We talk with Linda Camacho, agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, about your character’s desire line—how it’s useful for both clarity and storytelling—and the deeper wish behind the ostensible goal. (For example: Ralphie in A Christmas Story wants a BB gun, but what he *really* wants is to be perceived as an adult.)

We also discuss how to work with plotters, pantsers and plantsers—and how, no matter what you’re writing, you can keep a reader’s attention.

Linda Camacho graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Communication and has held various positions at Penguin Random House, Dorchester, Simon and Schuster, Writers House, and Prospect Agency. She’s done everything from foreign rights to editorial to marketing to operations, and received her MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Now at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, Linda is looking for MG, YA, and adult fiction across all genres (especially upmarket, women’s fiction/romance, and literary horror); she’s also seeking select picture book and graphic novel writer-illustrators.

You can find her at:

https://twitter.com/lindarandom

https://manuscriptacademy.com/linda-camacho