Giving Yourself Permission to Change and Grow as a Writer
Jul 18, 2024
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Lawyer and author Parini Shroff shares her journey balancing writing with a legal career, her editing process, and the challenges of sustaining writing. They discuss giving permission to evolve as a writer, the POV of The Bandit Queens, and surprises of becoming a published author.
Balancing a legal career with writing fiction can enhance productivity and creative expression.
Focusing on dialogue, sensory details, and evolving writing styles are crucial for engaging storytelling.
Achieving publication may not solve all writing challenges, emphasizing the need to find joy and balance.
Deep dives
Summary of Podcast Episode
Are you looking for beta readers to potentially join a writing group in the future? A new opportunity for a 3,000-word evaluation is open until July 31st. The importance of aspiring authors seeking clarity in the publishing process is highlighted by senior literary agent Carly Waters. Her Author's Publishing Playbook course offers insights into preparation, pitching, publishing, and promotion. The course aims to help writers succeed in the competitive publishing landscape with over 40 video lessons, monthly live Q & A sessions, and downloadable resources.
Summary of Podcast Episode
The podcast episode features a segment called 'Books with Hook,' critiquing query letters and providing feedback to aspiring writers. The hosts, Bianca Marais, Carly Waters, and Cece Lira from P .S. Literary Agency, discuss writing queries and share insights on improving query letters. The episode announces a break from new segments for the summer while continuing to critique two query submissions weekly. Listeners are encouraged to submit their queries for consideration.
Summary of Podcast Episode
The podcast episode includes a detailed critique of a query letter submitted for review. The letter introduces a historical fantasy set in Victorian London with feminist themes and vampires. The characters of Grace and Martin are highlighted, showcasing family dynamics and a mysterious disappearance. The letter presents various plot points but lacks clarity regarding character connections and storyline progression. The critique emphasizes the importance of refining query letters to effectively convey the essence of the story.
Summary of Podcast Episode
Amidst the conversation with a guest author, Perini Shroff, Cece discusses the challenges of balancing a legal career and writing fiction. Perini shares insights into managing both roles, using the distinct mental demands of each to enhance productivity. The interview delves into Perini's experience as an author, addressing the intricacies of creative expression alongside a professional legal practice. The dialogue explores the dynamic between legal work and writing, shedding light on the author's journey and strategies for maintaining a dual career.
Writing Process and Evolution
The podcast episode delves into the importance of the writing process, starting with dialogue and gradually incorporating sensory details to ground the reader in the setting. The speaker reveals that focusing on dialogue, blocking, and sensory elements helped fill the world of the story and make it engaging. Additionally, the discussion highlights the evolution of the author's writing style, from dialogue-heavy projects to exploring dark comedy, emphasizing the need to adapt and grow as a writer with each new project.
Challenges and Surprises in Writing
The episode also addresses the author's struggles in writing, particularly with crafting endings and describing nature. It explores the time and effort invested in perfecting the last chapters of a novel and the challenge of accurately portraying elements of nature. Furthermore, the conversation touches on the author's surprise at the publishing journey, revealing that while achieving publication was a dream come true, it did not automatically solve all challenges or bring complete fulfillment, emphasizing the importance of finding joy and balance amidst writing hurdles.
In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.
After which, CeCe interviews Parini Shroff, lawyer and author of the national bestseller and award nominated The Bandit Queens. They discuss, Parini's experience working as a lawyer part-time while also writing fiction; finding it difficult to sustain writing for long periods; Parini's editing and writing process; giving yourself permission to change and grow as a writer; what Parini finds the most challenging in her writing; the POV of The Bandit Queens; Parini's path to publication; how she approaches starting a novel; her relationship to dark humour; what surprised Parini about becoming a published author; and what her next book is about.
Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.
Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15