Tag: Publishing

You don’t believe what you write.

Sara Mazariegos

For me, the Olympics are happening in the background, mainly since they’re in a different time zone from me. I’ve mostly learned about who won what after the fact. I’m most excited about the U.S. gymnastics teams — men and women — this time. Gymnastics is the closest to my favorite Olympic sports: figure skating and ice dancing.

I don’t love winter, but I love the Winter Olympics.

Since my last post, I inhaled one of the books I was reading. It almost made me sob at work. (I read Kindle copies at work. 🤫) It’s called The Astonishing Color of After. I recommend it, but I don’t want to say anything more because it’s better to go in without knowing anything about the plot.

I finished reading it yesterday and I started in March, to give you an idea of how slow of a reader I can be at times.

Just need to read four more books to reach my Goodreads goal for the year (15 books!) I currently have the final four in my possession. *pushes up glasses*

In novel revision news, I’m about three chapters away from the end. I keep second-guessing myself with a few plot points. I’m hoping my husband and a few friendly eyes will help either reassure me it doesn’t need drastic changes or confirm my suspicion that a few big changes still need to happen.

My itchy trigger finger always starts to think of just scrubbing all of it and rewriting it from the beginning because of one issue, but that’s not practical. I’ve reached a good point. I just need to strengthen what I have. It feels like trying to see the forest through the trees, but I’m getting there.

I read someone on Threads say it took her fifteen years (!!) to publish her debut novel. Aaahhh. I hope it doesn’t take me that long. I have other novels to write before I die. 😅

What’s your favorite Olympic sport?

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.”

Sara Mazariegos

I used to think this was a Willy Wonka quote. I had no idea he was quoting a poem by Arthur O’Shaughnessy.

We are the music makers,
    And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
    And sitting by desolate streams;—
World-losers and world-forsakers,
    On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
    Of the world for ever, it seems.

Isn’t it wild to think that people didn’t know things like that before the Internet? Granted, I could’ve looked it up sooner than the other day, but still. We were just out there, learning things as they came to us and assuming things because we didn’t have pocket encyclopedias*.

This has been on my mind lately because John Green has been posting about the negative aspects of the social Internet for (let’s face it) years now. He’s taking a month off from Vlogbrothers in part because of the toxicity of the modern Internet, and I can’t blame him but also 😭

I am a Millennial. I grew up playing outside with friends, watching VHS tapes, and using a complicated Dewey Decimal System (with cards in organized drawers!) I clearly remember being 14 and liking a band and having to buy their CDs if I wanted to hear them. Okay, the bands were from the 60s so it’s not like I was listening to Millennial music, but still. If I wanted to listen to The Who’s discography, I had to buy that sh—

A moment ago, I just listened to a full Monkees album I’d never heard before because I didn’t own it. Am I nostalgic for a time when information wasn’t at my fingertips? NO! I just think it’s unfortunate and not necessary that we as a connected, better-informed society have gone from “I learned a thing! :D” to “everyone who disagrees with me is stupid and doesn’t deserve to go about their day without me telling them how badly I think of them.”

And now to awkwardly pivot a little. On Sunday, a literary agent tweeted this:


This is bad. This is really bad. I would hope that the majority of literary agents would not ever even think of doing something like this. Not only is it embarrassing for the writer she rejected, but it’s basically saying, ‘you gave me this idea, now I can take it and have someone else write it instead of working with you.’

It’s quite disheartening to see this behavior from a literary agent. They are supposed to be the ones writers can trust and turn to for support and advice. I don’t want to write off all agents because I know for a fact that most of them are wonderful, but it certainly doesn’t help their case in the growing traditional vs. indie publishing debates.

What do you think?


*Or maybe some of us did. Nerds.

“Hi! I’m Anxiety! Where can I put my stuff?”

Sara Mazariegos

Last week, Luis and I went to see Argentina vs. Guatemala (soccer.) His family came, too, and it was amusing because, though he’s from Guatemala, we cheered for Argentina. His family seemed a little confused/annoyed. 😆 We’re fans of Lionel Messi and his teams, so we weren’t going to suddenly cheer against him! Guatemala did a good job against the World Cup champs, though. They threw them off and scored a goal early on. So they should be proud. Guatemala still lost, of course, but they made it harder to beat them.

When we walked back to the Metro afterward, it started pouring heavy, cold rain. And then the Metro stopped two stops away from our house, so we had to take a Lyft the rest of the way home. What an adventure!

We saw Inside Out 2 on Saturday. I love Anxiety! That sounds so strange, but I feel like PIXAR did a good job of personifying anxiety. It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s often not even easy for me to explain how it makes me feel. I once likened it to a building collapsing around me.

Anyway, in Writing Update news: I’ve crossed over into the 80% zone! The end is in sight! It’s amusing because I plan to use the end I’ve already written, so that’s a bit of a cheat. But still! I’ve gotten back into the palindrome word counts because I can’t help myself. My word goal for today is 69,696 words.

Nice.

There’s been a lot of discussion in the WriterThreads community regarding people (usually authors) purporting to have “the secret” to getting published and offering up expensive “boot camps” to teach people the tricks of the writing trade. I’ve noticed quite a few of these cropping up, especially when I’m Googling for quick tips. They’re also often accompanied by twenty-minute-long videos that can further waste your time and get you too in your head about The Process. As the authors on Threads point out, you should never feel obligated to pay anything to find your agent and get published.

Just write. That’s all you have to do. Write the story. Then edit it. That’s it. Read query letter examples, listen to the TSNOTYAW podcast, and put yourself out there. Anyone trying to get money from you is not really trying to help you.

…Okay, agents will take a cut when you’ve landed a book deal, but that’s different.

I’ve definitely fallen victim to getting in my head about the best way to structure my writing and the beats I HAVE TO HAVE, etc. and, at the end of the day, it isn’t helpful to get so worked up about it. There’s no reason for writing to be scary. If you love writing, you should do it because you love it and you need to do it. There are no real rules. What works out for one person may not work for another.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on that. Don’t stress yourself.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.

Sara Mazariegos


My goal this week has been to take it easy. I’ve created a novel outline; I’ve thought of things to include in this new draft. I’m not letting myself start writing it until Monday.

Meanwhile, I’ve been reading The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn. It’s so good. I need to read everything she’s ever written. Her writing style matches mine and my preferences in novels I like to read. I’m still obsessed with Georgie, All Along.

This go-around, I’m not going to worry so much about the publishing side of things. I want to focus on my writing and enjoy it. I figure the more “business” side can come later, once I’m sure I’ve got a manuscript worthy of the effort.

Short post this time. I said everything I wanted to say in the video above. Plus, I said it through burned lips.

That’s not a figure of speech.

“I’m thirty-seven.” “What?”

Sara Mazariegos


“Well, I can’t just call you ‘Man.'” “You could say ‘Dennis.'” “I didn’t know you were called Dennis!” “You didn’t bother to find out, did you?”


It’s my birthday! 🥳 Today, my husband and I are going to our favorite Italian restaurant and then we’re going to watch Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. (It came out in 1937. That’s my theme this year.)

This weekend, we’re going to celebrate with friends and see the new Ghostbusters movie and do an escape room. It’s going to be a lot of fun. And then next weekend, we’re heading to Disney World!

I’m spoiled.

Currently, I’m listening to Carly Watters talking about how to get started in the publishing industry. That’s right, I know how to party.

Luis finished alpha reading my manuscript, so I have a few more tweaks to make, and then I can send it out to a few more beta readers. Then I can enter the query trenches again.

When we come back from our trip, I’m going to switch gears and work on rewriting my other novel. It’ll be a nice change of pace. I’m excited to play with those characters again and use what I’ve learned to make the story better.

I’m feeling optimistic. ✨

A humiliating kick in the crotch.

Sara Mazariegos

Writing query letters is tough, especially when you’re not sure where to find good people to critique it. Friends and family rave about it, but a random person can shut it down and make me feel like no one would want to read my novel. It would be nice to find somewhere in between those two extremes. I know it needs work, but that doesn’t mean my novel isn’t good or deserving of being published.

I’m not giving up on it.

Meanwhile, I’ve rewritten an outline for my other novel’s rewrite. Luis (husband) recommends that I write a query letter at this early stage, too, to help guide the novel. So I’m going to be having fun with that as well.

In slightly over two weeks, we’re going on our fun Disney/Guatemala trip, so it’ll be another opportunity to take a break. I just feel as though I’ve been taking a break for a while now. I’m ready to write more! But it’s good to pace myself and not stack my days with too much writing, especially when I know I won’t have enough time to write a new draft until after the beginning weeks of April.

Are all writers like this?

Crunchwrap supreme.

Sara Mazariegos


I finished my novel*!! 🎉🎉🎉

On Tuesday night, I finished writing the main story. Then I pasted in my pre-written epilogue and called it a night. Yesterday (Wednesday), I read through the epilogue, adding and tightening things and making sure it made sense with my revisions. Then I officially typed “THE END” and sat back.

Last week, I kept going back and forth between thinking I could devote myself to crunchtime and finish by today or possibly have to officially finish by March 1st. Well, after miraculously writing 3,000 words on Monday, I didn’t have to worry about not being able to complete my novel draft this month.

Inspiration struck me more in this final stretch thanks to the big changes I implemented in my draft. I had a sort of epiphany as I was piecing things together and I think I’ve found a more satisfying conclusion to my story. I feel more confident about things this go-around, and I don’t think I’ll have to do another drastic rewrite. Hopefully, I won’t have to make any further big changes. 🤞

Now I find myself in this weird, “Uhhhh. What now??” stage. I’ve asked my husband Luis to be my alpha reader and let me know his thoughts. I’m giving myself two or so weeks to not read it, and then I’ll dive in and clean it up for eventual beta readers. Remember when I said writing is a process?

I may be unable to avoid revising my other novel while I wait. The good thing is each book has its own bubble, so I can by all means work on a different novel while I’m supposed to be taking a break from this one.

It will be a bit weird to work on a novel set during Fall/Winter right as Spring is springing forth, but… Such is life.

*For now. I will have to go through several rounds of edits before it’s officially ready to be queried. I definitely feel better about it now!

Too much time on my hands.

Sara Mazariegos


The title is meant to be ironic because this week has been pretty busy for me. It’s also a good song by Styx.

I said in my video that I was at ~62k words, but my goal for today is actually ~64k. I’m proud of myself for consistently hitting the mark, or at least near the mark so I’m not struggling with way too much to write per day. I’ve learned!

My little living room laptop has been such a help. There’s something about sitting with limited Internet function that really helps my mind focus on writing instead of what x friend said on social media. I’ve started playing music on my phone, though, because Little Laptop can’t handle a tab of streaming music. 😂

One thing I’ve been working through is some unseen characters in my novel. They matter to the plot, but only vaguely. Without giving too much away*, they’re people in the FMC’s friend’s lives. At first, I thought, “Should I introduce them and have a scene with them?” but I’m realizing it doesn’t matter as long as they’re mentioned. It would slow things down to introduce so-and-so’s partner who doesn’t affect the MCs’ lives much.

I might still throw them in, for some added fun, but only because I want to, not because it’s necessary.

I don’t want to be like Dickens, throwing in a million new character names in the last pages of the story. Dickens was silly. I love him, but he was.

*I’ve read so many warnings about not sharing one’s writing online if you want it to get published, because publishers want exclusivity, etc. I get it, but it’s also hard because I love sharing things.

Still playing for time.

Sara Mazariegos

I’ve finally crossed into under 10K words left of my novel draft! 🎉

This has been an eye-opening experience. I can’t say I hated rewriting my novel, though. I know the nucleus of this story so well that reshaping it wasn’t as difficult as it could’ve been. That said, I’m looking forward to taking a break from working on it. Once I’ve finished the new draft, I’m going to put it aside until at least December.

Of course, I have a new novel to start on November 1st. I’m fully prepared for NaNoWriMo to punch me in the face like it often does, especially because I have a week I must take off in order to attend an international wedding. So we’ll see if I finish that draft in November. Hence the whole “at least December” thing. If I’m working on a new novel, I’m not gonna fuss with editing the older one much during Christmastime.

When I first approached this stuff, I was looking at it as some kind of a rush. I was excited! I had so many ideas! And that was good fuel for getting the writing done, but I have since chilled out.

There’s no rush. I should take my time to put good novels in front of book agents. I should find good, reliable betas who know what they’re talking about. I should EDIT.

Last time, I was too easy on myself. I edited right after finishing and getting some feedback from friends. I didn’t see the big picture. I queried 20 or so agents before the story was ready.

Then I got some betas who gave me important feedback and I’ve regrouped. The story is in a better place because of it.

I can’t wait for people to get the chance to read my story, but waiting is just part of it. Rejection is part of it, though hopefully, the second try will go better.

And working on this next story can be amusement on the days when editing feels more like work. Editing is fun, for me (I’m weird), but it’s also more work than daydreaming up a novel is.

I’m proud of myself, regardless.

Mock me with praise.

Sara Mazariegos

I stumbled across a Reddit “Am I The Asshole?” post that boiled my blood. A husband claimed to have self-published his wife’s novel without her permission. She’d told him at least once that she didn’t want to publish that way, but rather the traditional way, but he went ahead and got it published anyway. He also hired an editor and designed the cover himself.

Now, a lot of stuff that’s posted on Reddit is questionable. I have to hope he’s making things up for a reaction. He may even be the creation of a writer who’s having fun with a story idea. No one can be that selfish and ignorant of their spouse’s repeated wishes, right?!

I’ve had my fair share of people asking me why I don’t self-publish my novel. While there are benefits to doing so, there are also several drawbacks. It’s expensive, for one thing, if you want to do it well. Having to handle everything is another challenge. I kind of see it as a last resort; I want people to read my story, but I hope they can read it more traditionally.

Plus, having a literary agent helping me just seems wonderful. Who doesn’t want someone in their corner who has their back?

When I shared the AITA post with my husband, he said, “I guess now’s a bad time to tell you…”

He would never.

Someone commented that printing and binding one copy of the manuscript to have on the shelf is a sweet idea. I would like that. But printing copies and giving them out to family without the new author knowing should be considered a new form of treason.