#WriteMentor 2020 Wishlist

Welcome #WriteMentor hopefuls! I’m KC Karr, your tour guide. If you’re here, you’re looking for that one special person to entrust with your book baby. The one who can lead you through the darkness that is writing, editing, and approaching the publishing market (eek!). Good news! I’m here to help, and I’ve brought along my tool kit bursting with skills to get you through. 

A little bit about me (AKA, why I’m The One)… 

This is my third year mentoring in #WriteMentor. I’ve been here since its inception, and everything the WM community stands for warms my dark little writer heart. As an author myself, I know how hard it is to break into publishing—querying, agents, editors—all of it can be very overwhelming without someone cheering you on every step of the way. In 2017, I was YOU. I was lucky enough to be chosen as a mentee in #PitchWars, and the rest is history!! Or, well, you know, super hard work that never ends. But, c’est la vie. I’m repped by the ever-wonderful Ali Herring of Spencerhill Associates. I have two YA books on submission with editors and am working on a third.  

I’m also a book coach—since 2018 I’ve worked with Author Accelerator, coaching over 30 clients and helping them write the best book ever. I’ve undergone extensive training with Author Accelerator and have earned their Advanced Book Coaching Certification. Mentoring writers is literally my job, and I have lots of happy clients to show for it. Of my four previous WM mentees, two have agents, and two have book deals. Do you have what it takes to be lucky number 5? 

Here’s what I’m looking for in a Young Adult manuscript: 

·       Emotion. Will it make me laugh or cry? Do I know what the character is feeling/thinking/planning every step of the way?

·       Plot. Is the main character active? Does she drive the plot, or does it drive her? Is she taking charge or simply reacting to what’s happening around her?

·       Romance. I don’t necessarily want a romance per se, but I’d like there to be at least a romantic element to the story. However, I’m game for a super cute and fresh romance along the lines of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

·       Unique premise, structure, or twist. Surprise me. Is your novel an epistolary or told entirely in text messages? Are your characters on an alternate plane of existence that I won’t see coming? Do you have an unreliable narrator? Show me a manuscript that tasks risks.

·       Chapters with hooks. Keep me up reading past bedtime. I’ll forgive you.

·       Dark and twisty and psychological.

·       Fresh, funny, and cute. 

So, I know what you’re thinking. That’s the most oddly unspecific list of what you want. Dark and cute? Twisty and funny? Here’s the thing—I’m wide open this year on genres. As long as it’s YA and has stellar writing, I probably want to see it. I’m just as likely to fall for a cute romance as I am for something dark and murdery. I have wide and eclectic tastes, so just aim to wow me.  

Some things I’m not the best fit for: 

·       Historicals

·       Suicide as the main plot point

·       Rape

·       Dead animals 

What I’m looking for in a mentee: 

·       Hardworking and punctual. We have a tight deadline. If you’re not willing to give 110% to revising and possibly rewriting big chunks of your manuscript, please don’t sub to me. Same goes if you’re a procrastinator.

·       Open-minded. Several of my mentees and clients have completely rewritten their manuscripts, tossed entire plot points, and gutted their characters. My aim to help you write the best book you can, and sometimes that involves hard choices and killing darlings. If you aren’t open to major revision, or already feel defensive just reading this, I’m probably not the mentor for you.

·       Ready to take their career to the next step and put in the work to make that happen.

·       Collaborative. I love brainstorming and plotting and suggesting, but this is a two-way street. I need a mentee who will take my suggestions and do the work to make them their own.

What I offer as a mentor:

 ·       Multiple passes on your manuscript, query, and synopsis.

·       Honest, concise feedback. You’ll never have to guess what I mean.

·       Open communication.

·       Specific assignments, deadlines, and next steps so you’ll always know what you have to do next.

·       Experience from both sides of the table. I’ve been a mentee and a mentor—I know how grueling every single step is.

·       12 years of industry experience, 7 years of giving writers feedback.

·       All the tips and tricks and tools I’ve learned from every client and mentee who has come before you.

·       Cheerleading. I know I sound super serious about this (because I am!), but if you’re my mentee, I will root for you SO HARD.

That’s it! If you’re looking for more detail about the types of things I like, here are the last few books I’ve read, and the TV shows I follow. This list isn’t exhaustive, but like I said, my tastes vary. Just send me something good!

Books:

·       Verity Colleen Hoover

·       When We Believed in Mermaids Barbara O’Neal

·       The Storyteller Jodi Picoult

·       House of Salt and Sorrows Erin Craig

·       Ninth House Leigh Bardugo

·       Serpent and Dove Shelby Mahurin

·       Caraval Series Stephanie Garber

TV Shows:

·       Locke & Key

·       Manifest

·       Prodigal Son

·       911

·       The Resident

·       The Good Doctor

·       Good Trouble

·       S.W.A.T.

·       The Witcher

Whew! That’s a lot of info in a short amount of time. Are we a good fit? Let me know! Have questions about my list or need clarification? Send me a message on Twitter: @kacimari.

Best of luck in #WriteMentor!