With a daunting task like writing a book, It’s hard to see the finish line. That can often be difficult and demotivating. That’s why it’s helpful to set daily writing goals. You’ll start feeling accomplished at the end of the day, and before you know it, all of your little moments of word count will add up to a whole book.
We’re so excited to announce the 14 titles of our Short List! The submissions we received were so chilling, thrilling, and memorable that we’ve had a hard time narrowing down the list! We’ll announce the winners in the next 2-4 weeks! The Pull The Assassin’s Portrait You Seen Our Girl? Self-Preservation The Man in the […]
If you want to get traditionally published, finding an agent is often the next step after you’ve finished revising your manuscript. It can be really helpful to have a collaborator, a partner and new eyes on something you’ve worked on for so long, but it’s important to find the right person.
A few drafts in, we get so familiar with our YA manuscripts that the story begins to feel like an old friend. We know it backward and forwards, where each scene is and what happens in each scene. But we also smooth out the edges in our minds and it becomes harder and harder to look at our manuscripts with a critical eye. We get to a point where we go over all our pages only to discover we don’t know how to push them forward. To help out when that happens, we’ve compiled a few prompts to help you get fresh eyes on your story
Nick Olson’s newest book, a speculative novel-in-flash titled Afterglow (Alien Buddha Press), will be released in June. Nick is a freelance editor and author of both literary and speculative fiction. His previous novels, Here’s Waldo and The Brother We Share, are available now. He is the editor of lit zine (mac)ro(mic). Nick let me take an early peek at Afterglow and I loved the complex future history he has envisioned.
Abdi Nazemian is the author of The Authentics. His novel The Walk-In Closet won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His screenwriting credits include the films The Artist’s Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers, as well as the NBC television series The Village. He has been an executive producer and associate producer […]
We’re so excited to announce the 26 titles of our longlist! The submissions we received were so chilling, thrilling, and memorable that we’ve had a hard time narrowing down the list! We’ll announce the shortlist titles next week! Thank you for your patience! The Sixth of October Help, Satan! Storm in a Teacup Bad Beat […]
You’ve written your first draft, second draft and perhaps a few more. You’ve gotten your book as far as you can and you’re thinking about the next step–sharing your work. Placing your words in the hands of beta readers is a daunting task. It can be scary to share your story–but feedback from others can really make your manuscript shine.
Braxton Royce took the elevator up the tower. He took the elevator down the tower. He stood in the elevator doorway, gazing out at the vacant dining area: at the five white tables, twenty silver chairs, and pristine grey floor. The elevator chirped at him, and he took a step back. The doors closed. At […]
1st Place: “Bees Wings” by Matthew Goldberg “This delicate sketch of our powerful tendency to humanize the universe—to make it bearable—walks a knife’s edge of tonal balance. Too much, either way, would have ruined it. Ultimately, I read in it a celebration of the absolute beauty of every moment of life, no matter where it […]
LESLIE VEDDER (she/her) is a YA queer ace author who loves girl heroes and adventurers. She grew up on fantasy books, anime, fanfiction, and the Lord of the Rings movies, and met her true love in high school choir. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in creative writing, and currently lives […]
Thank you to everyone who submitted this year! Please give us 8-10 weeks after contest closing to process the results. We can’t wait to share the winners with you. We’re looking for dynamic and thrilling First Chapters! Can you write a first chapter that captivates your audience enough to make them want to keep reading? […]