies many things for everyone, oftentimes this includes an End. The year is rounding up and you haven’t achieved that goal you hoped you would by now. I hear you. Me too. Still, I’ve decided now that even if…
Hello Everyone, happy last day of November, And Welcome To Query Critique Package! A December Gift To You Amazing Writers! Since NaNoWriMo has technically closed and many of you are working to query agents in the New Year, I thought I would offer some critique to any who needs it! After critiquing a number of…
Hi guys! Before we delve into the article, with December drawing near, I have some presents for you! (Yayy!) In the spirit of Christmas, I’ll be posting (still secret but amazing) articles designed especially for the season over the month under the tag ‘December Special’. And offering some critiques! Trust me, you don’t wanna miss…
Publishing is a super super SUPER slow process. It is a test in patience. Whether it’s in waiting for agents to respond to your query, or in waiting for your agent’s editorial notes before going on submissions, or waiting on submissions, or waiting on your editor’s revisions, or waiting for your book release... Well, you…
Once upon a time, I wrote books based on passion alone. I had an idea, I poured it out, and that was it. Despite being really good at literature in high school, I knew absolutely nothing about applying craft to writing. It somehow skipped my mind that this craft was what made the stories I enjoyed reading so good.
Querying. Querying. What an imprint you leave on every writer’s life. I mean, even authors who have been successfully publishing books for years still remember their querying experiences. Why? Because it’s harrowing. And authors who luckily didn’t find querying to be harrowing remember it because it was far simpler than what they had braced themselves…
Let’s kick this off with a quick definition. What is a SLUSHPILE? According to Wikipedia ‘a slush pile is a set of unsolicited query letters or manuscripts that have either been directly sent to a publisher by an author, or which have been delivered via a literary agent representing the author who may or may…
There’s no one way to write a book. There’s no one way to pursue publishing. Whatever is working for you, is your right way. This post is mostly a recount of a recent experience and how it intensified my belief in these wise words I’m sure most of us hear. I’ve always been a dreamer.…
Am I the only one who thinks that titling a book should not be as taxing as it sometimes is? Honestly, isn’t it funny that sometimes choosing a title can even be harder than plotting a story?! For me, the challenge usually is in finding 1 - 5 words that perfectly encompass a story of…
I’m such a GINORMOUS Christmas lover. The movies, the sweaters, the CAROLS!, the cookies, the mood—ugh my entire heart. I love everything about the holidays. Last year, I hadn’t whipped out my full Christmas spirit because I was super focus on the feedback from the editor I’d submitted my book to. My family really felt…
My querying experience was a rather unusual one because my first manuscript’s baby steps had led it straight to an editor. I actually didn’t want to query it at all. You know, newbie ol’ me had thought that publishing house was my ‘dream house’ and that I’d do whatever necessary to ensure my book made…
One of the reasons I LOVE writing is: it can take you to places you’ve never been. I think this was what fascinated me the most and bred my love for writing. Even as a kid (possibly especially as a kid?), I’d possessed an overactive imagination. I would always daydream about visiting places much more…
I’m a firm believer that we writers need to have skyscraper-sized faith in our stories. I mean, if WE don’t, who will? Even when I first started typing my books on a laptop and didn’t feel confident enough to share them with friends, within me, I’d always believed that I had written something good enough…
We writers come in all forms, which is so exciting! Really, it’s a part of what makes conversations between writers dynamic and just so much fun. One major aspect in which we writers vary keenly is how we plot our stories. Usually, readers or upcoming writers would ask ‘do you write outlines for your stories…
EDITS. One single word that would make even the toughest writer’s breath catch. One word that could instantly make you wonder if the project you’ve been working on for months isn’t good enough. That can sometimes make you feel like the world itself is about to cave in on you. It’s a scary word. But…
So you’ve polished your manuscript to gleaming and are now ready to find an agent. Because you’re a diligent writer, you’ve scoured the internet and digested every tip ever written about query letters. You know that your letter shouldn’t extend beyond a page, should be typed in Times New Roman or Georgia (my personal favorite),…
Happy New Month everyone! It’s November! Yay! And exactly nine days since I signed with my agent and the Madeline Milburn Literary Agency! *Does a happy dance*. Also within this time, I’ve gotten my first round of editorial note! Now for my first post of the month, I would like to encourage writers who are…
If there’s one question I see often on the internet it’s ‘where do writers find inspiration for their books?’ You could be wondering because you plan to write the next The Hunger Games. Or because you’re hungry for an idea that would cinch your interest from page one until the end. Whatever the reason is,…
Honestly, I never even knew writing sequels was an issue until I came across a post on Google. I was searching for something else actually, but had to click when I saw the title 'Why Querying Writers Shouldn’t Write Sequels'. (Because, you know, the internet is designed to ever distract us from our main destination.)…
The time that gets gobbled up while we writers work to get a book traditionally published can be jaw-dropping. When in the cocooning throes of querying, one might not even notice. All we’re thinking is that this agent’s response time is in 2 weeks, which is faster than the other agent whose response time is…
Hi! Hi! I mentioned in my How I Got My Agent post that I utilized two cover letters while I was querying. I also received manuscript requests with both letters and so I assume both were pretty decent. As promised, here they are!
I crafted the first three chapters, the query letter, and synopsis. This time I made sure all three were intriguing and very witty. (Here are my query letters!). I sent out the first batch of queries early-to-mid September.
If there is one thing I’ve learned as a writer, it’s that aspects of a skill can be forgotten—despite how often one practices that skill. I started writing at a very young age and still have all my handwritten books stacked up. Some months ago, I gave a book of mine out to be critiqued.…
Motivation is pretty easy to find when that fabulous book idea first features in our brain. It’s also easy to retain when we’re writing all our favorite aspects (romance, fight scenes, banter, immersive settings, etc.) But there’s no denying that every writer also has the least-favorite aspects to work on. When I first started writing,…
I asked this question on Quora some months ago, and guess what? 89% of the response were essentially questions too! From writers who had followed the question and were hoping to see other useful responses to help them. One response I found really sweet was from a writer who shared how she saves her world…
Hello wonderful people! I haven’t posted an article here in a while but I’m so happy that I’ve been getting new followers (yay and thank you!). I’ve actually been active engaging with your fab posts and writing articles on Lucia’s Fiction. I have like 8 down in my drafts! I just am not posting them…
I’m not the hugest reader of the fantasy genre, BUT I like to stay abreast with what is happening in that sphere. Know what’s trending. What’s stirring conversations. What readers are enjoying. ETC. And these are some of the reasons why Goodreads and Bookstagram are my best friends. So while I haven’t read JLA From…
I think one of the downsides of being an avid (or frantic) writer is that there is a lot of time to come up with new ideas for new books. That is, rather than working on a book for 6 months to a year, you work on it in 3 months at most and quickly…
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