Meg Cabot's Advice

Hello Fellow Writers!

I'm still waiting to hear back on the two manuscripts that are currently being reviewed by publishers. In the meantime, I've been working on "Taste of Candy", an erotic romance. I am totally stuck on this one - something must be wrong! I need to go through and make an outline and see if I can unblock myself. So that's the plan for this week.

I've been reading Meg Cabot's bestselling "Princess Diary" series. They are wonderful books and each is such a quick read. I literally read one of the books in four hours without pause. I really enjoy Cabot's easy going style - I will definitely be reading more of her novels.

On her website, MegCabot.com, she offers her advice to aspiring writers:

What advice do you have to give to aspiring writers?

My advice to young writers is:
Write the kinds of stories you like to read. If you don’t love what you’re writing, no one else will, either.
Don’t tell people you want to be a writer. Everyone will try to talk you out of choosing a job with so little security, so it is better just to keep it to yourself, and prove them all wrong later.
You are not a hundred dollar bill. Not everyone is going to like you … or your story. Do not take rejection personally.
If you are blocked on a story, there is probably something wrong with it. Take a few days off and put the story on a back burner for a while. Eventually, it will come to you.
Read-and write-all the time. Never stop sending out your stuff. Don’t wait for a response after sending a story out…start a new story right away, and then send that one out! If you are constantly writing and sending stuff out (don’t forget to live your life, too, while you are doing this) eventually someone will bite!
It is nearly impossible to get published these days without an agent. The guide I used to get mine was called the Jeff Herman Guide to Agents, Editors, and Publishers. It was well worth the money I spent on it, since it lists every agent in the business and what he or she is looking for. It also tells you how to write a query letter, what to expect from your publisher, and all sorts of good stuff…a must buy for any aspiring author!
And above all, become a good listener. In order to write believable dialogue, you need to listen to the conversations of the people around you—then try to imitate them! So my advice is always to try to keeping quiet, listen only, and let other people to do the talking for a change. You’ll be surprised how much this will improve your writing skills (and how many people will think you’re a really sage person, when all you’re basically doing is spying on them).
Good luck, and keep writing! If I can do it, so can you!

Good advice from a number one bestselling YA author! I have a YA novel called "SL*T" that I was working on and then just kind of let go. It's much darker than most traditional YA fair. I do plan on getting back to it at some point. But for now, I've got my Advanced Writing Workshop instructor going through my Silhouette Desire targeted contemporary romance, "Snowed in with a Millionaire", and I've got my current WIP "Taste of Candy" to work on.
Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers