The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

In today’s Books With Hooks segment, Carly and Cece each critique two submissions, discussing tongue twister titles; putting a fresh spin on feminist issues; first lines that could be doing more; differentiating your own writing from original stories in retellings; ensuring important details are clarified in a query letter; making sure there’s a reason for having two heroes in a story; what happens when interiority and emotionality are missing from the pages; setting a story against the backdrop of a major world event; ensuring the plot points are in a dominos set-up; making sure the storyline is about the protagonist, not the major world event; and weaving in emotionality to offer context on characters in a subtle, superb, organic way. And CeCe requests a full manuscript!After which, Bianca chats with Bonnie Garmus, internationally bestselling author of the publishing phenomenon, Lessons in Chemistry, about her “overnight” success; the almost 100 rejections she got during querying; why not to write a 700-page novel for your debut, the grieving process during querying; writing a love letter to science and scientists; the universal appeal of a novel like hers, structure, timeline and the opening pages; writing omniscient POV well and including an animal’s POV; knowing when to listen to critique and when to stand your ground; and the difference between curiosity seeds and pause pebbles. Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBonnie can be found at https://www.bonniegarmus.com/. She’s on Twitter @BonnieGarmus and Instagram @bonnie_garmus_author.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

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self.In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly discuss a successful prologue; 'showing' weather rather than telling; being specific about your genre in order to find the right agent; the concept of a 'telling' prologue; breaking the 'fourth wall'; the need for an antagonist in a memoir; and storytelling as seduction.After which, Bianca interviews Ella Berman, author of Before We Were Innocent, during which they discuss Ella's latest novel; balancing focus on the plot and the characters; writing dual timelines; being intentional with your POV choices; making your reader theorize; and knowing your characters' psyches.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comElla can be found on Instagram at @ellamberman 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 segment, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss keeping names in a query to a minimum; an 'excellent' query with opening pages that have almost no notes; the importance of having movement in opening pages; a three POV query letter; CeCe meets a prologue that she likes; using a third person bio; and the effective use of weather in opening pages.After which, Carly chats with her client, Jane Healey, author of Goodnight From Paris. They discuss her path to representation and publication; winning writing contests and anonymous pitching; having a long-term relationship with editors at one publishing house; how much is too much research in historical fiction; keeping the plot moving forward while building a historical world; knowing where to start the story when writing a real person’s life into your novel; author’s notes; her advice for writers seeking to publish; and historical happy hour!Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comJane can be found at janehealey.com and on Instagram @healeyjane. 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 bumper Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Amy Tector, author of three novels which have all been released in the last year, including Speak for the Dead, now available this month. They discuss finding and prioritizing writing time; rewarding ourselves for hitting our goals; working on Scrivener; respecting your work as a writer (and having others respect it); setting brain boundaries; how not writing can help your writing; how to get un-stuck when the words aren’t coming; and the importance of accountability.After which Carly and CeCe take your questions, discussing submitting parts of a WIP to journals; finding an editor; Goodreads reviews for comps; how much to share about one's career goals in a query; having a novel concept that is very similar to something that is already a bestseller; social media when querying; writing characters involved in well known institutions; advances for debuts; and deciding on the 'right' POV.Bianca then chats with Jennie Nash, CEO of Author Accelerator, about wise investments in the writing process; writing goals and the “getting picked” skills; the core reasons why people write; the Blueprint Method; when to get a book coach; how to find the right book coach; and book coach fees and options.Finally, Bianca chats with Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop as Emilie gives comps recommendations.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comAmy can be found at www.amytector.com, on Twitter @amy_tector, and on Instagram @amytectorwrites.Emilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Book Shop can be found at www.eastcitybookshop.comJennie and Author Accelerator can be found on Instagram @authoraccelerator, Facebook @authoraccelerator, and on Twitter @authaccelerator. The website is www.authoraccelerator.comOur 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 the line between YA and adult historical fiction; category mashups; plausibility of plot points; mentioning side characters in query letters; considerations when writing for younger kids; and the importance of emotionality in the pages rather than the query letter.After which, Carly chats with her client, Andrea Dunlop, author of Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, about shapeshifting manuscripts; cutting passages and the battle with backstory; the realness of characters; how to know when your book needs a prologue; exploring different stories and forms; empathy in writers; the challenges of writing nonfiction; what is valued in a publishing partner; and some rapid-fire questions. Then we get to hear an excerpt from the audiobook for Women Are the Fiercest Creatures!Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comAndrea can be found on Instagram at @andreadunlop and her website is www.andreadunlop.net  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 segment, Dongwon Song, an agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency who specializes in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, joins Bianca to look at four query letters. The two discuss the difference between sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction; the very specific sub-genre of magical realism; the length of queries in sci-fi/fantasy genres; being deliberate with the limited real estate in a query, even when world building; driving forward plot at all times; the concept of looking through a 'keyhole' when writing a query; when to italicize foreign words; the importance of using stakes to pull in an agent in the query; starting with grief in a query; and the importance of using author names when comping.After which, Bianca chats with Kristen Bird, author of I Love It When You Lie, about how to choose your characters; multi-POV stories; subverting the mystery genre; interviewing your characters to understand character motivations; basing characters on people IRL; using setting as a tool to develop characters; and factoring in a character’s misbelief.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comKristen can be found on Instagram @kristenbirdwrites and on Twitter @kbirdwrites. Her website is www.kristenbird.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 co-critique two queries, discussing showing how the protagonist is propelled on their journey; dealing with major dramatic questions and stakes; dense query letters for well-worn tropes; surprises and predictability in the opening pages; line edits and synopsis-like queries; reactive protagonists vs giving your protagonist agency; “soft” women’s fiction; movement in the opening pages; and having an obviously bad love interest in the beginning of a story.After which, Carly talks with author Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You, about creating a fictional podcast for her story; dealing with social media as an author and in your book; chapter lengths; judgement of authors and of characters; boarding school settings, adding real life trauma situations to fiction; and tackling the messiness of life in novels. We also play you an excerpt from the I Have Some Questions for You audiobook.This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comRebecca can be found on Instagram @rebeccamakkai and on Twitter @rebeccamakkai. Her website is www.rebeccamakkai.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, which is our 100th segment, Carly and CeCe each critique two queries, discussing comps; clear and compelling inciting incidents; plausibility; interiority and emotionality; the beginning, middle and end of memoirs; balancing tension and the mundane in a memoir; including social media handles with signatures; YA vs Adult; the right type of prologue; using swear words; and a request for a full manuscript!After which, Bianca chats with Eden Boudreau, author of Crying Wolf: A Memoir, where they discuss writing about trauma; emotional support for writers of trauma; her unconventional path to publication; creative writing mentorship; the beauty of small presses; adding the moments of light when writing about traumatic experiences; structuring a memoir; and finding the right place to start a memoir.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comEden can be found on Instagram @edenboudreau and on Twitter @edenboudreauOur 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 jam-packed Bonus Episode, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe answer questions about whether dark novels and WWII novels have a place in the current market; when it's okay to pitch an unfinished book; how to evaluate comps through number of reviews; about liking your own comps; submitting through query tracker; writing outside of genre conventions; following up with agents; and how to distinguish omniscient POV from third person POV.After which, Carly chats with Lindsay Wong, author of Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality, about her inspiration for her short story collection; the themes explored in her body of work; why she likes being a creative writing instructor; the challenges of pitching as a BIPOC author and filling a gap in the market; her experiences as a woman of color at conferences; and some pros and cons of working with a big publishing house vs a smaller one. We also play an excerpt from Lindsay’s audiobook.Then, Bianca chats with Jennifer Wilson, author of Grant Us Tomorrow, about what caused Jennifer to finally get writing; the act of beginning; forming a team to help you stay on track; protecting your voice when working with a team; trusting the reader; and Jennifer's path to publication.Finally, Bianca chats with Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop as Emilie gives comps recommendations.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comLindsay can be found at @lindsaymwong on Twitter and at @lindsaywong.m on Instagram and at www.lindsaywongwriter.comJennifer can be found at www.grantustomorrow.ca and at @grantustomorrow on InstagramEmilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Book Shop can be found at www.eastcitybookshop.comOur 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, Bianca speaks to guest agent, Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon, about five submissions including middle grade queries, a rom-com, and a graphic novel script. They discuss the best way to personalize your query letter to your specific agent; balancing narrative dialogue and action in a scene; content warnings; non-fiction book proposals; overwriting in non-fiction; and the need for an illustrator when submitting graphic novel queries.After which, Carly chats with her client, Karen Katchur, author of The Greedy Three. They discuss the fun and difficult parts about writing a 'closed door' mystery; the process of writing dark humour; Karen's use of a specific setting for this novel; her choice of epigraph; her path to finding Carly; her experience working with different publishers; being a woman in a male-dominated genre; and Karen's words of wisdom for aspiring authors. We also play a snippet from Karen’s audiobook!Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comKaren can be found at www.karenkatchur.comEmmy can be found at @emmy_of_spines on Twitter and InstagramOur 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