"Calling all horror writers! I want to lose as much sleep as possible this week. Send me your stories!" #MSWL from James #AmWriting #Writing

Don't forget to add #M to your #Pit2Pub so we can check out your mysteries! #MSWL

To sum up: who's writing that drum corps YA novel starring a POC filled w/ drum corps summer drama? I want to acquire it! #MSWL @DCI

And drum corps is a VERY physical activity--there were days I marched 12-14 hrs in summer heat. I gained 20 lbs & lost 2 sizes. #MSWL

And then on personal level, you're in VERY close quarters w/ people very different from you for several months, all working on music #MSWL

And all leading up to the big shebang: do we qualify at Drum Corps International? #MSWL

Drum corps summers have an excellent plot structure: how does a kid raise money for it? Finally off on tour. Prep for competitions. #mswl

The idea of corps as a perfect place for a YA novel has been at the back of my mind for a long time. #MSWL

In corps I made my first friends who were from backgrounds completely different from mine: a Muslim girl, an Iranian Jewish girl #MSWL

Just one example of a high-class corps that's still marching today--the @scvanguard: youtube.com/user/SantaClar… #MSWL

We see YA books in performing arts schools, ballet companies, high school band (not as much on that last) but never corps. #MSWL

I elaborated on how awesome & diverse drum corps is/can be & perfect setting for a YA novel, but Twitter died & lost tweets. Later. #MSWL

The summer after high school I marched drum corps. I've never seen a YA novel that approached the subject. #MSWL

This is what I did on my vacation. Which gives me #MSWL thoughts. m.geneseorepublic.com/news/20160712/…

"Anything with an epic twist that I don't see coming from a mile off." #MSWL from Lucy. #AmWriting #GetPublished

Novels in verse are generally more appropriate for @LEEandLOW in MG. For YA, that's us, as long as it's fiction. #MSWL

Some YA fantasy has been known to go over 100k, but generally we look for less than 90k because usually it's stronger shorter. #MSWL

Generally, middle grade books should be more than 40k words long. YA books should be more than 50k. Over 100k, you should question it. #MSWL

Please also note that we are not interested in anthropomorphic animal stories at this time. We seek *human* diversity. #MSWL

"Give me an antihero. I want to root for the bad guy! Someone dark, amoral & broken, who redefines heroism." #MSWL from James #AmWriting