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1. Be passionate about writing from a young age, but pursue a career in law because it seems more practical.
2. During senior year of college, take a break from law school applications to grab coffee with a friend. When your friend says they’re thinking about getting an MFA, ask what the hell that is.
3. Apply to 17 grad schools, get a full ride to 3, but ultimately go with a 4th choice because it’s in New York where you think you’ll have the best chance in publishing.
4. Start working as a part-time nanny to make ends meet.
5. Write a middle school novel that doesn’t sell, but lands you an agent.
6. Tell your professor you want to be just like him when he describes his career as an author / editor. Be eternally grateful after he says, “Alright, bet” and gets you a job as an assistant to a literary agent at Curtis Brown. (Optional: Keep nannying because NY is expensive AF.)
7. Take a risk by telling your new boss you actually want to work in editorial. Watch that risk pay off as she puts out feelers that get you an editorial assistant job at Penguin.
8. Two years later, move to India for a year and a half. Write and sell your first YA book, then return to Penguin with a promotion to associate editor.
9. After a few years back at Penguin, realize you need more time for writing, so quit again and move to Paris to nanny.
10. Write 2 1/2 books and edit books as a freelancer on the side during your Parisian jaunt.
11. Move back to Brooklyn, and once freelancing (and a lack of health insurance) stops cutting it, start working at Abrams.
12. Stop writing for a couple years, then get back into it with renewed energy.
13. Say no to every invitation and work heads down on a new gothic novel about cults, motherhood, and how the two interact. Name it Just Like Mother. |
