Joan Mora: Guest Blogger: Agent Jim McCarthy

How many rejections have you amassed? More than 50? 100?

Stop by What Women Write to check out agent Jim McCarthy's (of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management) post on NEVER GIVING UP!

A Writer's Job Description

Write!
Research
Study your craft--attend workshops, read (see below), practice!
Join a writers’ organization and/or critique group (Writers’ League of Texas is a good place to start!)
Become part of a writing community (Thanks What Women Write partners!)
Help a newbie writer
Read a variety of genres (okay, I need to work on this one)
Research agents and write a query AFTER you’ve written, revised, polished the book
Read industry blogs
Manage your time (too much blog reading?)
Take vacation and time off
Don't vent on Facebook, Twitter, or blogs your frustrations (or jealousy) about another writer

Books I love to re-read

Brilliantly narrated audio books

The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman (Noah Taylor)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce (Jim Broadbent)
Teacher Man, Frank McCourt (Himself)
Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (Himself)
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
Right Ho, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse
Return of The Native, Thomas Hardy (Alan Rickman)
I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith (Jenny Agutter)
How Green Was My Valley, Richard Llewellyn
The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert (Juliet Stevenson)
The Tiger's Wife, Tea Obrecht (Susan Duerden, Robin Sachs)
The Persimmon Tree, Bryce Courtenay (Humphrey Bower)
The End of the Affair, Graham Greene (Colin Firth)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell (Jonathan Aris, Paula Wilcox)

Joan Mora