#noW what

[tai-janai]

DIES

I WAS ANIMATING THIS SONG (with guts trio)

AND SOMEONES DONE IT

GAAAHHHHHHHH

#NOW WHAT #I GIVE UP #OTL

[sun-e-chips]

You two should kiss already

Pt 2

#rout: you picked the daycare attendant #stage one denial #speechless??? don’t worry sun has a solution to that! #you can absolutely platonically smooch a bot #don’t worry haha #-snap- #sb daycare attendant #sb sundrop #sb sun #help wanted 2 #crunch art #just be thankful you didn’t decide to play in the dark #now what #dca fandom

[nanowrimo]

When Is a Small Press a Good Fit?

When it comes to publishing, many writers will think about big publishers first. However, there are a lot of different publishing options out there to explore. NaNo participant and author, Clara Ward, talks about their experience publishing with a small press and gives you questions to consider while you think through your publishing options!

NaNoWriMo inspired me to write. Signing with a small press gave me the support I needed to publish a book I love. 

I’d published books before—starting with NaNoWriMo sponsor deals in the early days of online publishing—but I never had the right skill set to promote those books. As a result, they never truly found their audience. 

In November of 2020, I poured my heart into a genre-blurring near-future tale of sailing across the Pacific and building a neurodiverse, queer, and possibly magical chosen family. In 2021, I titled it Be the Sea and asked myself: What am I going to do with that?

1. Are you looking for fame or family?

Small presses are as varied as the people who form them. If you read widely, you may already have a treasured book on your shelf from your publisher-to-be. Try asking NaNoWriMo friends who share your interests if they’ve discovered any surprising or emerging sources for great reads. (At the very least, you may find books you’ll love in unexpected places!)

Admittedly, a small press doesn’t have a fortune to spend on paving your path to fame. But I have never felt as seen as when my soon-to-be publisher, E.D.E. Bell at Atthis Arts, wrote back, “I’m really in love with what you are doing and would like to talk about it.” 

2. Do you have the bandwidth for working with others?

Even with the most supportive small press, you may have to push outside your comfort zone. I know authors who love the absolute control and freedom of self-publishing. For a time, I felt very comfortable just posting my NaNoWriMo fanfiction novels on Archive of Our Own. At most, I had one or two beta readers to offer feedback on those works. Whereas E.D.E. told me in one of our earliest conversations that in addition to our three rounds of editing we’d need “a good number of betas” to cover the range of topics we were working on together.

I was delighted! I knew what I’d written was ambitious, and I welcomed all the feedback I could get. But it turns out, each extra person in a process adds new challenges and delays. I had to stretch my empathy as well as my publishing timeline because, to quote E.D.E. again: “It’s a lot of emotion (as well as brain cycles) to go through...” Outside perspectives will only improve your writing if you are willing to work with them, to truly listen and learn.

3. Can you handle the two-way commitment?

No form of publishing is easy. The myth that authors write while others handle business and promotion is not true at the top, and certainly not with small presses. In my experience, working with Atthis Arts was like joining a team or chosen family. Beyond certain paid tasks, such as editing and sensitivity reading, I discovered a community of authors who freely offered coaching before my first public reading, social media boosting, tips for author webpages, and an extra pair of eyes on letters requesting bookshop readings or other events. While not all small presses work the same way, this supportive culture proved to be an excellent fit for me. Naturally, I wanted to give back whenever possible.

Small presses can only succeed with community. This month, as I promote the launch of Be the Sea at bookshops in Mountain View, Davis, and Sacramento, I will be introducing many Californians to my Michigan-based small publisher, Atthis Arts. When I stand up as a panelist at Norwescon in Washington state or at various science, library, or Pride events later in the year, I’ll be promoting more than Be the Sea by Clara Ward. I’ll give back by sharing my appreciation for small presses, the supportive and inclusive practices they can normalize, and the opportunities they open up for future writers and readers. 

Clara Ward lives in Silicon Valley on the border between reality and speculative fiction. Their latest novel, Be the Sea, features a near-future ocean voyage, chosen family, and sea creature perspectives, while delving into our oceans, our selves, and how all futures intertwine. Their short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Decoded Pride, Small Wonders, and as a postcard from Thinking Ink Press. When not using words to teach or tell stories, Clara uses wood, fiber, and glass to make practical or completely impractical objects. More of their words along with crafted creations can be found at: https://clarawardauthor.wordpress.com

Photo by Hümâ H. Yardım on Unsplash

#nanowrimo #now what #writing #publishing #small press publishing #by nano guest #clara ward

[pandoraroid]

asher told darlin & sam to draw

#redacted audio #redactedverse #redacted sam #redacted darlin #redacted asher #also yes it is my hc that darlin is an artist #now what

[ineffabletimehusbands]

The burden of Mobius' glorious purpose is that he'll never be able to see Loki again.

Season 1 episode 1's title was referring to Mobius' purpose, which is setting Loki down the path to being able to fulfill his. And in season 2 episode 6 the title is referring to Loki's.

#so the question becomes #now what #purposes are fulfilled #where do we go from here #is there anywhere to go #loki #mobius #lokius #loki season 2 #loki season 2 spoilers

[spacecowboyhotch]

nathan getting stabbed: walking around, “fucking unreal”

nathan getting a splinter: doubling over, nearly in tears, “fuckkkkkk”

#BECAUSE I SAY SO #NOW WHAT #he’s a big baby #nathan bateman #in plain sight

[originalartblog]

Chuuya’s not used to being manhandled

#this is stupid idk what happened #take this however you want it's free real estate #this is absolutely in response to yesterday's comments about Kunikida being so much taller than Chuuya #chuuya's used to being the strongest person in the room #now what #apologies to kunikida for doing him dirty like this I haven't drawn him enough for his 15-second version to look good #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #bsd fanart #bsd nakahara chuuya #bsd kunikida doppo #bsd dazai osamu #bsd chuuya #bsd kunikida #bsd dazai #kunichuu #soukoku #kunikidazai #kunichuuzai #? #nawy's doodles #nawy's comics

[thatsbelievable]

#So You Have a Big Hunk of Radium #Now What #radium #unreality

[zitgrimes]

Im.. on. The last.. episode of.. hou..se. I can't go on.

#I havent even finished it yet and I already feel the post finale depression kicking in #im gonna be so lost without a new house episode to watch everyday #now what #im probably gonna rewatch it after because im not ready #house md #hate crimes md #gregory house #james wilson

[kor0kke]

ALSO GRR I FORGOT POST THIS HERE!!1!1!!1 NIKKU 17 BUCKS

Cover art I did for a friend, really enjoyed doing this one,,, GO AND LISTENN!1!1

#fnf #friday night funkin #friday night funkin fanart #fnf fanart #fnf nikku #nikku #now what #TOAST IS ONE OF MY FAV COMPOSERS FRRR #LOVE TOAST CONTENT SM #GO ALSO CHECK IT OUT HER SOUNDCLOUD AND NEWGROUNDS #i wish I could show you all the cool shits she has been done lmaoo #anyways... FOLLOW TOASTT!1!1+ #this isnt a promotional payment lol #nikku 17 bucks real #epicexplosion #dies #KurokkePostingLol #Youtube

[puhpandas]

sometimes I miss when Gregory was just a homeless kid

#i love ggy dont get me wrong #but i also wouldnt be that upset if they backtracked with that storyline #in the games and went down a different path #just because itll be way over a year at LEAST if they ever reveal it and its just. #now what #we spent all that time exploring everything that could come from it already😭 #idk i just miss gregory and want something new for him #ggy gets tired when its just vanny 2 #if they did ggy i would want it to be super fresh and unique as another take on more mind control #i just want them to give us somethint for once and i dont have to make it up #pandas.txt #and making gregory and vanessa have very similar if not the same story takes away from vanny #it truly does #it sucks for her #and canon gregory i would want something different for anyway #i know that ive gone on and on so much about making it canon #but waiting has gotten old #at this point with no mention this late #id rather them just scrap it #it would be great fun as an au concept in the book universe but the games are different #that would be awesome to me #having 2 universes to play with

[arson-09]

chat. why is someone trying to tell me what rhysand did to feyre utm isnt sexual assault cause sjm said it wasnt🧍🏻🧍🏻

#anti rhysand #anti feysand #now what

[nanowrimo]

How a First-Timer Wrimo Landed Literary Representation

NaNo participant Demi Michelle Schwartz shares her story on how NaNoWriMo helped her sign on with a literary agent! She also offers some lessons she learned from taking on the challenge — and maybe it'll inspire you too!

Are you an author with dreams of being represented by a literary agent? If so, I’m here to tell you that NaNoWriMo played a key role in my journey to signing with my agent, Michelle Jackson at LCS Literary.

I received an offer on the manuscript I drafted during my first NaNoWriMo in 2022. Fun fact, I signed my contract during November in 2023, exactly a year after writing the book. Reflecting back, there were choices I made that I hope will give you insight into how your NaNoWriMo project could lead to securing representation.

Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

I’ve been an avid reader of young adult mysteries and thrillers ever since middle school. For this reason, I naturally gravitated to those genres when I started writing books. Still, I’ve grown to appreciate all genres from my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill University, a top one being fantasy. When I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo, I stepped outside my comfort zone and drafted a young adult Little Red Riding Hood reimagining with Greek mythology.

Exploring a different genre led to me writing the book that got me my agent. So, if you’re interested in taking the NaNoWriMo challenge, consider trying something new. Along the way, you’ll expand your creative horizons.

Planning Before Taking the Challenge

Something I noticed after participating in NaNoWriMo twice now is that planning my books led to me feeling invested in them. As authors, we always have ideas bouncing around in our heads. Some stick, and others don’t. Taking time to explore my characters, plot, world, and more made me realize how much I loved what I was creating. Before I even started writing on November 1, I felt passionate about my story.

When you’re pitching agents, your goal is to sell your story. Having such a strong belief in your manuscript will allow you to authentically query it. Passion shines through, and if you care about your book, an agent may fall in love with it, too.

Taking Time to Receive Feedback and Revise

I can’t stress enough how important it is to receive feedback on your work and do several rounds of revisions. Once you draft a book during NaNoWriMo, it may be difficult to resist the temptation to send it out right away. Rather than querying a manuscript that isn’t ready, channel your eagerness to share your work into finding critique partners and beta readers.

For my manuscript, I did a revision on my own after winning NaNoWriMo. Then, I received critiques, made edits, and repeated this process until I felt my manuscript was ready. I queried my agent in August, and she offered me representation at the end of October. I truly believe the time and effort I put into polishing my book led to getting many full requests and my offer.

If I would have pitched the draft from NaNoWriMo, I’m 100 percent sure my email would have been flooded with only rejections. So, remember to take your time revising. The wait will be worth it when you begin receiving positive responses to submissions.

Now that it’s a new year, there’s a long runway before November arrives. It’s never too early to start planning your NaNoWriMo project. Since this challenge gave me the opportunity to draft the book that made one of my dreams come true, I hope you feel inspired to take a strategic approach to your NaNoWriMo project and give it wings to soar in the publishing world.

Demi Michelle Schwartz is a young adult fantasy and thriller author from Pittsburgh, PA, represented by Michelle Jackson at LCS Literary. After earning BAs in Creative Writing and Music from Seton Hill University, she went on to pursue her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill and graduated with her degree in June of 2022. When Demi isn’t working on her manuscripts, she’s busy chasing her other dream as an award-winning songwriter and recording artist.

Check out her website, Twitter, and Instagram!

Header photo by Negative Space.

#nanowrimo #now what #writing #nanowrimo experience #publishing #by nano guest #demi michelle schwartz

[wulfhalls]

ok change of plans next stitching project is not going to be the execution of jeanne d'arc but the coronation of charles vii feat jeanne d'arc instead

#txt.me #crafts #like i do enjoy the cross stitching of it all but. wtf do u do with the finish thing 😭😭😭 its really like. ok spent a week on this. #now what

[saltpepperbeard]

how am i expected to go back to work and act Normal

#OFMD #OFMD Season 2 #LIKE LMAO #I AM ON LUNCH #I HAVE TRAVELED TO AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION #AND I'M LIKE #NOW WHAT #AHDJKSDHJKLFHDLK #HOW DO I JUST #HOW DO I?????????????

[randombrowngirl]

Happy weekend

#personal #me #my face #selfie #florida #outfits #omg #up early #went to breakfast at 7am #saw the sunrise #now what