I know I’m not the only writer who has experienced something like this. You’ll be at church, the office, or your kids’ school and someone asks you where they need to go to find out how to write a book . . . article . . . essay.
My most recent request was an adorably message vague. “Can you recommend a book on writing a book?” I told her I’d need more info and groaned when I saw her response. She wants to write a memoir. That’s an area I don’t know well. But I do know who to ask. I fired off an email to our own Angela M. Soon she responded with a list of books, Youtube videos and more that looks more like a course syllabus than a book recommendation. I printed out a copy for myself!
Recently another WOW friend said an agent told her that her book read like NA. She wasn’t sure what agents handled New Adult. This time I could help. I had just seen a call for New Adult queries and sent her the info. Then when I was looking for someone to send my own work to, I found five or six more. Eventually she’ll tell me that enough is enough.
This made me think of Jodi Webb’s people list. You can see her post here.
We all have people that we go to for certain kinds of information. I have a specific friend, a nurse, I contact when a manuscript includes medical information. “Here’s my source and here’s what I wrote. Did I accurately explain it to 4th graders, or have I made something up?” My son, the mechanical engineer, found the right formula for converting temperature change from Celsius to Fahrenheit. When I needed to confirm a detail about the Greek Orthodox church, I emailed our church secretary. No, I’m not Greek Orthodox, but she is.
If someone isn’t on my own people list, I reach out. This is especially true when someone asks me a writing question. Writing can feel overwhelming. Oh, let’s not sugar coat this. There are times that writing is overwhelming. There is just so much information and I can't know it all.
I know I can reach out to my WOW family if I have a question on memoir, essay writing or poetry. There will be someone here I can turn to with queries about graphic novels, autofiction, or product reviews. If there’s something you need to know and can’t find yourself, ask around. One of us is sure to know. Heck, Jodi knows where to find a blueberry farmer.
--SueBE
Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 55 books for young readers.
- To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.
- Click here to find her newsletter.
She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin again on September 2, 2024. She teaches:
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2 comments:
I also get those vague questions about writing a book all the time! And I love your NA agent list. Maybe we should do an article on the NA genre, possibly talking to some agents or rounding up what they’ve said. Anyone up for it? I feel like it’s a genre that had some heat early on with Fifty Shades, which actually started as a Twilight fanfic story! But since then I feel like it hasn’t been discussed as much, or maybe that’s just my impression. And I love Jodi’s people list! Also, you’re a great resource for children’s/YA nonfiction, and practically everything, since you write about so many topics in your books. 55 now? Wow! You're so right, writing communities are the best for help!
Aw, thanks for the inadvertent shout-out! This community is so large that I think any one of us could find an expert if we really needed it--that's why I love being here. I need to take Jodi's advice and start making an actual list of experts I know since I can't always remember things off the top of my head.
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