Insights from NYT Bestselling Authors, Ali Hazelwood and Kiley Reid
Feb 1, 2024
auto_awesome
Bestselling authors Ali Hazelwood and Kiley Reid share insights in this podcast. They discuss Ali's unconventional path to finding an agent, reader fascination with vampires and werewolves, and tips for writing steamy scenes. Kiley talks about her journey to publication, breaking the rules with character introductions, and strategies for writing authentic dialogue. Both authors emphasize the importance of specificity and creating multifaceted characters.
Specificity in plot details, avoiding excessive backstory, strong first chapters, and emotionality add depth to writing.
Ali Hazelwood discusses her journey with fanfiction, unconventional agent acquisition, and writing steamy scenes.
Kiley Reid shares her approach to inciting incidents, character introductions, authentic dialogue, and writing quieter novels with strong emotional impact.
Kiley Reid breaks traditional writing rules, incorporates specific backstory chapters, and uses action beats to enhance dialogue.
Deep dives
Summary of Podcast Episode
In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss a range of topics, including meal planning, the importance of diversity in fantasy novels, and the challenges of learning a new language. The episode begins with a sponsored message about a meal delivery service that offers ready-to-eat and nutritious meals. The hosts then transition to their regular segment of reviewing query letters, providing feedback, and discussing various elements such as character development, plot points, and world-building. Additionally, they touch on the importance of specific details, emotional depth, and integrating diverse perspectives in storytelling. Towards the end, they highlight the benefits of language learning programs like Rosetta Stone and share personal experiences related to language acquisition. Overall, the episode provides insightful discussions and practical advice for writers and individuals interested in various topics such as meal planning, fantasy writing, and language learning.
Entry Point into the Story
The podcast episode begins by discussing the entry points into the featured books. The summary explains how the first chapters of both books serve as effective entry points that introduce tension, conflicts, and key characters. It is mentioned that breaking the rule of starting with backstory early on works in these cases, as the author uses specific techniques to present the backstory in an engaging and forward-moving manner.
Character Differentiation
The summary highlights the author's approach to character differentiation in the opening chapters. It points out how Kylie Reed effectively differentiates characters through specific actions, gestures, and dialogue, allowing readers to easily identify and connect with each character. The use of dialogue that reflects natural speech patterns and the incorporation of unique gestures contribute to the authenticity of the characters.
Writing Quiet Novels with Simmering Tensions
The summary discusses the writing style of Kylie Reed, which incorporates simmering tensions and underlying social commentary in seemingly quiet novels. It highlights the importance of writing to one's best reader and creating events that are significant to the characters, rather than focusing on big action scenes. It emphasizes the use of specific moments and experiences that hold weight for the characters and evoke strong emotions in readers.
Importance of Action Beats and Specificity in Writing
The summary showcases Kylie Reed's mastery of writing authentic dialogue and the use of action beats to enhance the reader's experience. It mentions the importance of leaning into specificity and providing vivid descriptions of character movements and gestures to make the scenes more immersive and engaging. The summary also discusses the impact of using realistic dialogue and including specific actions to create a sense of eavesdropping on authentic conversations.
Breaking Writing Rules with Intentionality
The summary addresses how Kylie Reed breaks traditional writing rules and offers advice on doing so intentionally and with control. It points out the author's unique approach of delving into backstory early on in her books, using specific chapters to provide exposition and character history. It emphasizes the importance of considering the impact on the reader, creating engaging scenes, and avoiding excessive use of past participles when incorporating backstory.
The Ampersand and Book Cover Design
The summary briefly touches on the conversation about the ampersand design on the book cover. It mentions the author's fondness for ampersands and explains that the design choice was part of creating a classic book feel and complementing the font used. The summary highlights how the design catches the eye and adds visual appeal to the cover.
In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss the need for specificity with regard to plot details when you have a more psychological book/concept; avoiding too much backstory in the opening pages; the need for your first chapter to be as strong as your prologue (if you have one); being as specific about your genre as possible; and how emotionality adds layers to your work.
After which, we have two author interviews.
Bianca first interviews NYT bestselling Ali Hazelwood, author of Bride and The Love Hypothesis. They discuss how Ali started writing fanfiction; the unconventional way she got her agent; Ali's submission experience with The Love Hypothesis; reader fascination with vampires and werewolves; how Ali tackled world-building in Bride; writing an 'alpha male' trope that still aligns with feminism; how Ali approached making her prickly main character more sympathetic; and Ali's advice for writing steamy scenes.
After which Bianca interviews Kiley Reid, author of the NYT bestseller, Such a Fun Age, and her latest, Come & Get It. They discuss Kiley's journey to publication; her choice of inciting incident for both of her novels; how she successfully 'broke the rules' with regards to character introduction in the first chapter; her strategies for writing authentic dialogue; leaning into specificity through action beats within dialogue; Kiley's 'signature move' involving the introduction of backstory; and tips for writing a quieter novel, but with strong, 'loud' undercurrents.
Our Sponsors: * Check out Quince: https://quince.com/tsnotyaw * Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com
