An idea that helped me start creating is that you can, and should, reuse your best ideas. I used to get locked into “Oh I love that idea I should wait until I’m skilled enough to pull it off“ nah just do it, then strip it for parts on what worked the best and do it again

I said the word "romantasy" in front of my 20 year old brother last night and he looked puzzled, so I said "it's exactly what it sounds like" and he replied "romantic... odyssey?" lmfao

Kia ora koutou — Te Waka Taki Kōrero/The Māori Literature Trust has opened applications for two grants (up to $6K) for mid-career Māori writers. Applications for Te Tupu Hauora close on 30 Jan, 2026. All info on the website linked below. Mauri ora! mlt.org.nz/te-tupu-haur...

Celebrating the first night of Hannukah, festival of miracles, by trying to transport a jelly donut wrapped in paper towels tucked in a tote bag full of clean clothes on an hour-long train ride

I'm excited to announce that I've accepted a comics co-editor position at @therumpus.net We're looking for original literary fiction and non-fiction comics that feel personal. Bonus if it's hand-lettered (the path to my heart) 😘 No AI Pays $100 therumpus.submittable.com/submit Pass it on!

I'm running a free, virtual workshop at 7 pm EST tonight with Orange County Library System: attend.ocls.org/event/14071584 This is an updated version of a class on early career development that I ran for OCLS in the spring, now with a few additional resources to get you started in each category.

NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month. This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory! Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...

I've started requesting stacks of books from the library to read while my office is closed for the end of the year. Any recommendations? What were your favorite releases of 2025/2024? I'm mostly looking for YA fiction by newer authors, but open to something else if it sounds interesting.

good thread!! the idea of bringing the audience into view when choosing a next project, and then putting it away so you can write, then bringing it back again when you're editing is exactly what i do haha

I talked to three people about Louise Bourgeois's spider sculptures over the weekend, and they're not as widely known as I thought! I visited Maman a few years ago and stood beneath the sculpture, looked up at its belly, walked in and out around the legs. museumspotlighteurope.com/the-enduring...

reading literary fiction about annoying people in new york must hit so hard if you're an annoying person in new york

I'm running a free, virtual event with the Orange County Library System in about half an hour to talk about taking your book on sub! My goal is to put writers' anxieties to rest and demystify one of the most nerve-wracking stages in the publication journey. attend.ocls.org/event/14071355

Sometimes I wonder if our many years of jokes about writers hating writing and doing anything but writing, etc, have convinced people that the writing part is the hurdle and the goal is just to have a thing in hand. But I am here to tell you: the writing is the best part. The act is the thing.

qrp for everyone's knowledge! small edits regarding a specific scene are totally ok i think -- it means the sample you sent is still valid editing the beginning: that's the sample!! I'd withdraw and requery bc the package fundamentally changed and that's what their full req was/will be based on

I really admired the work Teen Vogue was publishing in recent years. It was incisive, forward-thinking, clear and direct reporting on issues teens cared about, written with the intention to help youth become aware of current events that affect them and stay engaged with those issues.

🚨 WNDB is committed to providing emergency grants to diverse authors & illustrators, publishing professionals, and educators experiencing dire financial need due to loss of SNAP benefits. We are now open for a new round of emergency grants, between $250 and $1,000 each. 💻 bit.ly/WNDB-emergency

We are delighted to share that Sophie Cameron has been nominated for the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing with her fantastical novel about imagination and friendship, A Flash of Neon! 🎉 Congratulations @sophiecameron.bsky.social! #Carnegies2026 @carnegiemedals.bsky.social

If you're one of the editors thinking this and you haven't gotten an email from me this week... let's talk swashbuckling historical queer romance

Thinking again today about Olympic gymnast Giorgia Villa and her Parmigiano Reggiano sponsorship www.diningandcooking.com/2132252/gior...

If I had a solid 3 months of free time I'd paint a modern Robin Hood and his merry band where they're all protesters in LA Genuinely been thinking about it for months but I do NOT have the time for something that complex 😫😭😢

Gonna start citing this post when I tell someone that their YA novel set in 2012 is historical fiction for today's teens.

The Netflix show Long Story Short has permanently altered my vocabulary. "Is a schnook not entitled?" "You laugh, but a schnook is entitled."

I didn’t know what to say before, with Thyme Travellers winning just now. All I have to say is please continue to support Palestinians loudly and without apology. So much love to you all!

I'll be participating in DVpit today! While I'm currently closed to unsolicited queries, I've opened a temporary link on QueryManager specifically for this pitch event. If I like your DVpit post, that's an invitation to query me: querytracker.net/query/paulaa...

If you attended and heard me refer to the meter in The Cat in the Hat as trochaic tetrameter, I misspoke--that should have been anapestic tetrameter. Anapests are two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. Trochees are one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.

I'm leading a (free, online) craft talk on writing picture books tomorrow night through the Orange County Library System. Come listen to me climb on my soapbox about poetic scansion and common picture book pitfalls: attend.ocls.org/event/14071115

#DVpit is 1 week away! We're excited to have over 70+ Agents & Editors committed to participate & boost marginalized creators from dozens of literary agencies and publishing imprints! For the next week we'll be having a #DVparty to get hyped up for the event! more info: dvpit.carrd.co #writersky

As we are one day away from #PicantePit, here is the list of all the agents who will be participating across both X and 🦋☁️ Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out our form!

Marching out into the deep woods and telling the first fae I see my whole and true name, I'm fuckin done here time to go

The thing about being an artist is that sometimes you’ll have a really silly/cursed image enter your head and spend hours of your life drawing it. Hours you’ll never get back.

Reminder that I'll be closing to queries in two weeks! There are a lot of exciting projects already in my inbox that I'm looking forward to reviewing, but there's still time for #amquerying authors to send me a few more. Non-comprehensive thread below of some concepts I'd really like to see. 🧵/

I went rollerskating today and immediately fell SO hard (didn't even make it to the rink) that a parks employee rushed over and offered to replace my skate rentals with rollerblades. So much respect for roller derby players, I don't know how they manage at speed while knocking each other over.

Simply the best slide I have ever seen in a powerpoint presentation care of @premeemohamed.com’s talk at @banffcentre.bsky.social re: Putting the Science in Science Fiction

I'll be running an interactive workshop on Nailing Your Comp Titles next week with WIFYR's Virtual Writing Intensive. I heard there are a few online slots left: www.wifyr.com/2025-writing...

One thing on my dream wishlist is more middle grade titles from Vietnamese American authors, ideally fun and contemporary stuff. @brandonhoang.bsky.social, Thanhhà Lại, and @trungles.com can only do so much. This is a gap, imo.

Hey all! I have an announcement 😬... Proud to say I'm now represented by agent Paula Weiman @tinyfairyhunter.bsky.social of ASH Literary Agency🥳🙌🏼🎊 And now I need to get back to work. Thank you for reading😅 ashliterary.com#camillewhitc...

A federal court ruled that ANTHROPIC illegally copied MILLIONS of books to train its AI. All authors and publishers whose books were downloaded by Anthropic from pirate websites are subject to receiving compensation. This could involve your work. For more info: authorsguild.org/news/anthrop...

idk if deadlands does this, but as someone who has done slush and editing: if you do things like this, i have always taken it as a red flag in terms of how you would react to editorial critique, or anything else in the pipeline

My most American trait is probably that "eating a burger" is one of my go-to problem-solving strategies

Diving into #queerpit today. If I like your post, that's an invitation to query me at querytracker.net/query/paulaa... Authors, please include a sentence about the plot in your post! Tropes and character dynamics are great, but I need the plot (or at least the premise) to decide if I'm interested.

I've decided to close my query inbox at the end of September. I will likely reopen to unsolicited queries in spring of 2026. I'm excited to dig into the queries I've already received, and #amquerying authors, you have 6 more weeks to send me your work for consideration!

I saw the new Superman movie this week and what struck me most is how well the film knows its audience. (This is mostly going to be a craft thread, but spoilers to follow). 🧵/

"The university press is “concerned that the window may be closing” for making deals with AI modeling companies, Pope wrote, “so we need to move quickly.” You know who urges you to make a "deal" quickly? Scamners.

hell yeah

OK! So I read the first Murderbot story and began the second, and I have to say that I'm struck by the strange feeling that there are things the novella did better, AND things the show did better, which is an unusual judgement from me: 🧵

I am not very good at keeping up with TV shows while they air and I'm so happy that I can finally unblock all of the Murderbot stuff I hid to avoid spoilers. Loved the first season and I'm excited for season 2.

I’m hiring an editorial assistant! Position will report to me and the director of our Graphic Novel program. You will get to work on childrens and our New Adult imprint. Apply here: jobs.jobvite.com/hachette-boo...

*crying in art director* Please please please let your #portfoliday gift to yourself be adding your contact info (email), portfolio (link), and NAME to your socials. Some of you are missing opportunities because we can't reach you!!!!! 🫣

Alt text. This is pretty awful, but probably what has to be done to preserve the service at all. IMLS still has a chance- please make sure to show support.