The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca, Carly and CeCe answer all your burning questions about writing and publishing. After which, Bianca chats with Elizabeth Held, creator of the What to Read substack, who answers your first batch of comp title requests. Followed by a chat with Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop who answers the second batch of comp title requests.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.comEmilie can be found on Instagram at @emiliegsommer and East City Bookshop can be found at @eastcitybookshopElizabeth can be found on https://whattoreadif.substack.com and on Twitter at @ElizabethHeld 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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In today's Books with Hooks, we're joined by guest agent, Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon from Westwood Creative Artists who looks at four submissions. During the segment, Emmy discusses executing the world-building in a way that’s accessible to readers, and ensuring you’re also covering your characters' conflicts, goals, stakes, etc. in a query; keeping your query letter under a page; ensuring something happens plot-wise and that there’s voicey-ness in the writing sample; having wonderful line-level writing but focusing on the wrong things on a scene level; an efficient query letter formula; differentiating the voices of the characters; including enough voice in the query, but not as much as what’s in the pages; and a fantastic example of an MG query letter and opening pages.After which, Bianca chats with John Galligan, author of Bad Day Breaking, about following and then breaking the “rules” of writing; the 'show, don’t tell' lightbulb moments; how to stop talking to ourselves and start talking to our readers; getting into the psyche of your characters; what genre has the most effective prologues and how to know you’re doing it right; using adjectives and adverbs the right way; creating character voice in third person; and tips for crossing gender, race, etc. boundaries to create empathy in characters and in readers—without crossing lines.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.comJohn can be found at www.johngalligan.com 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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe review a resubmission and in the process discuss an impressive author paragraph; writing the subtleties of familial relationships; the difficulties of a plot that hinges on a secret that isn't revealed in the query; and an example of a very good hook.After which, Bianca chats with the NYT bestselling Deanna Raybourn, author of Killers of a Certain Age,  about purposefully choosing a setting and location for a story; when to decide on a dual-timeline structure and how to maintain good pacing with both; knowing which flashbacks belong and which ones to cut; pulling the story apart until the puzzle pieces fit together; differentiating between similar characters; and coming up with unique ways to kill fictional people!Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.comDeanna can be found at www.deannaraybourn.com and on Twitter and  Instagram at @deannaraybourn  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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Jessie Stephens, author of Heartsick: Three Stories About Love, Pain, and What Happens In Between, discusses what made her book proposal successful and the tenuous connection between social media following and book sales. They also explore the pros of having an agent, the impressions of her first book offer, and her new book. They touch on challenges in conveying desired tone and style in the proposal and the process of pitching a collection of true stories about heartbreak.

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Nurin and Layne who submitted their work for critique. During the segment, they discuss a romance query that succeeds in delivering ample stakes; whether you should include mentorship programs in your query; the importance of having movement in an opening scene; needing major dramatic questions for each main character in a novel; and the importance of inner life.After which, Bianca chats with Amanda Quain, author of Accomplished: A Georgie Darcy Novel, about her transition from indie bookseller to debut author; the inspiration behind Accomplished (and yes, it includes the Jonas Brothers!); “rules" when creating adaptations of classic literature; advice for writers of YA; fanfiction and RPGs; character interiority; and how conversations are like a tennis match. Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.comAmanda can be found at www.amandaquain.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @quainiacOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/tsnotyaw* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe look at two queries each, in the process discussing what is meant when agents want specificity in a query, particularly when it comes to world building; the hurdles of writing a book centered around trauma or featuring particularly traumatic scenes; using fewer comps for greater agent interest; the use of interiority in a query letter; advice on how to successfully write in the omniscient POV; curiosity seeds not being watered; and the difficulty with starting your pages with a character's regular day.After which, CeCe interviews Bianca about her upcoming novel, The Witches of Moonshyne Manor. During the conversation they discuss an author working collaboratively with an agent; character development and naming with an ensemble cast; planting curiosity seeds to keep the reader turning pages, the concessions that need to be made with regards to plot when you focus on character development; getting confused as to which character's heads you're in when writing in omniscient POV; and which editorial notes Bianca most feared and how she worked on them. CeCe also challenges Bianca to see who's going to dance on Twitter! Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.com 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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss having a strong sense of place in your work; an example of a good prologue; when it can work to put comps at the end of your query;  examples where you can be too detailed in a query; the idea of stakes going in both directions; and the perfect query letter.After which, CeCe chats with Melissa Fu, author of Peach Blossom Spring, about how she began her fiction writing journey; the genesis of her debut; using memoirs and collections of oral histories to do research for your historical fiction novel; how her agent found her; leaving your “writing fingerprint” around for people to discover; starting with a sneaky prologue; books that start conversations; and letting the story be bigger than you. Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.comMelissa can be found at www.melissafu.com, Twitter at @MelissaLFu, and on Instagram at @MelissaFuWriterOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/tsnotyaw* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In today's special Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest literary agent, Jenni Ferrari-Adler who represents Susie Yang (whose novel, White Ivy,  was the #BookswithHooksBC pick for June).  Jenni helps Carly and CeCe evaluate three query letters, in the process discussing leaning into specificity;  sprinkling backstory info rather than dumping it in;  setting up your bombshell moments with the right information; and the importance of emotionality in sample pages. CeCe and Jenni also illustrate how subjective agent opinions can be when reading pages and how the process works when an editor is evaluating a manuscript.After which, Bianca chats with author, Kath Jonathan,  and freelance editor, Lisa Rivers,  about how an author can maximize their interaction with a freelance editor. In the chat, they discuss what kind of info an editor likes to see from the author; breaking up a book into quarters for edits; making point-form notes for each chapter; handling the emotional turmoil after getting edits back; how editors push for the emotional truth and elevation of a manuscript; determining if a scene really needs to be there (get out your highlighter!); how to know when you’re ready to approach an editor; and how endurance and fight can help you meet your goals. Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.comKath can be found on Instagram at @wolverleighgardensLisa can be found on Instagram at @ lisarivers.editorial and you can email her at thewriterstrek@gmail.com 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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In today's episode from the archives, Bianca chats with award-winning and bestselling author, Lily King (author of Writers & Lovers) about the writer's life; scrapping novels halfway through; dealing with rejection; and starting the process all over again with a new book.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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In today's episode from the archives, Bianca chats with Putnam editor and adjunct professor of publishing for NYU, Mark Tavani, about all things suspense: techniques on how to create it, how to maintain it, and how to apply these concepts across all genres. Suspense is why we read; it's what keeps us turning pages. A story without some elements of suspense will fall flat. Learn how to avoid making that mistake in your work in progress. 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.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands