Professional Fangirling: Writing IP with Rebecca Mix

Annie Cosby
July 19, 2023 | 3 min read

Have you heard authors talk about "writing IP"? Or maybe that book in your hand is IP and you don't even know it. Or maybe you have no idea what we're talking about.

Regardless, you've definitely read something that was created as IP, and the process is fascinating — trust us. Join us for an interview with Author & Freewrite Ambassador Rebecca Mix to discuss writing IP and what it's like for an author.

First things first. What does it mean to write IP?

IP means "intellectual property," ie. instead of writing something you came up with on your own, you're hired by a publisher to write about something that already exists! People usually think of existing brands, like Neopets, Disney, Marvel, etc., but IP can also mean a concept that's developed in-house by an editor and then an author is hired to write it. You'd be surprised how many books are IP without anyone even knowing.

Wow. That's fascinating. So you do both. You have your own original books, like The Ones We Burn and The Mossheart's Promise, and now you're getting into IP, right? How did you get started with that?

I always wanted to do IP, and it was going to be something I started pursuing a little further along in my career — but then, in 2021, my editor at Andrews McMeel reached out to see if I'd be interested in doing the Neopets graphic novels because I talk about how much I love Neopets, constantly, online.

Never hurts to be loud about what you love!

Neopets?! Like the virtual pet website? *break to fangirl* How is the process of writing IP different from writing purely original content?

IP is a lot more collaborative. And you get source material! Since it's not my world, a lot of my job with this particular IP is to understand and love the canon, and then develop a story that does that canon justice. It's really interesting because since this isn't something I own, there's an entire team of people dedicated to ensuring that all of the details align and that I do the canon justice.

Typically, when I write my own books, no one even knows about them until I have a detailed outline, a pitch, and sample chapters. This one kind of worked in reverse: the pitch had to be approved by the lovely folks over at Neopets, then I sent them an extensive 4,000 word outline for them to comb through so they could suggest changes, nix certain elements that conflicted with lore or with upcoming plots they were developing, etc. You have to be someone who doesn't hold things precious; names and characters and subplots will change, because at the end of the day, they're the experts, and my job is to just try and tell a good story.

Then, when the book gets turned in, instead of just my editor working through it, it goes back to the team so they have a chance to read and suggest changes. In that way, it's a lot less lonely than writing my own original work, and a lot more of a team effort!

Do you like one more than the other?

I don't think so! I think IP and original stories all have their own perks and merits. I love the creative control of writing my own stories because I can really go wild, but in the case of Neopets, it felt like an utter pipedream to get to create new canon for a property that has meant the world to me for the last 20 years. And the teamwork aspect of it was really fun, too. I'll definitely continue to write my own original stuff, but I'm hopeful I can continue to do more IP as well!

If you could write IP for any universe, character, brand, etc., what would it be?

Oh gosh. Too many to choose, because I love too many things! For existing brands, the obvious answer is the Warriors series. I grew up devouring them and it's a dream of mine to get to work on them at least once.

Other very niche dreams would be Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, Tangled, Pokemon, Wizard of Oz ... but I've also always been keen to try my hand at working on a publisher-developed IP. Anything video games, murder-y magic, or set in Michigan would be a blast. And if some editor out there was ever dreaming about a book dealing with brain injuries, I unfortunately have the experience down for that one already!

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So there you have it. Welcome to the world of IP! If you could write a story set in any universe that isn't your own, what would you choose?

Readers can learn more about Rebecca Mix at www.rebeccamix.com or follow her on Instagram, TikTokTwitter, or Facebook.

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I’ve spent years writing while secretly fearing that a single misplaced word would expose me — not just as a bad writer, but as a fraud.

My background is originally in photography, and I see it there, too. A photographer I know recently posted a before-and-after comparison of their editing from 2018 versus now, asking if we also saw changes in our own work over the years.

Naturally, we should. If our work is the same, years apart, have we really grown as artists?

So why is that the growing, the process of it, the daily grind of it, is so painful?

So why is that the growing, the process of it, the daily grind of it, is so painful?

The Haunting

Hitting “publish” on an essay or a blog always stirs up insecurity — the overthinking, the over-editing. The fear that someone will call me out for not being a real writer.

I initially hesitated to make writing part of my freelance work. My background is in photography and design. Writing was something I gravitated toward, but I had no degree to validate it. No official stamp of approval.

Like many writers, I started with zero confidence in my voice — agonizing over edits, drowning in research, second-guessing every word.

I even created a shield for myself: ghostwriting.

I even created a shield for myself: ghostwriting.

If my words weren’t my own, they couldn’t be wrong. Ghostwriting meant safety — no risk, no vulnerability, just words without ownership.

I still remember the feeling of scrolling to the bottom of an article I had written and seeing someone else’s name, their face beside words that had once been mine.

The truth is, I always wanted to write. As a kid, I imagined it. Yet, I found myself handing over my work, letting someone else own it.

I told myself it didn’t matter. It was work. Getting paid to write should be enough.

But here’s the thing: I wasn’t just playing it safe — I was slowly erasing myself. Word by word. Edit by edit. And finally, in the by-line.

I wasn’t just playing it safe — I was slowly erasing myself. Word by word. Edit by edit. And finally, in the by-line.

The Disappearing Act

This was true when I was writing under my own name, too. The more I worried about getting it right, the less I sounded like me.

I worried. I worried about how long an essay was (“people will be bored”), finding endless examples as proof of my research (“no way my own opinion is valid on its own”), the title I gave a piece (“it has to be a hook”), or editing out personal touches (“better to be safe than be seen”).

I built a guardrail around my writing, adjusting, tweaking, over-correcting. Advice meant to help only locked me in. It created a sentence rewritten to sound smarter, an opinion softened to sound safer, a paragraph reshaped to sound acceptable.

I built a guardrail around my writing, adjusting, tweaking, over-correcting.

But playing it safe makes the work dull. Writing loses its edge.

It took deliberate effort to break this habit. I’m not perfect, but here’s what I know after a year of intentionally letting my writing sound like me:

My work is clearer. It moves with my own rhythm. It’s less shaped by external influence, by fear, by the constant need to smooth it into something more polished, more likable.

But playing it safe makes the work dull. Writing loses its edge.

The Resurrection

The drive for acceptance is a slippery slope — one we don’t always realize we’re sliding down. It’s present in the small choices that pull us away from artistic integrity: checking how others did it first, tweaking our work to fit a mold, hesitating before saying what we actually mean.

And let’s be honest — this isn’t just about writing. It bleeds into everything.

It’s there when we stay silent in the face of wrongdoing, when we hold back our true way of being, when we choose work that feels “respectable,” whatever that means. It’s in every “yes” we say when we really want to say “no.”

If your self-expression is rooted in a need for acceptance, are you creating for yourself — or for others? Does your work help you explore your thoughts, your life? Does it add depth, energy, and meaning?

My work is clearer. It moves with my own rhythm. It’s less shaped by external influence, by fear, by the constant need to smooth it into something more polished, more likable.

I get it. We’re social creatures. Isolation isn’t the answer. Ignoring societal norms won’t make us better writers. Often, the most meaningful work is born from responding to or resisting those norms.

But knowing yourself well enough to recognize when acceptance is shaping your work brings clarity.

Am I doing this to be part of a community, to build connections, to learn and grow?

Or am I doing this to meet someone else’s expectations, dulling my voice just to fit in?

The Revival

Here’s what I know as I look back at my writing: I’m grateful for the years spent learning, for the times I sought acceptance with curiosity. But I’m in a different phase now.

I know who I am, and those who connect with my work reflect that back at me — in the messages they send, in the conversations we share.

I know who I am, and those who connect with my work reflect that back at me — in the messages they send, in the conversations we share.

It’s our differences that drive growth. I want to nurture these connections, to be challenged by difference, to keep writing in a way that feels like me. The me who isn’t afraid to show what I think and care about.

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If no one was watching, if no one could judge, what would you write?

If no one was watching, if no one could judge, what would you write?

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