Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Book Broker — An interview with literary agent Katie Greenstreet "Take the manuscript as far as you yourself can possibly get it." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b... #amquerying #mswl

Another common feature of manuscript openings: a character checking themself out in a mirror.

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

“Steer” comes from Old English stēoran (“to guide, direct”). It’s related to Old Norse stýra and stýri (“rudder”), from a shared Germanic root. #etymology

What happens after YES? "It's a writer's dream: you open that email or get that phone call from a publisher or agent with the big news: they want to publish your novel." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/a... #writingcommunity

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

“Tea” comes from Min Chinese "te" (via Dutch trade). Languages on overland routes use forms like cha/ch’a (from Mandarin). Strictly, it’s Camellia sinensis, though it can now refer to herbal infusions too. #etymology

This video series isn't meant to demoralize! Just wanted to share what agents are saying about overused openings in the 100+ interviews we've done. Agents see 1000s of queries per year. Arm yourself with their perspective to improve your chances 😁✌️

Does your young adult or middle grade manuscript open with a bullying scene? If so, you might want to consider another place to begin—that is, if you're planning on querying agents and publishers.

Say it ain't so 😄

So this is partly why I started editing my novel again, because I was like, yeah, I know this but...hm, let me make sure. Correct pacing and properly grounding your reader in the reality of your characters (so they can actually GAF and keep reading) — super important.

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

*Showing* requires a dynamic scene—the characters' moment-to-moment experience of a time, place, and conflict. #writingtip

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Opening your manuscript with a block of weather is another overused opening that can result in a quick rejection.

Hey #WriteSky 👀 this short video explaining why starting a novel with an argument, fight scene or chase can often fail. If your strong opening hook is immediate action, the reader doesn't know yet who they're meant to be drawn to & haven't had a chance to become immersed in the novel. #Writing

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Story Skeleton: Sonny’s Blues The climax ultimately addresses the structural question posed by the inciting incident. darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/s... #writingcommunity

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Fight scene on page one? What about a chase? Or an argument? Starting with high action or drama can work against you.

“Uncomfortable” appears in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1590s), among its earliest recorded uses. #etymology

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

“Quarantine” comes from Italian "quaranta giorni" (forty days), the isolation period imposed on ships during the Black Death. #etymology

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

A character waking up on page one is exceedingly common in unpublished manuscripts.

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Okay, another one 😄

This is a personal attack on me.

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Loving this meme 😄

Ever wondered what the reasoning is behind word-count rules in querying and publishing?

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

Ever get irked by something? The verb irk comes from Old Norse yrkja, “to work.” In Middle English it meant “to tire or wear”—as if something had worked on your nerves until you couldn’t stand it anymore. #etymology

Good night, everyone 🌚 Hope you got some good writing done today 💜

Great video from @darlingaxe.com, and everything said here goes for editors as well as agents. If you're trying to sell your book (or novella, or short story, or... well, anything else) get your eyes on this.

Agents can tell within seconds whether you've done your homework.

"Schadenfreude," from German, refers to finding joy in others' misery. #etymology

I recently wrote about the downfalls of obsessing too much over your genre. That has sparked author Andromeda Romano-Lax to argue for how genre can inspire and instruct rather than limit.

Good morning, humans 🌞 What are you working on today?

“Tawdry” comes from “St. Audrey’s lace.” At fairs honoring the Anglo-Saxon saint Audrey, vendors sold cheap lace necklaces to pilgrims. The phrase St. Audrey’s lace slurred into tawdry lace, and eventually tawdry—meaning cheap, showy finery. #etymology