Field Trip Friday is a weekly trip around the field of YA with stops at the most helpful, interesting or otherwise entertaining news.
Someone asked me the other day why the Field Trip Friday posts show up on Thursday. The answer is time zones. Mine's US Central. What's yours?
This Week In Writing
- How do you know when it's good enough? Author Lilith Saintcrow answers: "I Never Know."
- The Intern has a list of "The Ten Best Things You Can Do For Your Manuscript."
- "Action does not automatically equal compelling and interesting." Advice and debate about story openings, from Jane Friedman at There Are No Rules.
- Author Maggie Stiefvater says "Be a writer. But be something else too."
- Author Cory Jackson has been hosting a blog series called "How Writers Do It." Eight writers, including yours truly and lovely Leila Austin, address writing-related questions from our own points of view as well as that of a well-known writing guide. It's been fascinating-- we've covered the definition of art, getting in the zone and developing characters so far. Check it out and win the writing guide of your choice!
This Week In Reading
This Week In Getting Published
- Author Tahareh "I am mysterious and have no last name" has an OBSCENELY IMPORTANT MEMO about agents for you.
- Agent Nathan Bransford (*insert reverential chorus*) has some query advice: Specificity = good. He also has an idiot proof "how to format your query" post.
- The gatekeeper suggests a strategy for querying to maximize your chances.
- Rachelle Gardner (*bring back reverential chorus*) is critiquing queries on Wednesdays and sometimes Thursdays for the next few weeks.
- Elana Roth suggests that authors who receive an offer of representation should notify all agents they've queried, whether they've heard back from them or not. Lots of interesting conversation on Twitter ensued.
- Should you send a thank you for a rejection? Agent Jessica Faust says maybe.
- The Rejectionist has "5 Traits to Bag A
BoyfriendAgent"-- query advice Cosmo style.
- Agent Jenny Bent posted a list of rookie mistakes.
- I don't think a week goes by without me linking Elana Johnson or Suzette Saxton, and this week I'm linking them both: "Write Your Query In *gasp* First Person! (and then change it back.)"
- An #askagent session went on last night-- you can read it here.
This Week In Contests

This Week in Fabulous Other Stuff
- In an epic fail, I neglected to mention that one of our own, the fabulous Lee Bross, signed with fabulous new agent Mandy Hubbard a few weeks ago!
- Another one of our own, the fabulous Michelle Schusterman, signed this week with fabulous agent Sarah Davies!
- Also newly agented: The fabulous Vee Roth, who signed with the fabulous Joanna Stampfel-Volpe-- who also reps the fabulous Kody Keplinger, who revealed the cover of her ARC this week!
- Happy birthday to our fabulous Kristin Briana Otts, who officially graduates from "teen contributor" to "contributor"-- which means she gets... um... exactly the same dose of daily YA Highway crazy she's getting now. :)

And finally...
Via the fabulous Kathleen Ortiz: "How Twilight Should Have Ended"
~Kate Hart
Loving that twivid! Posting it on my facebook! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat list, as always :)
ReplyDeleteLoved that vid! So, so cool..lol
ReplyDeleteMan, I love this place! And not just because you link to me. ;) As always, loving the plethora of info you provide.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS to all you agented folks! I look forward to watching you soar!
Dude, can we just link to your posts on Fridays for the QT Pulse? Cuz you've got it DOWN, girl! And thanks for the linkage. I'm pimping you up in my newsletter next week. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd holy agent-fest here! Congrats to all!
Thanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteElana, that would be fantastic! :)
Thanks, Suzette and Elana!
ReplyDeleteAnd man I LOVE that Wayne's World post. Excellent.
Great round-up as always, Kate!
loool awesomeness! (KATE WILL YOU MARRY ME??)
ReplyDeletealso: i SO have a last name. did you not notice the HUGE T.H. Mafi banner at the top of my blog..?
bahahaha
love this blog. you guys are all made of WINSAUCE. (better and tastier than awesomesauce, natch.)
Tahareh, I will totally marry you. And I did see the top of the blog, but one time I used what I thought was an obvious name from a blog on this round up, and it turned out I was wrong! So I don't use one unless the author says "MY NAME IS JOE SMITH." lol
ReplyDeletewell if we're getting married, it doesn't matter either way, does it? pretty soon i'll be Tahereh Hart. (got a nice ring to it, no? ;D)
ReplyDeleteso i'm thinking spring wedding..?
I'm down with another spring wedding. LOL
ReplyDeleteTrue story: If my husband's name hadn't been Hart, I would have hyphenated my last name, but Hodge-Hart is nothing I want to inflict on my children, much less myself.
/random
OMG, that video was HILARIOUS! The best part was the pseudo-Twilight song at the end, followed by Wesley Snipes--lmao! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat info as always, ladies!
Congrats on teh agent magic, guys. Feel free to let some of it rub off on me ;)
ReplyDeleteI always say great job rockstar!!! LOL But really, you are the superstar! (Gawd now I have whats her name from Saturday Night Live doing her Superstar jump and sticking her fingers in her pits them smelling them) ROFL!
ReplyDelete"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Don't talk. You're injured."
ReplyDeleteThat was perfect.
I love this place.