May 2015 – Melissa Caruso

Contests: What to Do When You Don’t Make the Cut

So you didn’t get into a contest you entered. It’s a tough feeling, no matter how much the hosts tell you they had to pass up entries they loved. What do you do now? Before I got my agent, I entered my share of contests. Some I got into, some I didn’t, but each oneContinue reading “Contests: What to Do When You Don’t Make the Cut”

Surely… Not

I’ve noticed a rule. Whenever a character thinks “Surely [X],” the opposite of [X] is absolutely guaranteed to happen. Let me show you what I mean: Surely an orphan kid could never beat the reigning champion. Surely this must all be a nightmare, and I’ll wake up any second. That look must mean something else—surelyContinue reading “Surely… Not”

Query Tips, in Convenient Bullet Point Form

Writing queries was never my favorite part of being a writer, and I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I did learn some things during my time in the querying trenches. Here are some of them: There are three things your query must clearly convey: character, conflict, stakes. Focus on those. They’re so importantContinue reading “Query Tips, in Convenient Bullet Point Form”