Do people want to read what you've written?

A free conference, writing about real places, and TONS of writing resources

*For writing resources scroll down*

People want to read what you’ve written

I am constantly grateful for this newsletter. Every time I hear from a reader I feel a jolt of joy. To know that someone out there is reading what I’ve written and responding to it… it’s a great feeling.

Oh sure, we write for ourselves because it’s cathartic or fun or part of who we are. But most of us also write with the hopes of being read. With the hopes of making a connection, with the hopes of sharing our thoughts and stories with others.

When you’re writing a book-length project, the marathon march towards getting published can feel lonely and punishing. One day, you tell yourself, people will read my book, but that day seems forever away. And again, that’s why I’m so grateful for this newsletter, and for my blog, and for social media and literary journals. Because these are all ways to connect with readers, even before you get a book deal.

It can seem strange to think about finding readers before you even have a book for them to buy, but that’s exactly what you should be doing, and there are lots of ways to do it. It can make a difference, not only once you have a book to sell, but also for your creative happiness along the way.

That’s what the Find Your Readers Summit (August 4 - 7) is all about. It’s a free online conference, starting this Friday, about how to find an audience that wants to hear from you, wherever you are in your writing career, and whether you’re doing traditional publishing or the indie/self-publishing route.

This event will show you a wide range of options, most of them low budget or free, to start connecting earlier with the best readers for your writing. Check out the schedule to see what sounds interesting to you.

And I’ll be giving a talk at the summit on this Friday (August 4) about how to find the RIGHT agent for you. A topic I know quite a bit about.

I am an affiliate sponsor for the Find Your Readers Summit. The conference is free, but if you decide to purchase an all-access pass through the link in this newsletter, I will receive a commission. Thank you in advance!

Writing about real places

The novel I am currently revising is not about me, and yet it takes place in two autobiographical settings: my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia and the campus of my alma mater, The College of William and Mary.

When I was younger I shied away from setting stories in Roanoke or Willimsburg. I thought it would show a lack of creativity and a lack of writerly maturity. I thought people would roll their eyes and say, “well, obviously this story is about you.” But now, I don’t really care if people roll their eyes or think a story is about me. Also, I realize two very important things:

1. Roanoke is an amazing setting. (The Blue Ridge mountains! The Victorian homes! The river, the railroad, the parkway. And lest we not forget the giant manmade star that overlooks the valley — now the location of a very important scene in my new novel.

2. And also, why not write about places I know well? Easier for me to get things right that way.

The giant neon-tubing star on top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia (my hometown).

BUT, here’s the tricky thing. My novel is set in the present day. I lived in Roanoke in the 80s and 90s, and I went to William & Mary in the early 2000’s. A lot has changed in both places since I lived there.

So what do I do? Write about the Roanoke I remember? Describe the William & Mary campus before the lodges got torn down and replaced with the shiny new student health center? Or do I do the research so I can depict these locations exactly as they are now?

I honestly don’t know the right answer, but what I’m doing is a combination. I’m doing some research to see what Roanoke and W&M are like now. Google Maps street view is extremely helpful for this, but also I took my family to Roanoke this spring, and we just got back from an extremely sweltering family vacation to Williamsburg.

So I am making an effort to depict modern-day Roanoke and Williamsburg. But I’m also using my memory, and I’m okay if that means some of my setting descriptions are from the past.

I was happy to see the boat house dock at W&M’s Lake Matoaka was largely unchanged, since a pivotal scene in my novel happens here.

For example, I set a scene in the rose garden behind the Fishburn Mansion in Roanoke because I thought it would be romantic and provide for some great imagery and symbolism. The Fishburn Mansion is still in Roanoke, but there’s no longer a rose garden behind it. That’s okay with me. My novel is a work of fiction. Yes, I set it in a real place, but that doesn’t mean every setting detail needs to be 100% factual.

Besides, locations are changing all the time. Buildings get torn down, restaurants change ownership, Starbucks appear where there was no Starbucks before. Even if you’re writing about a real place, I don’t think novelists should worry about getting every setting detail correct. What’s more important is the vibe the setting brings to the story. The setting is there to serve the story, not to be a travel guide.

I like this author note from Jim Grimsley from his novel The Dove in the Belly:

…this book is set in a fictional place, a 1976-77 of my imagining. The Chapel Hill depicted here is very like the one I knew in those days. But there are gaps in the portraits and places that I have filled in with my own details. Much of the campus has changed, and I might have erred here and there in peeling back the years…In fact the whole of the book should be taken to exist in a parallel world in which everything was exactly as I say it was.

Love it. Isn’t that the truth? Isn’t that what makes writing fiction so much fun: everything is exactly as you, the author, say it is.

That’s my opinion, anyway. What are your thoughts on writing fiction set in real places?

Candid shot my husband took of me and my two heat-exhausted children on the campus of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA

Writing News & Resources

For All Writers:

• The Find Your Readers Summit (August 4 - 7) is a free online conference, starting this Friday, all about how to find an audience that wants to hear from you, wherever you are in your writing career.

• Check out this list of 80 calls for August submissions to PAYING markets. Get paid for your writing, whaaa??

• I LOVED this Manuscript Academy podcast episode: Hopeful Rejections, 20 Years on Submission & Accountability To Your Dreams with author Corey Winkle. A MUST LISTEN for anyone with traditional publishing dreams.

• Check out this beautifully-written piece about the frustrations of being a writer with young kids that I relate to SO HARD from Black Fox Literary.

• Since COVID I’ve seen an uptick in sketchy publishing behavior, so Jane Friedman’s most recent youtube video, Spotting Scams & Bad Deals, seems like a very good thing to watch. Learn the red flags so you don’t get burned!

• Great Twitter thread from editor Alyssa Matesic on mistakes she often sees writers make with close third person point-of-view (POV).

• Check out the Chestnut Review for stubborn artists. Their submissions are always open and they pay $120/piece. They promise to respond in 30 days, which is HUGE in the lit mag space. Free submissions in most genres and free issues online, plus paid feedback options. They also offer workshops and international retreats. Sounds pretty amazing to me.  

• NYC Midnight’s 500-word Fiction Challenge kicks off August 25th, and will challenge writers worldwide to create short stories no longer than 500 words based on genre, action, and object assignments in 48 hours. 

• I updated my list of writing and publishing resources — my very favorite books, websites, and podcasts and writing, publishing, and creative life.

• Thinking about self-publishing? This detailed guide tells you all the steps you need to take: How to Self-Publish a Book: A Guide for Aspiring Authors.

For KidLit Writers:

• The Searchlight Writing for Children Awards submissions are open from now until August 31. Shortlisted winners have their text sent to agents and publishers, and first place wins a sizable cash prize.

  • Best Children’s Picture Book Text

  • Best Novel Opening for Children’s or Young Adults (novel does not need to be complete)

• The Highlight's Foundation is offering three sessions of the Whole Novel Workshop: a life-changing retreat with amazing faculty members for those with a full novel manuscript they want to workshop:

  • In-person all genres August 17-22

  • In-person all genres November 5-10

• From Bitsy Kemper’s blog: over 100 publishers accepting unsolicited picture book manuscripts. (Updated June 2023)

• WowCon, WriteMentor’s annual online conference for writers of children’s fiction will be held September 22-24.

• Check out this incredible list of upcoming events for KidLit writers!

For Querying Writers:

• Check out the new Pitched website. Its creator is calling it Zillow for manuscripts, but to me it’s a bit like an online dating site. Writers can upload their manuscripts for agents (who can search by genre or trope) as well as search through a database of agent bios to find people to query. I have not used this site, and it’s brand new, so I don’t know how many agents are participating (yet), but it’s a very cool idea!

• Check out this query letter template from agent Samantha Wekstein and lots of querying advice from agent Eric Smith.

• Find a long list of example query letters on Quite the Query.

• From The Good Story: Successful Query Letters: 40+ Real World Query Letters with Literary Agent Feedback.

• Every Friday, Operation Awesome offers one free query critique through their #QueryFriday contest.

• Every month I will chose one subscriber for a FREE submission package critique. Send me your query letter and the first two pages of your manuscript, and, if you’re the winner of the month, I will send you back in-depth feedback on both. Interested in receiving a critique? Fill out the form here.

• Twitter pitch contests (I refuse to call it “X”) continue to happen, and though they can be frustrating, it certainly doesn’t hurt to try. (After all, I found my agent through a Twitter pitch party. I am now an official success story.) So mark your calendar for these upcoming Twitter pitch parties. And be sure to read my updated article 13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events.

  • #QueerPit, Aug. 1, for any unagented writer who identifies as 2SLGBTQIA+ (Your story does not have to center center on queer themes or issues or 2SLGBTQIA+ characters, but if you're a cishet writer with a queer story/characters, this pitch event is not for you. 

  • #LatinxPitch, Sept. 15, for Latinx writers of kidtlit.

Writing Conferences & Events:

• The Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences will held both online and in person this year. I attended one of these conferences in person a few years ago, and I thought it was fantastic. I can’t vouch for the virtual version, but there are some benefits: recorded classes, no travel expenses, attend in your comfy pants. Plus, sign up for pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences: 

  • Pittsburgh Writing Workshop: August 4-5, 2023 (online)

  • Colorado Writing Workshop: September 8-9, 2023 (online)

  • Seattle Writing Workshop: October 13-14, 2023 (online)

  • Portland Writing Workshop: October 14, 2023 (live and in-person)

• Writers Digest offers loads of virtual conferences on a variety of publishing and writing craft topics.

• Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference is happening August 17-20. For mystery, suspense, and thriller writers.

• WowCon, WriteMentor’s annual online conference for writers of children’s fiction will be held September 22-24.

• For more writing conferences, check out this list or this list of 19 Writing Conferences for Emerging and Established Writers.