… to everyone who took the time to fill out this survey about Caroline by line. And a special thanks to all of you who left notes of encouragement and praise.
Almost every responder talked about liking the blog as is — a mish mash of writing, reading, and the occasional teaching ideas. You’ll continue to see more of the same. Several of you have requested more information on writing verse novels. While I’m no expert, I can shed more light into my process (which is often evolving). If you have any specific verse novel questions (or any topics in general that would interest you), please leave them below.
If you haven’t filled out the survey and want to see what it’s all about, I’m open to your feedback.
Congratulations to Amy Rogers Hays who won the signed copy of MAY B.
Thanks again, readers, for your part in things around here. A blog is a long-term conversation, and I feel very grateful to know so many of you are out there, listening in and sharing with all who come here.
Caroline,
Thanks for offering to answer questions about verse novels. I have found this is a genre I feel comfortable writing. I have finished one and am beginning another. I talked with my writing group about querying my first verse novel and one member, a librarian, said there is not a market for the verse novel. Has this been your experience? I have not found any agents yet that specify this genre. How did you find an agent? I am taking Margarita Engle’s advice and will keep writing, but I’m wondering where I should go from here. Thanks.
Margaret, congratulations on finding a place where your writing is “right”! I feel the same about verse novels. They work for me. There has been quite a surge in the number of verse novels published these last few years. And yet, they’re not an easy sell. I was told the same when first querying and then subbing verse novels. As with any genre, there will be editors and agents who aren’t interested in verse or feel they don’t know how to work with it. There will be others who have worked with verse novels or those who long to (of the three editors I’ve worked with on my novels, only one had worked on a verse novel before). Let me think through these ideas and come up with a post for you!