Gonna do a thread of quick and (not really) dirty writing/publishing tips today, mainly because I am waiting for my oatmeal to cook.

Change the font (or the color of the font) for each draft as you revise. It'll make things jump out at you that you didn't see before.

Doing one pass where you read the book out loud? A long slog, indeed. Can also be very HELPFUL. It will make you connect with the scansion of your dialogue and sentences in a way you have not before.

Also if you want to narrate or adapt, think of it as rehearsal.

Figuring out what works for you as a writer can also be a slog. It's good to experiment. Some writer may write in 20 minute sprints (it's me!) but you may work better in two hours chunks. When a method feels good and flows, embrace it.

The query is scary.

But the query is also just: the hook (what is the grabbiest part of your book?), the book (who the MC is, what they want, how they get it, who helps them, who stands in their way, what happens if they don't get what they want) and the cook (your bio!).

Speaking of your bio: do not be afraid of the writer's bio in the query. It's really okay if you have no credits, no education, no nothing (look! It's me again!).

My bio when I was querying was like: Tess lives (here) and bakes wedding cakes for a living.

Comp titles can be great and if an agent is requiring them, definitely include them. But if there's no requirement, it's okay if you don't include them.

If you do include them, try to make them recent books or other media in your genres. But it's okay not to have them! Promise!

The synopsis is also very scary. Maybe scarier than the query!

Think of the synopsis as a conversation. You're sitting there with the editor having coffee. Tell the narrative like you would in a conversation. It'll have a lot more life and verve.

Your edit letter is not going to go away if you ignore it. A friend ( @JacksonPearce, was this you?) mentioned that they black out ALL the nice things in the edit letter so they can focus on the criticisms. This might not work for everyone but this REALLY works for me.

I break the edit letter down into:

"Must Do"
"Might Do"
"Cannot Do"

Plus, I also have a list of my own revision notes I made while the editor was editing as I cannot leave well enough alone.

Which brings me to: it's okay to say no. An editor is gonna throw lots of suggestions at you because they might spark the right idea (LOVE when this happens, it's magic). But they don't expect you to follow EVERY suggestion to a T. They want you to see the spirit of it.

I've had stuff suggested that logistically cannot work with timelines, historical accuracy, etc. But that's okay, because I recognized the spirit of those suggestions and the root of why the editor was bringing it up, so we created work-arounds to solve it!

If you're not feeling the spirit of the suggestion or seeing the root of the issue the editor is bringing up, set up a call! Editors are great sounding-boards and going back and forth on a call can really get things unraveled so you can braid the narrative together properly.

If you and your editor are not seeing eye to eye on something, it's okay to be like "I really need this to stay the way it is."

But I do encourage you to have solid explanations for this if it's a deep concern on their part.

And some concerns are very real like "This will not end up in a book fair/book club/etc. if we go forward with this storyline in this way."

It's important to have a relationship with your editor where they feel comfortable pointing out the consequences.

The thing I get the most pushback & concern about are the abusive parents in my work. The thing that I have found is most helpful is to ask: Do you feel like I've approached this subject gratuitously or irresponsibly?

If the answer is no, I feel confident to continue.

If the answer is yes, I've totally messed up and I'm really grateful to my editor for pointing it out to me!

But it's important to foster those dialogues with your editor. Some subjects can make people very nervous, understandably. But they're important to write about, too.

Set a personal deadline that's several weeks before your actual deadline and fix it as the "real" deadline. That way if you fail at the personal deadline, you will feel accomplished and not despairing, since you have several weeks left before the real one. (it's me right now!)

There are only so many fights you're going to win in publishing. Figure out what is important to you. This may change with each book. But try to save up for the big fights, because if you have to fight for a cover or a title, you can be in for a ride.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CONTRACT. Narrow down the option and no-compete clauses as much as possible. Negotiate a higher advance split on the first 3 payments vs the 4th if they're doing a 4 split. Be careful with the morality clauses and vague language.

If you want something in your contract: ask.

I get a first-audition clause in my contract for narration so that I have to be considered first as narrator. This is important to me, a form of it is in all my original contracts if they buy audio.

Do not be afraid of your agent! Your agent is not going to be bothered by you (and if they act like that, then yikes, no). Discussing your career is part of their job! If you want WFH opportunities & auditions, if you want to edit an antho, just talk to them about timelines!

@JimMcCarthy528 has done 2 books with @jessica_shea & me that came about as tweets (& @ctrichmond and @JMCwrites on the second!). Think of what would've happened if we got in our heads & were like "Jim will think this is silly. Tess was just making a jokey tweet about witches."

Your work is not silly. You're not silly.

Your work is important. You are important.

Not just to your agent, but to the community and readership.

It's okay to act like that (while also being a kind, professional person, don't go all egotistical on me).

And my oatmeal is done, so I'm off to eat and work on my book. Have a good day, y'all! You can watch me working and talking writing on instagram: http://www.instagram.com/forest_of_arden 

PS: Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe:

1 cup steel cut oats
2 1/2 cups water
2 TB brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup apple sauce

Dump it all in the pot, set Manual Pressure at 9 minutes, vent when timer goes off. Add a swirl of heavy cream. Voila!