Weekly Round-Up: Writing, Weeds, and Women's Fiction

Every week our editors publish somewhere between 10 and 15 blog posts—but it can be hard to keep up amidst the busyness of everyday life. To make sure you never miss another post, we've created a new weekly round-up series. Each Saturday, find the previous week's posts all in one place.

Weeds and Other Living Things

It can take a long time to write and publish a book—which is Why You Should Have the Tenacity of a Weed as a Writer. Read on to learn about one author's long road to publication.

Find out How to Plan Out Your Yearly Goals as a Writer and get a free downloadable worksheet from the author of Bring Your Fiction to Life.

Arranging Genre

Interested in writing a historical novel? Read 6 Keys to Writing a Compelling Historical Novel first to learn how you can (and can't) cheat with history.

Then check out When Does Black Women's Fiction Become Just Women's Fiction? for a take on issues of bookstore organization—and to learn why you should start looking for your favorite genre on special interest shelves.

Agents and Opportunities

This week's new agent alert is for Jennifer Haskin of Metamorphosis Literary Agency. She is seeking young adult literature, fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian fiction. (She is a sucker for romance, too.) She is drawn to faulty heroines with strong voices, real friendships, and super skills with a weapon, as well as a hunky love interest with a tangled plot of his own.

For a successful example of a debut novelist's querying experience, read the newest installment of How I Got My Agent.

Poetic Asides

For this week's Wednesday Poetry Prompt, write a poem about a useful, though seemingly innocuous, item. Then challenge yourself with a new poetic form: the rannaigheact mhor.

Check out Why I Write Poetry: Jane Shlensky and consider submitting an essay that shares why you write poetry.