Hello, I posted a few months ago that I finished the second draft of my novel. Since then, I've quietly been chugging away and finished drafts three, four, and five (in much less time than draft two took, for many reasons)! Now, I'm querying my work for the first time. (Querying is the process of seeking an agent, a requirement for almost everyone who wants to have their work traditionally published in the United States.) I'd heard from writer friends that querying is brutal (it's often...
2 days ago • 1 min read
Hello all, I just launched a brand new Instagram page to share a peek behind the writing journey curtain, thoughts on human art and culture, and a place to talk all things books. Don't worry - the newsletter isn't going anywhere! At the same time, I'm looking forward to sharing some short-form videos, conversations with friends, memes, and other types of content that are a better fit for social media on my new page. I've enjoyed being a follower of the Bookstagram community for years and I'm...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hello! I've used Google Docs to draft three different novels and countless short stories. I'm grateful for the tool that helped me write so much for so many years, but I decided to jump ship for my fiction given the pervasive embedding of AI. There are so few spaces left that are free from AI right now (see: partial screenshot above of an AI-generated flyer from my kid's school with a leg growing out of the shoulder), and I want to protect my human creativity. Someone made a great Chrome...
16 days ago • 1 min read
Hello! I attended a writer's conference for the first time, and it was a blast! The conference was Colorado Gold, hosted by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW). If you live anywhere near Colorado, I highly recommend checking out the organization. I was so impressed with the caliber of authors, agents, editors, and other publishing professionals I met there. Given it was my first writing conference, I sought out a lot of advice beforehand and received some that helped me make the most of...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Hi, there! Today's post is special: I'm interviewing fellow fantasy and science fiction author Louise McLaughlin! She has such a unique perspective on publishing and some very cool themes relevant to international affairs in her work. I hope you enjoy her insights as much as I did! Regards, Nicole Q: Hi Louise, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! I know everyone's writing journey is different, so what made you interested in being a fantasy and science fiction author? A: I have...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi, there! Let me start by saying I'm not an expert on race or anthropology. I just have my own educated-layperson-level intellectual interests and lived experience as a mixed-race person to go off of, but objectively publishing is very white. Most publishing industry professionals are white, the vast majority of published authors are white, and so it's no coincidence that most fictional characters are also white. (People, after all, often say "write what you know!") (A statistic I'll never...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello! At a friend's recommendation, I started reading a sci-fi book called Where it Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon. This author really excels at something that I personally struggle with, which is extremely immersive and vivid world-building. For me, it often takes many drafts to get the atmosphere and setting of a story right - the plot comes to me much more easily, and then the characters, and then the setting. As soon as I started reading Where it Rains in Color, though, I was blown...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, there! I'm popping in to say a brief hello. I've been extra busy mostly not-writing since my last email/post, because I have been very busy having and taking care of a new baby! This time has reminded me that everything has a season, including writing projects. I registered to attend a writer's conference in October, so the little bit of writing time I've had these past few weeks has been devoted to polishing the third draft of the first 10 pages of my novel, which an editor and several...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hello! I finished my second draft of my novel manuscript, and it feels amazing! For Fics & Dip readers who are not writers: most books go through many, many drafts. This is not the first novel manuscript I've ever written, but it is the first I've seriously revised. I learned so much about myself and my editing process along the way, and I'm so proud of how much better the second draft is compared to the first draft. When I mention to people I'm writing a novel, they often immediately asked,...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hello! If you're a mom like me, you've probably heard a million variations on the parenting advice: "let them be bored!" I see this sentiment all the time as a reaction to today's over scheduled, high-pressure environment where parents feel they need to fill every bit of their children's lives with sports, social activities, clubs, family obligations, seasonal traditions, etc. It seems especially relevant during summer breaks in the United States, at least, where some feel guilty if they...
4 months ago • 2 min read