December dreaming

News

Happy December! It’s very snowy here in the Finger Lakes as I write this, and it feels quite wintery.

I didn’t do a newsletter in November, so I have a bit to catch up on! Some news:

• I turned in the acknowledgments and dedication for Behooved! I don’t have a second round of pass pages, so the book is essentially done—at least on my end. This is super exciting—it’s the furthest I’ve ever gotten on a manuscript!

• Behooved went up on NetGalley and Edelweiss—these are both review sites for advance reader copies. If you’re a reviewer, bookseller, or librarian, you can request a digital copy now!

• One of my favorite poems I’ve written was published in one of my favorite speculative journals, Small Wonders. If you’re the sort of person who votes on awards, I hope you’ll consider it for nomination (and either way I’d love it if you read the poem).

• I have a query critique up for bidding in the Support TK auction. This is a fundraiser for the bookish community to raise money to support trans kids. Bidding is live until December 5!

• Finally, I’m mentoring with Round Table Mentor again, and mentee applications are open until 12pm EST on December 15! I’m looking for adult and new adult fantasy—if you’re an unagented writer looking for mentorship (in any genre, there are 37 wonderful mentors in total), I hope you’ll consider applying!

Writing updates

Pretty much all I’ve been doing for the past month or two on the writing front is trying to meet my deadline! I’m creeping up on the last days before my second contracted book is due to my editors. This book been a struggle, enough so that it shocked me. I’ve heard plenty about “second book syndrome” where authors say the second published book is the hardest to write… but I thought surely that wouldn’t apply to me since this is actually the thirteenth book under my belt.

Now I know better! And I desperately hope that revising with my editors will be easier than getting this version out the door. (Not holding my breath on that one.)

Next up is revising my YA fantasy heist to go on submission next year! I have notes from my agent and am planning to jump into revising in January.

Crafty Corner

Today’s topic is DNFing books as a craft exercise.

I read a lot (over 100 finished books this year and counting)—but I also DNF (do not finish) books a lot. I used to feel super guilty about this, treating reading as a completion grade. But I’ve been trying to let go of the guilt and stick with books I’m actually enjoying instead of forcing myself through ones I’m not, so here’s something that’s helped me:

I give myself permission to DNF once I’ve figured out what, on a craft level, is not working for me about a book.

Sometimes it’s clear within the first chapter—for instance, the prose isn’t drawing me in (and there’s an opportunity to figure out why there, too—specifically what about it doesn’t work?). Sometimes it takes me a third of the book before I realize something like the pacing is too slow or the stakes aren’t high enough to keep me invested. Sometimes it’s just my mood, which is the hardest DNF for me if the book is otherwise solid.

Taste varies, of course, and whether something about a book is working or not is subjective. But I suggest giving it a try if you’re struggling with DNFing books—once I’ve put my finger on what isn’t working for me, I’ve learned what I’m going to from the book and can put it down with much less guilt.

Book recommendation

In keeping with the wintery weather, this month’s recommendation is Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis! It’s a novella set in an alt history Regency England where women do the politics and men deal with magic—but our heroine wants to be a magician. Oh, and also she’s lost her own magic and is dealing with the ex she’s still in love with while trying to avoid magical catastrophe. It’s charming, short, and sweet, and if you like it there are five more standalone novellas and short stories in the series! You need to read the series in order but you can stop at any point without cliffhangers.

Until January!

~Marina