Author Feature Ellie Zi Dong Five things I wish I knew about querying. Read now on substack

Ellie Zi Dong Five things I wish I knew about querying "So many stars have to align for an author to get published—succeeding in traditional publishing is one part talent, one part perseverance, and two parts luck. Which is to say, the quality of your writing is important, but it is unfortunately not the end all be all."

Check out our next author feature with Ellie Zi Dong!

#roundtablementor #writingadvice #writingcommunity

Author feature: Lilly Lu Building character in the first chapter Read now on Substack

Lilly Lu Building character in the first chapter I've always struggled with the question: "What does your character want?" It seems so vague, especially since, as humans trying to navigate the vicissitudes of life, we don't often know what we want. Peace? Rest? Stability? These seem too vague and not hook-y enough for a fiction character, right?

Check out this week's blog post on building character in your first chapter, featuring author Lilly Lu!

#roundtablementor #writingadvice #writingcommunity

Author feature: Samantha Chong. How to stay organized and keep creativity alive. Read now on substack.

Samantha Chong How to stay organized and keep creativity alive Organization doesn't have to be the mortal enemy of creativity. It's ideally a tool to help you evaluate your own creative processes, keep your head on straight, and reduce the stress that comes with creating in tight timelines.

Check out our next blog post on organization and keeping creativity alive, featuring author Samantha Chong!

#roundtablementor #writingadvice #writingcommunity

Author feature Solar Hoàng Moodboard: an approach to making visual representations of your book that stand out. Read now on substack

Solar Hoàng Moodboard: an approach to making visual representations of your book that stand out. "Creating a great moodboard may not make you a great writer, but in the process of doing so, you are branching out to other media to learn their way of storytelling and looking at your own manuscript through a different lens."

Check out our next Substack post on creating moodboards for your stories, featuring Solar Hoàng!

#roundtablementor #writingcommunity

With the 2026 mentorship officially kicked off, we thought it would be fun to share some numbers for this year's applicant and mentee groups. See below for the stats! 👀👇

#roundtablementor #writingcommunity #writingmentorship

Hi #BluePitHype! I’m Veronica, a healthcare provided by day, book blogger by night, and writer by complete accident.

I’ll be polishing up my #FakeDatingFoodies YA romance with my #RoundTableMentor this year and hoping to get more connected with the #WritingCommunity ❤️

Shout out to @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social and the entire @roundtablementor.bsky.social team for all the lessons learned 🥰

Check out M. Stevenson’s book Behooved!

#writing #querying #author #mentee #roundtablementor #rtm #writersky #booksky #writesky

Waiting for #roundtablementor fulls to come in is like perpetual Christmas Eve. Like... hooray! What a fun thing to be waiting for! But also... come into my sweet embrace expeditiously, please <3

a man is sitting on a swing in a park with his eyes closed . Alt: a man is sitting on a swing in a park with his eyes closed .

Requested a full from #roundtablementor and I'm waiting for the author to submit like

Hey writers, just a few hours until the #RoundTableMentor window closes!

I can’t wait to dive into all the MG entries and find THE ONE!!!

Our fifth and final day of prompts and also the last day to get those applications in!!!

Our mentors want to know: What do you hope to learn from RTM?

APPLICATIONS CLOSE TODAY AT 12 PM ET!

#RTM #roundtablementor #writingcommunity #mentorship #amwriting #amquerying

Day 4! What is your favorite part of the writing process? Drafting? Revising? Creating playlists or gathering inspo pics?

There are only 2 days left to get your applications in!

#RTM #roundtablementor #writingcommunity #mentorship #amwriting #amquerying #writersoftwitter

I'm reading THIS ENDS IN EMBERS by Kamilah Cole! So excited to finish this amazing duology. #RTM #roundtablementor

I'm playing catch-up, but hi! I'm Tiff! I'm currently working on revisions of my adult sci-fi novel. I'm queer/ND/BIPOC and so is my MC: an audiovisual archivist/weird media artist who's trying to resurrect his robot pal while solving a mystery. #RTM #roundtablementor #amediting #writingcommunity

Character art to come, but here are the vibes for my retro-futuristic fabulist Viet sci-fi thing ✨ #RTM #roundtablementor #amediting #writingcommunity

Day 3! What are you reading? Are you in the midst of an epic fantasy? A dark, twisty thriller? Did you just finish something that kept you up until the wee hours of the night? Tell us everything!!

There are 3 days left to get your applications in!

#RTM #roundtablementor

Here's the moodboard for my MG fantasy! #RTM #roundtablementor

THREADBARE

🦋-Hidden World
📖-Reluctant Hero
✨-Reimagined Fairytales
🕯️-Healing and Growth
⚔️-Fantasy Adventure
💀-Good v. Evil

[ #roundtablementor #RTM #amwriting #amediting #mglit #kidlit ]

Day 2! We cannot wait to see your story aesthetics!! Have some character art you’ve been dying to share? A mood board that captures the captivating vibes? We want to see it all!!

There are 4 days left to get your applications in!

#RTM #roundtablementor #writingcommunity

Hello #RTM Hopefuls!

There are officially FIVE days left to get your applications in! We thought we’d count down the final days with some community prompts!

Prompt 1: We want to get to know you and your MC!

#roundtablementor #writingcommunity #mentorship #amquerying #amwriting

Our AMA is live!!! Let me know in comments below if you have questions about my MSWL or the program :))

#roundtablementor #writingcommunity #amquerying

Ask me anything about #roundtablementor. If you’re a middle grade author thinking of applying (window opens Nov 6!), I’m here to answer questions 🫶🏼

Today’s the day!

Have a question about the program, application process, or our mentors? Ask it below!

#writingmentorship #roundtablementor #writingcommunity

Calendars out! 🗓️

I’ll be part of the #roundtablementor AMA on Nov 3. I’m ready for your questions about applying to be a mentee or about writing, especially MG.

I’ll join the conversation after the sun rises in California 😎✌🏼

In a retelling of the myth of Ireland's namesake, a maiden must break her deadly curse by seducing her people’s greatest enemy—the sea-raider king—to marry him, kill him, and steal his magic to win the brutal trials required to drink the sun and achieve immortality. #Roundtablementor #A #F #R #UN

After losing her friend, immortal Mikoto continually meets his reincarnations over centuries. None ever remember her, but she’ll scam and use humans to bring his memories back.
💔a (shady) soulmate business
🌘morally gray aroace MC
🌷platonic friendships
✨whimsy/cozy

#roundtablementor #F #A #UN

Based on Welsh Mythology, outcast Rhiannon finds love with Pwyll. Only problem is they’re on opposite sides of a war. To save their son, she must journey to the Otherworld, pass the trials of its lord, and confront the truth about her identity.  
#ROUNDTABLEMENTOR #A #F #UN

I want to also give a massive shoutout to my #roundtablementor Eunice Kim! Her enthusiasm for my story and eye during revisions and advice as we were creating my query package have been invaluable. Her kindness and humor has carried me and boosted my confidence in my story, my writing, and myself.

In a cursed, all-female utopia where men are viewed as beasts, a firstborn boy joins an exiled coven of witches in hopes of averting the calamity of his incoming manhood—and in the process, ends up endangering the very community he’s so desperate to protect. #RoundTableMentor #A #F #H #UN

Moodboard with four images depicting a tumbling clock, a stack of old books, an interlocking of hands, and a snowy cabin. Atop this is a snippet from the manuscript being pitched.

My last #roundtablementor pitch is dedicated to my wonderful mentors @vishaka.bsky.social & Olivia Sun for their help & guidance this year. I could not have shaped Safa's story without them & I'm so grateful for their time and effort! 🥹🤍

Looking forward to diving back into the query trenches again!