There are no new ideas, just different days to relive
The Groundhog Day trope plus TONS of writing links & resources
*For writing news and resources, scroll down*
Why do we so love the Groundhog Day Trope?
Today is Groundhog Day. Which is also the name of the classic Bill Murray movie from 1993 that has become synonymous with the fictional trope of a character reliving a single day over and over.
It’s not the first example of this story idea, but it’s certainly the most well-known. “It’s like Groundhog Day” has become short-hand for any story that involves a single-day time-loop. Some of my favorite examples:
Before I Fall (YA novel by Lauren Oliver later turned into 2017 film with my girl Zoey Deutch): A self-absorbed teenage girl keeps reliving the day she dies.
Palm Springs (2020 film with Andy Samburg and my girl Cristin Milioti): A man has been stuck for ages reliving the day of his girlfriend’s friend’s wedding, and then the bride’s sister accidentally joins his time loop.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (YA novel by Lev Grossman later turned into a 2021 film): Two teenagers stuck in the time loop of a single day fall in love.
Russian Doll (Netflix TV series starring the awesome Natasha Lyonne): A woman keeps reliving the night of a party thrown in her honor, and at the end of the night she always dies.
Of course there are many, many other examples: Run Lola Run, See You Yesterday, Happy Death Day, etc. Which is your favorite?
And why do we continue to write and consume so many stories with this same basic idea? I think because the time-loop trope helps us explore deep and important questions: What does it mean to live? What if we got a “do over?” What could we accomplish with infinite amounts of time? What even is time?
If you were to write your own “Groundhog Day” time-loop story, what twist would you bring to the trope? What questions would you explore? How would your characters react to their predicament?
Make your characters talk
Don’t forget to check out my Dialogue Masterclass, available in both written and audio format. Session 1: Grammar & Style is available to everyone, and Sessions 2 and 3 are now available to paid subscribers. “Enjoy!” she said.
Session 1: Grammar and Style. Learn about grammar, punctuation, clarity, speaker tags and action, and how to write dialogue like a playwright.
Session 2: How Dialogue Differs from Real Speech. Learn how to write crisp dialogue that sounds real and has purpose. Plus, how to handle dialect, slang, and profanity.
Session 3: Improving Your Dialogue. Learn how to write dialogue that increases tension, reveals character, and moves your reader to tears (or laughter). (Contains TONS of examples from authors who write excellent dialogue.)
Long shadows on a January afternoon with my bike-riding girls.
Writing News & Resources
For All Writers:
Live in the DC area? Come join me at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD for an in-person workshop class on writing mystery/thriller/suspense/horror. Each week we will look at how to dial up suspense using an element of craft. Plus in-class writing exercises and opportunities to workshop your pages. 5 Saturdays: February 4 - March 4; 10am-noon.
Debut poets are invited to apply for Get the Word Out, a free publicity incubator from Poets&Writers. Poets with a debut collections slated for publication between April 2023 and April 2024 are eligible. Deadline to apply: TOMORROW, February 3.
Looking for a critique partner? Book Coach Julie Artz will find you the perfect person with her free CP Meet Cute. Fill out the matchmaker survey by February 7 and be paired with potential critique partners on Valentines Day!
And here’s another critique partner or beta reader matching opportunity from the Moms Writers Club. Don’t even need to be a mom to participate!
Might I recommend this online class on Wednesday, February 8, The Art of Revising Memoir, with the wonderful Dinty Moore? Dinty is the author of many books (my favorite being The Accidental Buddhist), as well as the founding editor the flash nonfiction journal Brevity. I know Dinty personally, and I can say with confidence that he is a top-notch teacher.
For the entire month of February, StoryStudio Chicago is offering Pub Crawl: An Online Publishing Intensive featuring panels and classes every weeknight that you can watch live or later. And at the end the month are optional pitch sessions. The whole thing is $265, minus the pitches, and there are scholarships available.
For a special issue, The Rambling is inviting essays (1500-2000 words) that document & reflect on your experiences re-reading a favorite or formative book from your youth. Deadline is TOMORROW, February 3, 2023. Send submissions to theramblingonline@gmail.com.
The Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize is now open — deadline is February 8, 2023. The Prize is for a novel by a woman over the age of 18 that marries literary merit with unputdownability.
Apply for the 2023 Kurt Brown WC&C Scholarships. Three winners will receive $500 to help them attend the WC&C event of their choice. Winners plus six finalists will also receive a free one-year AWP membership. Applications are open through March 31,2023.
Hoping to create a regular writing habit or maybe start a novel? Learn about my do-it-on-your-own-time courses for paid subscribers: Cultivating a Regular Writing Routine and Getting Started on Your Novel.
For KidLit Writers:
Check out the 8th Annual Valentiny Contest for Picture Book writers. Submissions due February 12.
From Bitsy Kemper’s blog: over 75 publishers accepting unsolicited picture book manuscripts — updated January 2023!
Upcoming Kidlit Workshops (online and in-person) from The Highlights Foundation. Everything from Picture Books to YA!
Check out this incredible list of upcoming events for KidLit writers!
SCBWI (The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) will hold their annual conference in person in New York City February 10-12. They will also have a virtual conference on February 25.
Who else is SUPER excited for the film adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic, Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret, starring Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret. Release date: April 28. My calendar is already marked.
The annual PBParty contest is for unagented writers and author/illustrators with finished and polished picture book manuscripts. Selected entries will be read by agents/editors in the showcase at the end of March. Submit one contest entry on Wednesday, March 1st from midnight to 8pm EST. Good luck!
For Querying Writers:
WriteMentor is offering an online Traditional Publishing Workshop weekend, THIS WEEKEND. Looking to secure agent representation & publish a book? Learn about the world of traditional publishing via workshops & panels led by authors & industry professionals.
Mslexia, the online salon for women writers, is sponsoring their annual Agent Extravaganza on February 14. They’ve got a fantastic line up of literary agents ready to read pitches, offer written feedback, and request pages. All you need is a pitch of 100 words or less. The event pages will be open for pitches from 8am-8pm on 13 February (London time)!
The Good Story Company is offering another StorySnobs Pitch Contest. Submit your premise and get live feedback from editors. Happening February 15, 2023
8:00-9:00 pm CDT.Register now for a free webinar on February 23 with former literary agent (and writing/publishing guru) Mary Kole on Writing an Irresistible Query.
The annual PBParty contest is for unagented writers and author/illustrators with finished and polished picture book manuscripts. Selected entries will be read by agents/editors in the showcase at the end of March. Submit one contest entry on Wednesday, March 1st from midnight to 8pm EST. Good luck!
NY Book Editors is now offering a Literary Agent Alert service. 2-week free trial followed by $10 a month. Is it worth it? I’m not sure — if you try it, let me know!
All registered AWP conference attendees, both in-person and virtual, are eligible to submit a sample of their work to the 2023 Writer to Agent program to be reviewed by over twenty agents at five excellent literary agencies. If an agent is interested, they will contact you to set up a meeting during #AWP23. The deadline to submit your query letter and writing sample is Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
The Revise & Resubmit (#RevPit) annual contest begins March 16. Win feedback and edits on your full manuscript from professional editors.
Every Friday, Operation Awesome offers one free query critique through their #QueryFriday contest.
Here’s an insanely comprehensive spreadsheet of successful queries. Learn the details and read the actual query letters for books that got agent representation.
I don’t know what’s going on with Twitter these days, but I assume Twitter pitch contests will continue to happen unless I hear otherwise. If you’re still on Twitter, 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 article 13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events.
Feb 16 #PBPitch for Picture Books
April 6: #MoodPitch — Twitter pitch for all un-agented authors of all genres and age categories, with a mood board image added. (The pitch event in which I found my agent!)
Savvy Authors will sponsor their annual Sweetheart Pitchfest Feb. 15-17. This free event is for writers of all genres with a completed manuscript who are looking for an agent or editor. Register for free to learn more.
Writing Conferences
Writers Digest is offering a virtual conference for romance writers February 18-19 and a virtual conference for mystery/thriller writers March 25-26.
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, you can sign up for Zoom pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences:
Boston Writing Workshop: Feb. 3-4, 2023 (online only)
Chesapeake Writing Workshop (online only)
Alabama Writing Workshop: March 10, 2023 (in-person in Birmingham)
Atlanta Writing Workshop: March 11, 2023 (in-person)
Writers Conference of St. Louis: March 11, 2023 (in-person)
Cincinnati Writing Workshop: March 11, 2023 (in-person)
Minnesota Writing Workshop: March 25, 2023 (in-person in St. Paul)
AWP Conference (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) will be held in March 8-11, 2023 in Seattle.
All registered AWP conference attendees, both in-person and virtual, are eligible to submit a sample of their work to the 2023 Writer to Agent programto be reviewed by over twenty agents at five excellent literary agencies. If an agent is interested, they will contact you to set up a meeting during #AWP23. The deadline to submit your query letter and writing sample is Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Go to AWP for Free! Have your registration cost waived when you agree to work a four-hour shift at the conference. Applications are now open for work-exchange.
SCBWI (The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) will hold their annual conference in person in New York City February 10-12. They will also have a virtual conference on February 25.
The San Miguel Writer’s Conference and Literary Festival will be held Feb. 13-17 in beautiful San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. No need to speak Spanish (though it certainly helps).
New York Write to Pitch Conference 2023 will be held in NYC March 16-19.
The 34th Annual California Creative Writers Conference will be held March 3-5, 2023 in Culver City. Presentations, workshops, panels, and one-on-one pitch meetings. Discounts available.
The Washington Writers Conference will be held in Bethesda, MD May 12-13.
Early Bird tickets ($369) include three agent-pitch sessions and are available through Mar. 31, 2023.
For more writing conferences, check out this list or this list of 19 Writing Conferences for Emerging and Established Writers.