A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

How to Shelve a Manuscript: The Saga of Novel #3

The good I wrote my third novel.  The bad Instead of querying this manuscript to literary agents, I'm going to shelve it.  In case you're unsure: THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN.  Prepare yourselves, Tartlets, because this is, indeed, the Saga of Novel #3. A lament, if you will. Because in shelving a manuscript, I've lost a lot.    Let's back up It's been almost a full year since my last writer life update. Soon after I posted that, I started...

Book Review of ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT

Confession: I've never read a Stephen King novel. Yes, even though I adore horror stories. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is the first work by this insanely famous author I've read. I picked up On Writing because so many other writers, readers, agents, and editors have recommended it to me as a must-read for aspiring authors. I received a library copy in 2019 during The Great Concussion and couldn't read it, so I promptly sent it back,...

What’s It Like Being a Writer?

Some variation of the question “What’s it like being a writer?” inevitably comes up when I tell people what I do in my spare time. As a writer, you'd think I'd have a brilliantly succinct answer ready at a moment's notice. However, since delving back into the arts, I've learned that the writer life is not so easily summarized. Most individuals, when asking the question with gleaming and sometimes envious eyes, expect to hear someting along...

When Should I Stop Querying My Manuscript?

Among all the questions plaguing aspiring authors, one of the most depressing has to be "When should I stop querying my manuscript?" Unfortunately, I think I've found an answer. It's been awhile since I've posted a writer life update. While there's been a lot going on behind the scenes, I've kept quiet since my last post because I was hoping that, by now, I'd have some good news to share with you. You may remember that in early 2020, I revamped...