Happy Holidays #writingcommunity! ❄️ It's an official Snow Day in southern Maine, and my Editorial Assistant would very much like to come outside and play. ⛄ Perhaps at least one of us should try to get some work done, however... 🖊️ Merriest of wishes #writesky! 🥂 #amquerying #amwriting

Hello #writingcommunity! This is a fun 2025 wrap-up... the best book covers of the year. While you can't necessarily judge a book by its cover, they sure do draw your attention! 👀 I see more than one (dozen) here that I need to add to my holiday wish list... 📝🎄 #amquerying #writesky #amwriting

in its rigid calm the winter tree stands stiff forgetting the sap that once moved through still underground it keeps boiling outlasting time there’s no drama only a raw stubborn #gratitude for the pressure below #vss365 #poetry #WritingCommunity #blueskypoets 📸 Greg & Chrystal Mimbs

Good morning from balmy Maine #writingcommunity! 🌲😎 It's happened again... the characters from my next project are taking over my brain, even before I've finished the edits on my current WIP! 🤪 More caffeine is needed in order to focus... ☕🖊️ #writesky #amquerying #amwriting

Wanting to create a website but unsure what to fill it with? Here’s a quick and easy starter guide to get you going! Find more information on our blog: www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog #amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writing #writerscommunity #author #writingjourney

Happy Monday #writingcommunity! Passing along this great article by Teri Case (on the #janefriedman website) about some of the recent scams targeting authors. Great info here on how to spot the scammers. 👀🔎 Hope your week is productive and scam-free! 😀🖊️ #amquerying #amwriting

TGIF #writingcommunity! 🖊️🍷 Just finished the first (rough) draft of my Maine-based speculative fiction novel! 🌊 My intention was to devote the day to editing; however, my Editorial Assistant has declared it to be Play Time instead. 😸🐾 Good luck with your endeavors today! 😀 #amquerying #amwriting

Happy Thursday #writingcommunity! Passing along this info on the Trans Poetry Anthology Contest (deadline 12/31) for Maine-affiliated adult writers identifying as transgender or non-binary. The theme is "That Which Haunts Us." 🏳️‍🌈 Good luck! 🙏 #amwriting #writesky #amquerying

It's an exciting day... I just revealed the Creature in my speculative WIP (first draft). Now I have the wrap-up chapter to write, and it'll be time for edits! 🌊🖊️ Can't wait to set this story free, sometime in the New Year. 🥂 #amwriting #amquerying #WIP #writingcommunity

As we're thinking of meaningful gifts to purchase this holiday season (no more fruitcake, please!), check out this list of 100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025! What a great way to support these amazing fellow authors. 🖊️ 👩‍💻 Happy perusing! 📚 #writingcommunity #writesky #amquerying #amwriting

Happy SnoWednesday #writingcommunity! My Editorial Assistant has declared it to be a Snow Day, and has abandoned all pretense of work. ❄️ Time for me to heat up some eggnog-laced coffee, and open up my WIP! ☕ Hope your day is productive... 😀 🖊️ #amquerying #amwriting

Happy #GivingTuesday! 🥰 I give to you my heartfelt gratitude for being such a supportive #writingcommunity, and am sending each of you the very best of luck wherever you are in your current writing journey! 😀🙏 #amwriting #amquerying #writesky

Happy Writember #writingcommunity! I hope you had a rejuvenating holiday weekend, and are ready for a week of writing! 🖊️ My Editorial Assistant will not be of much help today. She consumed copious amounts of turkey and eggnog on Thanksgiving, and is regretting her choices. 😾 #amwriting #amquerying

Happy last day of November, #writingcommunity! In case you're lost in the querying trenches or stuck with your WIP, maybe a contest would be a fun distraction? 🤔 Here's a link from the "Publishing... and Other Forms of Insanity" Newsletter. Good luck! 🍀🤞 #amquerying #amwriting #writesky

Love this idea of "Thankfulness Leaves" passed down from a friend. So much to be thankful for this season... including this #writingcommunity! 🙏 I hope you're surrounded by lots of joy (and pumpkin pie) this holiday! 🦃 #amwriting #amquerying

Happy Monday #writingcommunity! Loved seeing the activity for yesterday's #WIPPIT. Can't wait until these creative works are in print! 📚 I'm a day late (no excuse, just the weekend), but my #WIP features a women's retreat in ME gone horribly wrong. Beware of ancient creatures of the sea! 🌊 #Spec

#MiseryPit is coming up December 1st! For mystery, thriller, and true crime works! Follow @miserypit.bsky.social and check the post below for more information! #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #Writers #AmQuerying #AmAgenting #Editors

Authors: Make sure your query is NOT too vague. “They must face dire consequences / a difficult choice / a big threat” are all too vague. Give concrete details of what the characters are facing and why the reader should be on the edge of their seat about it! #writersky #amquerying

I'm reading Eowyn Ivey's fantastic "Black Woods Blue Sky" as a potential comp for my speculative WIP. 🌲🌘 Great quote: "Love is the most powerful force in the world. If you couldn't put your hope in that, what was the point of anything." #writesky #amquerying #writingcommunity

Hello #FifRevPit! My Editorial Assistant insists that felines appear in all my works--the consequences for not doing so would be catastrophic. 😼 #writingcommunity #amwriting #amquerying

Happy Monday #writingcommunity! 😃🖊️ Passing along this great essay posted by #janefriedman. Lots of useful info about infusing emotion into our writing. ☺️😗🥺 Hope your day is inspiring & productive! #amwriting #amquerying

Such a great meeting last night with my writing critique group! There's nothing like a #writingcommunity to feel supported and validated for what we do. 😀📚 Today I'm digging into their suggestions for my WIP- can't wait to use their insight to improve my work! 📋🖊️ #amquerying #amwriting

Happy Thursday #writingcommunity! 🖊️ Passing along the info from #MWPA for a great opportunity for 1st and 2nd generation Mainers to submit prose & poetry for a new anthology celebrating the many cultures & peoples of our state. 🌲🌊🦞 Good luck! 😀 #amwriting #amquerying #writesky

I loved a recent post from #julieartz about embracing the zero: "...a first draft is just that; it’s first pass, not a published book. It’s not meant to be flawless or ready for publication." Let's take pressure off ourselves for perfection in our WIP! 🖊️📖 #amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity

I am so thankful to be part of this #writingcommunity. 🙏 As the shutdown grinds on, I'm passing along this link where our neighbors can find resources to address food insecurity. If you know of others, please pass them along! #writesky #amquerying #amwriting www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-am...

It's National Saxophone Day! 🎷🎶 I have the privilege of playing my Mom's 1937 Conn tenor sax in a local community band. (Though I don't play up to the instrument's potential!) 🙃 I have a feeling that jazz/saxes will play a central role in my next WIP...🖊️ #amquerying #writingcommunity #writesky

#agentsguide: RESISTING THE RABBIT HOLE As increasingly restrictive mandates pile up from an over-zealous Governing Board, Joplin must choose between protecting her teaching colleagues or the career she’s grown to love. Book Bans 📚 Reconciliation 👭 ME Setting 🌲 #QuestPit #Q #A #WF #amquerying

Querying writers -- Please give yourselves some grace and stop fretting about a few silly typos in your queries. We probably won't notice them, we're not going to hold them against you, and if we DO hold them against you, you don't want to work with us anyway.

btw everyone, take my querying advice with a grain of salt -- the thing about agents is we have general rules of thumb that we collectively agree on, but many of us have very different ways of seeing things!

It's Maine Beer Week! 😀🍺🌲 “What care I how time advances? I am drinking ale today.” --Edgar Allan Poe I'm raising a toast to this incredible #writingcommunity! 🍻 #amquerying #amwriting #querying #writesky

Happy Halloween #writingcommunity! My Editorial Assistant made her own costume this year... She's going as the Ghost of Past Rejection Letters. 👻 Happy haunting, #writesky! 🎃💀 #amwriting #amquerying #querying

An unexpected inheritance, tacky shell art, dueling in-laws—and a touch of Mark Twain’s unconventional wisdom—all lead Esidora to the shocking truth of her aunt’s death on a remote Maine island...🌲💀 #GhostPit #A #Q #WF #MM #querying #amquerying #agentsguide

Such great info yesterday from the #TiffanyYatesMartin & #JaneFriedman webinar on editing! ☑️ One of my favorite takeaways: a reminder that we are the writers (not AI); it is our responsibility as artists to wield the tools of our art. 🎨📝💻 Happy wielding, #writingcommunity! #amwriting #amquerying

On this #NationalCatDay, my Editorial Assistant reminds us that the best writing always comes after taking a long nap. 🐱🐾 #amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writesky

🎃 Horror writers! Our FREE panel is TOMORROW (Oct 28, 2pm ET) ✨ 3 top agents share horror #MSWL 📚 Mini classes on character/fear + tension/dread 🔍 Live query critique Featuring Literary Agents Linda Camacho, Erica Bauman & Tamara Kawer Get your free ticket: manuscriptacademy.com/mswl-live-ag...

Possible new AI-driven impersonation scam spinning up: someone contacts you out of the blue w/ praise for your work, recommends you contact a (real) literary agent & provides an email addy--but of course it's fake & results in a referral for editing or marketing. Example below 1/2

So glad it's the weekend! I finally have time to focus on my speculative fiction WIP, The Sea Curser. 🌊 What ancient evil beckons beyond Maine's rugged coastline... #writingcommunity #amwriting #amquerying #writesky

TGIF #WritingCommunity! (caffeine, anyone?) ☕ Passing along this info on the Anthropic settlement- includes a searchable database to find out if any of your works have been used w/out permission to train their AI model. This is one database we hope we're NOT on! 🤪 #amquerying #writesky #amwriting

Though not technically a "ghost" story, THE FRAGILITY OF SEASHELLS delves into dark family secrets and the consequences of obsessions... set on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Will Esidora discover the truth, before it's too late? 🌊🐚 #amquerying #amwriting #writingcommunity

At band rehearsal, our director reminded us to "make every note mean something to you." 🎷🎶 That made me think of how this could also apply to my writing. Today, I'm focused on making sure that every word means something to me (and to the reader). 😀🖋️ #amquerying #writingcommunity #amwriting

Happy Monday #writingcommunity! Went on a field trip this weekend to one of the locations for my speculative fiction WIP. It really helped to ground my protagonist--I'd definitely recommend this strategy. (Bonus--it was a gorgeous day for a ride here in Maine!) 🍂🌲 #amquerying #amwriting #writesky

Impersonation alert! Writers, if you get an email from someone recommending you contact literary agent Annie Bomke at either [email protected] or [email protected], it's a SCAM. Both emails addys are fake. Annie's real domain is abliterary.com writerbeware.blog/2024/03/15/t...

Our meditation in yoga today was "surround yourself with nature; let it breathe life into your soul." 🙏🌲 Perfect for yoga-- and for opening ourselves to a productive mindset for writing! 🖋️ #writingcommunity #amwriting #amquerying #writesky

I love this quote from author Jocelyn Lieu: "Writing first drafts is flinging nets of words around dreamed moments that defy capture." 🌈📝 Happy drafting #writingcommunity! #amwriting #amquerying #writesky

On this National Indigenous Peoples Day, I acknowledge that the land my city occupies was originally inhabited by the Abenaki & Wabanaki people. The broader place we now call Maine is still home to the sovereign people of the Wabanaki Confederacy. 🙏🌲🌊 #writingcommunity #amwriting #amquerying

Hello #writingcommunity! Passing along this info from #janefriedman for a free seminar on 10/16 regarding the Anthropic settlement. Hope you're having a productive #writing day today! 📝 #amwriting #amquerying janefriedman.com/get-your-que...

TGIF #writingcommunity! As Banned Book Week wraps up, I'm passing along this great link from the #ALA with the top 10 challenged books. Looks to me like a great reading list! 📚🌈 Let's hope that diverse voices are never silenced! #amwriting #amquerying #booksky www.ala.org/bbooks/frequ...

Congrats to all my fellow writers for your amazing posts yesterday during the #DVPit event! I am so proud of you! 🥰 I can't wait to see all your works in print! 😀📚 #writingcommunity #writesky #amwriting #amquerying

Happy Wednesday #writingcommunity! For those looking for resources during Banned Books Week- 🚫 Pen America provides great info. I've used their legislative tracker for data in writing my "Rabbit Hole" novel (currently #querying). 📚 📝 #booksky #amquerying #amwriting pen.org/banned-books...

It's Banned Book Week... so consequential, especially now. 📚 What banned book most inspires you as a writer? 📝 I loved Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books--it gave me the courage to strengthen revisions in my "Rabbit Hole" novel. #booksky #amquerying #writingcommunity bannedbooksweek.org