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Backstory: Handle with Care
December 12, 2020
Backstory can be an effective tool for developing character and adding tension, but it often gets mishandled. In simplest terms, backstory becomes a problem when there’s too much of it, and when it comes too soon.
- On the craft
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Book Broker – an interview with Jessica Mileo
December 09, 2020
I appreciate personalization in a query letter, especially when they note books that I either work with or have on my #MSWL.
- Agent interviews
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- 1 comment
Slushpile Standouts: episode four
December 09, 2020
What makes one manuscript stand out from the next? What snags and red flags will land your work in the bin rather than on the shortlist?
- On the craft
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- 1 comment
Book Broker – an interview with Tricia Skinner
December 08, 2020
I've had many manuscripts pitched to me with solid concepts, but none of that matters if I don't want to explore the world or take the adventure with characters I don't like.
- Agent interviews
- Read more
Book Broker – an interview with Paul Lucas
December 07, 2020
A good novel captures the reader’s attention from the first sentence.
- Agent interviews
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How to Win a Writing Competition, Part Two—notes from a contest judge
December 04, 2020
Taste is subjective, but craft is not.
- Contest updates
- On the craft
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How to Win a Writing Competition—notes from a contest screener
November 21, 2020
I can’t tell you how to write a golden contest submission, but I can share what wins me over when I’m screening entries, and I can also explain how the screening process works. Armed with this information, you should be able to take your contest hustle up a notch.
- Contest updates
- On the craft
- Read more
- 3 comments
Slushpile Standouts: episode three
November 20, 2020
In our third YouTube episode, two Darling Axe editors read the first pages of several manuscripts and pose the question: would you turn the page?
- On querying
- On the craft
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Writing contests: a list of lists
November 12, 2020
In spreading the word about our own contests, we've come across some great lists of contests big and small.
- Contest updates
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Congrats to Katie Zdybel on her publication deal!
November 12, 2020
Katie Zdybel's debut collection of short stories, titled Equipoise, will be published by Exile Editions.
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An Axe to Grind—the annual Darling Axe flash fiction contest is back
November 11, 2020
Now accepting entries!
- Contest updates
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Congrats to Tara Gilboy on her Moonbeam 2020 gold!
November 06, 2020
A big congratulations to Darling Axe editor and author Tara Gilboy on winning gold in the 2020 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards in the category of pre-teen fantasy.
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