VP is editing portal romantasy 💫

SFF Writer | 📚 ❤️
Debut NA Romantasy 1st Draft: 90,920 words
🦋: same handle
get money out of politics | love your neighbor

[VP is editing portal romantasy 💫 @vpwrites87]

New challenge unlocked: I’ve given myself 100 days to finish the 2nd draft of my portal romantasy before the end of the year. Let’s do this! 😎

✅ Single POV > Dual
✅ 3rd person > 1st
✅ Past tense > Present

#WritingCommmunity

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

Some days, you'll open your manuscript and feel like every sentence is garbage.

The imagery is forced. The dialogue is stiff. You can't believe you wrote this.

If you're cringing at your own writing, here's what I want you to remember:

The ability to see what's not working is not a flaw. It's a SKILL.

It means you've grown beyond the version of you who wrote that draft.

It's okay if what you see on the page now isn't perfect.

You're not bad at writing. You're just even better now. That's what you want!

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

A sneaky mistake almost every writer makes: pet phrases.

A pet phrase is a unique, descriptive turn of phrase that YOU love to use — and don't realize you're repeating.

I was editing a manuscript recently where the author described nearly every character using the same sentence structure: "they [did X] with the [Y] of someone who [Z]..."

I caught it used 13 times in the first few chapters.

Maybe your protagonist has "emerald eyes." Or the love interest keeps giving a "lopsided grin."

You won't catch these pet phrases on a read-through because they sound natural to you. But your reader WILL notice if they keep popping up. And once they do, you've broken their immersion in the story.

Luckily, the fix is easy:

Ask your beta reader or editor if they noticed any pet phrases, then comb through your manuscript for them.

Either change up the phrasing or just cut it.

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

I've interviewed nearly 100 successfully published authors and literary agents over the past four years.

Here's what I always ask them: what's one thing you wish every aspiring author knew sooner?

Here are 9 tough truths about the publishing process that
most writers learn the hard way (so you don't have to).

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

Every author you love was once an unpublished writer who had no idea if their story was good enough.

They faced the same self-doubt, the same fear of rejection, the same moments of wanting to give up.

Here are 5 stories from some of the most iconic authors — BEFORE they made it big:

[Vicky Weber - Agent, Author, Educator @vickyweberbooks]

I keep seeing writers overanalyze query responses and honestly…some of them are confusing. I broke down a few of the most common ones because there’s usually more being said than it looks like.

https://t.co/CO2m8DCAcT

[Allie Nguyen 🌞🌙 Preorder BLOOD OF SILVER @alliewritesalot]

🌞 COVER REVEAL 🌙

I’m so excited to share the US limited edition & UK paperback for my Ghibli-inspired YA fantasy debut BLOOD OF SILVER. It features a Viet anti-hero and a flamboyant blonde prince 👑👀🌟

Illustrated by the talented Viet artist @/hoanglapdoan (Instagram) 🇻🇳

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

Keep writing. Even when it’s hard.

Keep writing through the self-doubt. Through the waning motivation. Through the publishing disappointments. Through the bad reviews.

The authors who succeed in this difficult business know that perseverance and consistency matter more than anything else.

They continue improving their skills. They continue putting themselves out there.

And above all else, they KEEP WRITING.

[VP is editing portal romantasy 💫 @vpwrites87]

@DKAstrology Sending love your way! So sorry to hear this

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

One of the biggest issues I see in manuscripts creeps in without authors knowing.

Too much narrative distance (the space between the reader and the characters/events of the story).

The beauty of fiction is that we're brought close into the POV characters' minds and experiences, so don't keep them at arm's length from us!

Here are the three biggest ways narrative distance manifests in your novel without you even noticing. 👇

[Unhinged Pitch Event @UnhingedPit]

Make sure you're aware of our "rules" before the next #UnhingedPit! Coming soon...

#writingcommunity

[Unhinged Pitch Event @UnhingedPit]

YES WE’RE LATE BUT IT’LL BE OK. THIS IS YOUR (less than) 24 HRS NOTICE #writingcommunity Feb 28th, 8am any time zone you want.

Be free. Get unhinged.
#UnhingedPit

[Ernie Chiara @erniechiara]

I’m now up to 450 queries since yesterday, and y’all... I’m going to have to cap it at 600. I’ll stay open through Feb. 15th or 600 queries, whichever comes first! Thanks so much for understanding!

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

Some of my LEAST favorite pieces of writing advice?
❌ Show, don't tell
❌ Make your protagonist likable
❌ Write every day

All writing advice (yes, including from me) should be taken with a grain of salt.

Writing is an art, not a formula. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Take what resonates with you and toss what doesn’t.

Here's why some of this "standard" advice can be a problem when taken at face value—and what ACTUALLY matters instead.

[Allie Nguyen 🌞🌙 Preorder BLOOD OF SILVER @alliewritesalot]

Advice for #amquerying authors: Just cut down the word count. Don’t overthink. Your current manuscript won’t be the final version, and you can add those deleted scenes back once you get a book deal.

BoS (my YA fantasy debut) got acquired at 97k and will be published at 120k 🌞🌙

[philip lewis @Phil_Lewis_]

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil is said to have seen his shadow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter weather.

[Michelle 🍂 is seeking new rep!🕯️ @MDKerkhoven]

After amicably parting ways with my agent, I’m officially seeking representation for 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗦 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 (sub-ready!)

So here’s an agent’s guide to my 72,000-word queer YA dark fantasy/horror blend, with Big 5 editor interest 👾

Agents, I’d love to connect!

[VP is editing portal romantasy 💫 @vpwrites87]

@charscrawls Congrats!! 🎉

[VP is editing portal romantasy 💫 @vpwrites87]

@AwxNov omg is this in nova?

[samantha is AGENTED 🖤🥀🪡 @samcrouchwrites]

vibes you’ll find in THE GILDED AND THE CURSED, a dark sapphic YA fantasy where:

✨ THIS RAGING SEA meets SHADOW AND BONE and SLAYING THE VAMPIRE CONQUEROR ✨

excited to work with my agent to get Ruse and Thalia ready to hit editor inboxes 🪡 more vibes in the comments 👀