The Shape of Words

  • A laptop, notebook, plant, pencils and coffee sitting on a desk

    First page surgery call

    I’m on the lookout for writers who don’t mind sharing the first 300 words of their unpublished novel manuscripts for editorial feedback. This feedback will be public and posted here and promoted on social media. I will provide short editorial feedback on what’s working and what could be improved in those important opening words. This…

    Ariell Cacciola

  • How to format your novel manuscript so an editor actually reads it!

    This post originally appeared on the Wild Hunt Books blog. You wouldn’t expect it, but more often than not, I receive manuscripts that are so strangely formatted that they are just about unreadable. And if that’s the case with yours, it’s a disservice to all the hard work and passion you’ve put into your book.…

    Ariell Cacciola
  • neon lights on a wall that read we are all made of stories

    Behind the selection process

    This might turn into multi-posts once I’ve finished reading through January’s unagented submissions, but for the time-being, I wanted to give a general idea of what goes behind my process when selecting queries to move onto my long long long list or ultimately, pass on. But before we get to all that, let’s start at…

    Ariell Cacciola