We’ve got a few pieces of exciting news to share with y’all.

First, WriteByNight coach JoAnna Novak’s new memoir, Contradiction Days, is racking up the accolades. Publishers Weekly calls it “a courageous and moving memoir of motherhood,” while Kirkus writes that it “pulses with honesty and vulnerability.”

Perhaps most relevant to you writers out there, the Washington Post says, “This book should be read by anyone interested in women’s experience of making art.”

Sounds like a must-read, no? Congratulations, JoAnna!

If you’re in/around L.A., JoAnna will be appearing at Skylight Books Wednesday, August 9, in conversation with Otessa Moshfegh. 

If you're interested in working with JoAnna, she’s readily available for beta reads/critiques of your novel, story collection, memoir, or poetry. Reply to this email and let's talk about it.

WriteByNighters Are Killing It

In other exciting news, two WriteByNighters have been named finalists in Killer Nashville’s prestigious Claymore Awards!

Bonnie Moore is a finalist in “Best Investigator” for her novel, Buried Bones. After a body is discovered in the Utah woods, Maggie Anderson must take on a local political dynasty in order to solve a case she wanted no part of to begin with. Buried Bones is currently out on query.

Bonnie worked with WBN’s Tom Andes on a critique, John Sibley Williams on her query and synopsis, Joanna Acevedo on agent research, and our editorial team on a line edit and proofread.

Good luck, Bonnie!

And good luck also to Susan Jacobs, whose Public Comment is a "Best Cozy" finalist! Public Comment, also out on query, involves a golf course groundskeeper who murders his way to the top of the political food chain in a small Connecticut town (and who heavily resembles a certain red-capped politician) and the public official reluctantly pitted against him.

Susan worked with David Bushman on a beta read and editorial work, John Sibley Williams on her submission materials, and Joanna Acevedo on agent research.

Congrats to all!

(Overlong) Question of the Week

Most of us are familiar with various of the writer “types”: swooper vs. basher; plotter/planner vs. pantser. I’ve traditionally been a swooper and pantser, and it’s never worked. This time around, I’m taking a more basher/plotter approach, and I’m feeling more confident.

But, as I’ve whined about to y’all for years and years, whether I swoop or I bash, one thing never changes: I will write feverishly for days, knock out a hefty amount of words, and then take a break. And that break will turn into days and then weeks and then months. (Or more.)

Turns out, there’s a term for that too.

About three months ago I got all worked up and wrote an 8,000-word Chapter 1 in the span of a couple of days. After a meeting with Tom, I was jazzed up to continue. We made an appointment for our next session; he gave me a deadline for pages: Two weeks. I postponed and rescheduled, and then postponed again, and then again.

I haven’t written a word since.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the book lately, wanting to dive back in and start Chapter 2. But rather than just doing so, I keep looking at my calendar to determine the next time I can sit down for a whole day and draft the entire chapter, rather than doing it bit by bit like most writers do.

Thinking myself brilliant, I coined a new term: “binge writing.”

And then I discovered that it’s been a thing for decades. According to Writing Scientist, binge writing is "using large blocks of time—typically half a day or a full day—during which you do nothing but write. These sessions are repeated usually at irregular intervals, when the schedule allows again for a large chunk of writing time.”

Um, yup. That’s me.

A binge writer’s opposite is, apparently, a snack writer. Short and frequent sessions of briefer duration.

Most of what I read urges snack writing & tries to steer writers away from binge writing. That’s fine. But there’s no one approach that’s right for *every* writer... and no one approach that’s wrong for every writer.

I’d rather binge write than not write at all.

Are you a binge writer or a snack writer? Or something in between? Do you wish you were the other, or does it work for you?

Reply to let me know! I'll post a favorite response or two in our next email message.