This Is Not a Writing Manual: Notes for the Young Writer from the Real World

Majors, founder of the online YA literary journal YARN, takes an autobiographical approach to the rewards and setbacks that accompany “the writing life,” sharing stories from her own journey as a writer in more than two dozen essays. As Majors notes upfront in her introduction, she “still hasn’t landed The Big One (a book deal for a novel),” and she writes openly about the insecurities that accompany the solitary pursuit of writing and jealousy over fellow writers’ successes, but also about finding writing partners and workshops, thinking laterally about one’s writing (e.g. “not taking yourself too seriously and letting go of your fears and self-censorship”), being open to revision, and understanding how the publishing process works. Candid, honest advice and reflection from a writer who’s been there. Agent: Penn Whaling, Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency. (July)