So a thing happened, as folks today like to say, deliberately understating the bigness of said thing. And as part of my work these last two years at Vermont College Fine Arts' program in Writing for Children and Young Adults—besides writing one and a half young adult novels, … [Read more...] about Is YA Literary? The Search for an Abundant Canon
5 Questions to Ask Your Author Friend on Sub
"I'm about to go on sub," I used to say to friends. "What's that?" said my friends. "It means my agent is submitting my manuscript to editors." "Oh!" "Or you could say, my manuscript is on submission to editors." "Ah!" Pause. "So good luck! How long does … [Read more...] about 5 Questions to Ask Your Author Friend on Sub
Grammar PSA: The Hawks Nest
Poor apostrophes; they get abused all the time. I get so mad about it, I actually dreamed up a teen girl/grammar nerd who runs around town defacing poorly-punctuated campaign signs. (My deepest, darkest desire is to do what she does.) RJ Haynes will have none of misplaced … [Read more...] about Grammar PSA: The Hawks Nest
Creativity in the Time of Corona
There comes a time in your life where you need to overthrow What Is and live in the What If full time, and not just because a virus is raging. Right before Covid-19 struck, I requested personal leave at my job of 15 years. One reason was graduate school: in January, I'd just … [Read more...] about Creativity in the Time of Corona
Questions to Ask a College Essay Tutor
If you're searching for a college essay tutor, it helps to have a few questions in your back pocket. I have these answers ready to share even when I'm not asked, because I want potential clients to know my methods and approach. What can be accomplished with your … [Read more...] about Questions to Ask a College Essay Tutor
It Takes A Village to Tell a Story
Anyone who knows me well knows they might one day be asked to help me build a story. I test drive the plots of my novels in the same way I help my Success Story students test drive ideas. That's because no good writer ever goes it alone. Of course there's that tragic, … [Read more...] about It Takes A Village to Tell a Story