Turn the Page
by Meagan Frank
Pitching story ideas to literary agents can happen in a tweet, a face-to-face conversation, or a three-paragraph email. The exercise of condensing 80-100,000 words of a manuscript down to a hundred characters, a few minutes of explanation, or a well-crafted query letter can challenge writers. In order to hone pitching skills, writers attend pitch conferences geared toward equipping them to better navigate the road toward representation. Perfecting the pitch is worthwhile but writers gain the most when they maintain perspective about the journey toward publication. […]
Readers Write
by Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito
Writers work so hard to find just the right words. Often, those words spill off the page into readers’ hands and, sometimes, into our hearts. They capture our feelings, stir our desires, push us in new directions, give us reason to pause and consider, and inspire us to keep going.
When we find words that stick, we pull them out of a great story and take them with us on our own journey. We pin quotes to inspiration boards. Or tuck scribbled pieces of paper into a planner or journal. We reread those words when we need to hear the beauty of language or see a reminder of perspective. Some words become a part of who we are or who we want to become.
Do you have a favorite line or passage from a book that has struck a chord with your heart? What language, dialogue, or perspective has inspired you? We asked our readers to share favorite book quotes for this month’s Readers Write.
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Shared Experience
by Meagan Frank
Grammy-winning children’s Americana folk artists The Okee Dokee Brothers, award-winning solo indie pop/rock artist Korby Lenker, and legendary country music singer and songwriter Whisperin’ Bill Anderson are all music makers who have made careers of songwriting. Compelled by storytelling, these artists have most comfortably navigated the world of notes and audiences, and each has recently found ways to tell stories on the pages of books as well. Their journeys can teach every storyteller a thing or two about the power of collaboration. […]
