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Marissa chats with Lisa Fipps about her debut middle grade novel - STARFISH - as well as letting your instincts, not the market, guide your writing choices; why middle grade novels are uniquely positioned to give young readers tools for dealing with bullies and body image (among other things); deciding when to give closure or redemption to your antagonistic characters and when to leave things unresolved; the wonderful suggestion to keep a visual reminder of kind things people have said about your work for those days when you're feeling particularly discouraged; and how it is totally allowed to write your novel in verse. (Really.)

Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer

Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/