Ask Me Anything
When I was toying with the idea of turning on a paid subscription option for this newsletter, I did a poll on Instagram asking which bonus materials or special features would make people most likely to upgrade. A writing advice column was the most popular choice—which was, honestly, thrilling news for me!
Fun fact: I’ve wanted an advice column of my very own since I first learned what they were as a little kid. I used to line up my stuffed animals and have them come to me one at a time to ask for advice about their various complex family dynamics and troubled relationships, which I would dole out sagely like a five-year-old rabbi. So I’m very excited to launch this brand new Word Cave feature: Ask Lilly, a writing advice series (with that eager young advice-giver as the header image).
Upgrade your subscription to submit a question! It can be anything writing related—something practical about getting published, an element of craft you’re struggling with, or a challenge of the writing life you’re trying to figure out. I’ll write in-depth answers based on my own experience writing, publishing, editing, and teaching, plus what I’ve learned from my colleagues over the years.
Paid subscribers can post questions below as a comment, or if you’d rather remain anonymous, you can send your question as a response to this email (please include a screenshot indicating that you’re a paid subscriber if you submit a question via email).
To make it into the first installment of Ask Lilly (which will be available for all subscribers to read), please submit your question by next Tuesday, August 19.
Thank you for making my advice column dreams come true!
Thanks for doing this advice column. I grew up reading advice columns and still love them. Feedback from Sewanee for my memoir was that people want to see more of me on the page, that I should slow down. What have you found to be some of the best ways to do this? Many thanks!
Lilly. Thank you. Do you have books you’ve written that you still want to finish? Why is finishing so hard? Is it just finding the right form? You let yourself be so vulnerable on the page. I admire that. I started something new that feels more raw.