Is this basically Rachel's wish list? Why yes, yes it is. All prices are 'ish.' Engagement in Social Media: $0 This is free AND easy! Make a commitment to like/share a certain number of your writer's social media posts. Beta Reading: $0 A free and precious gift you can give is your response to your writer friend’s work. Offer to read a blog post, article, or query letter before she sends it off. If you’re feeling super generous with your time, offer to beta read my—erm, her—n

It is best to do beta reading in a suit and in a building made of glass.

"We gabbled loudly over the whooshing white noise of my phone while crapping in synchronous harmony..."

Is it my hair?

AND THEY WERE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD FROM AGAIN...

I know some people don’t derive the joy from spreadsheets that I do, and there are many different ways to plot.

Tiffany When I was a kid, I wanted to be just about everything when I grew up. Marine biologist, veterinarian, geologist, botanist, concert pianist, ballerina, Cyndi Lauper, a goat farmer. I especially longed to be a member of the crew of the Starship Enterprise. I had a chemistry set I played with, a microscope, a rock-tumbler, a collection of interesting plants, two snakes, and a pet rat. I lived for the joy that came with discovering something new, something I’d never seen

Originally published October 19, 2016 Rachel Creating characters was both the easiest and most difficult part of collaborating on a novel. It is also what I would do completely differently if Tiff and I were beginning from scratch, or if I wanted to start writing with John Green who keeps bugging me to work with him. I’m like, “Chill, John! I’m super busy!” Characterization was easiest because we did it wrong. Kind of like how math is easy for me. Since this started out somew

Rachel Like all brilliant ideas of the 21st century*, the decision to write a novel together occurred over a bottle of pinot noir and a bag of Taco Bell. I had been dreaming of writing a cheesy high school romance, but my snooty writer brain wouldn’t allow me to do it. So of course, I enlisted the help of my best friend. She was equally too snooty to write a YA romance on her own, but she was on board with my idea at the first nacho. (This was before we discovered the Cheesy