How I wrote over 40K words in 72 hrs! 🧵

A lot of you asked how, and now that I’ve done it twice, I def have some tips and tricks to share:

First things first: This is not the time to switch up how you write. If you’re someone who likes to take their time making sure every sentence is beautiful, then I wouldn’t suggest aiming for a monstrously high word count. Go at your own pace and write the way you always do. If you’re a pantser, keep on pantsing. The main reason the quality of the words I wrote during the retreat remained the same is bc I wrote

How to approach feedback! 🧵

1. Always thank them first & foremost! Even if I find the feedback super harsh, I still thank them for their time and effort. Do NOT argue or try to explain even if you feel like they got something “wrong.” It’s not their job to get what you were trying to achieve with the MS. You CAN ask questions for clarity or to brainstorm, but we’ll get to that later.

2. Decide if the feedback is actually helpful: Does it make you excited to get to work? Is your mind full of ideas on how to improve your work?

No one asked for it, but here's my best advice to preserve you mental health during debut year!

1. Accept that you're going to feel like a massive fraud. Or maybe you're not? If you're one of those well-adjusted people with a healthy self-esteem, you can skip this one, lol. But if you're not and you feel like you got here thru sheer dumb luck, you're not alone! I promise you that many others feel that way and we're all secretly waiting for the book police to find us and tell us that our books are crap & they're canceling our contracts. Remind yourself

Thread abt critiquing:

I used to pride myself on having thick skin. I'd tell my readers that I wanted "brutal honesty", and I could take all the punches they threw my way. That was me the first...four to five years or so of my writing journey, and hey, that's great! But as the years plodded on and the rejections piled up, my confidence was slowly worn down. I began asking my CPs to be gentle. Fast forward a few more years, and here I am with an actual publishing career. I thought that by this point, I would've gone back to the way I was, brimming with

How to Outline a Novel: A Thread.

(You don’t need to, and many awesome writers don’t! This is just one of many ways to write a book.)

I used to be a pantser, and I loved it and it was chaotic in the most glorious way. But over the years, I moved more towards outlining because 1. It made editing a lot easier
2. When I pantsed, I had serious pacing issues
3. I was often frozen for days because I had no idea where the story would go
4. I hate to say this, but if you’re traditionally published, it’s better if you give your editor a synopsis before

Hey all! Here's what I've learned from my debut year + debut week + debut day. Hope some of you might find this helpful! How to survive...debut year:

1. Make a list of things you have achieved! It's totally normal to have moving goalposts. My goal used to be: Get an agent. Once I got one, I had a new goal: Get a publishing deal. Once I got that, I had to update my goal. That's fine and healthy, but what isn't healthy is to forget how far you've come. Don't dismiss the past goals just because you've achieved them.

How I outline my books: A Thread.

Hi folks! Instead of doing a video abt this, I decided that the topic wld be better served typed out, with screencaps to accompany it. Before we start, I want to be clear that this is far from being the only way to outline a novel, and that 1/? you may find that you don’t even need an outline for your books. The only "wrong" way of writing is one that doesn't work for you, which is why I'm always urging writers who are having a difficult time to try as many different methods as possible. 2/?

Currently watching PS I Still Love You with hubs and he gets SO INTO ROMCOMS. I’m gonna live-tweet his comments just cuz 😆 Peter and Lara Jean on their first date: “Hmm I think he might break her heart. Or maybe she might break his??!!”

My dad: Remember when I told you to quit writing because none of ur books were selling? I’m glad u didn’t listen.

I’m glad too because HI HELLO HIII I HAVE A MOVIE DEAL WITH NETFLIX, BOOM!🔥🔥🔥😭🤯💥💥

I dunno what that “boom” was sorry I’m too excited
hollywoodreporter.com/news/nahnatchk… None of this would have been possible without my wizard, @katedetweiler, wnd my incredible, magical film agents, Mary Pender and Olivia Fanaro. 🥰 Katelyn was on every phone call with me, virtually holding my shaking hands and was the voice of calm throughout the wild ride.

📢 NEVER. EVER. GIVE. UP!🙌
This was my NINTH book. It took 8 before 1 sold, but every book has taught me a little more about writing, and I would not change a single thing about my journey.
WORLD, GET READY TO MEET MY BONKERS MEDDLESOME AUNTIES!!
publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/in… My first thanks goes to @katedetweiler, my magical, all-powerful WIZARD. I can't describe how masterfully she navigated the auction. I was calm the entire time because I knew I had the most INCREDIBLE agent handling it!

Hey, #WritingCommunity! For #AuthorsForFireys, the amazing @sl_huang and I are putting out a mentorship! This includes a six-month mentorship where we give you writing career guidance AND critique your query.

More details in thread.

Bid in comments! ❤️ Details! For 6 mths, you can email us with business/career questions that are writing-related. For ex: How do you even get started?! Do you need agents? Plotting or pantsing? Short stories? How to get critique partners? MONEY! How does it work in publishing? Trade or self pub?