#341 Echoes of the Past with Lauren Kay

This week, we're running a takeover in collaboration with Lauren Kay! This contest’s winner will not only be awarded $250 — they’ll also receive personal feedback from Lauren herself! Here's what she has to say about her takeover:

Hello, writers! I'm Lauren Kay, a published YA author and the founder of Lauren Kay Writes, where I work with writers pursuing traditional publishing and offer my popular online course, Query Bootcamp. After receiving eight offers from literary agents and selling my debut novel, We Ship It, to HarperCollins in a 6-figure, 2-book deal, I've dedicated my career to helping other writers strengthen their craft and navigate the publishing industry.

Throughout my work with hundreds of authors, I've observed that the most resonant stories often grapple with memory and the past. Strong fiction doesn't simply recount what happened — it examines how past experiences shape our characters, how certain moments linger long after they've passed, and how we make meaning from what we've lived through.

This week's prompts explore the way the past intersects with the present. Whether your character is confronting a place they've avoided, uncovering a hidden emotion, or deciding what to hold onto and what to release, I invite you to examine how we carry our histories with us — and what happens when we're forced to reckon with them.