Author Rachel Kapelke-Dale and literary agent Sarah Phair discuss aligning comps, query letters, auto-fiction, POV, plot points, and character emotions in writing. Kelly McMasters talks about memoir essays vs linear timeline, metaphorical settings, reader vs writer obligations, and making memoirs relatable. The podcast delves into memoir writing complexities, ethical considerations, and upcoming events in the memoir genre.

Sue Reynolds, Chair of AWA, discusses the strength-based feedback in AWA workshops, importance of safe writing spaces, healing through writing, marginalized voices, and AWA workshops for author support

In today’s Book with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two listener queries, a resubmission and a YA fantasy. They discuss the issue of starting with a protagonist that has a 'simple, stable' life; a great example of an inciting incident; ensuring your major dramatic question is strong enough; good storytelling as the promise of change; making your protagonist the 'sun' of your story; infusing emotion into the information you provide; ensuring that your plot feels like a set of dominos tipping over; taglines in a query; differentiating your novel's tropes from how they're used in other novels in your genre; and making characters' motivations clear in a query. After which, Bianca interviews award-winning author, Caroline Leavitt. They discuss A Mighty Blaze and its origins; being a good literary citizen; Caroline's key to longevity in the industry; not taking rejections too hard; avoiding writing to the current market; Caroline's latest novel, Days of Wonder; her research process; using universal personal experiences that help connect your readers to your characters; Caroline's reasoning for the settings she chose; how she approaches characterization; and her thoughts on genre. 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. Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comTo ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAWBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingMore information about Caroline can be found at www.carolineleavitt.comShe's also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Leavittnovelist and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/carolineleavitt and https://www.instagram.com/amightyblaze To sign up for the All About Memoir webinar on the 11th of May, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-memoir.htmlCarly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is now available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15Our Sponsors:* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Critiquing a children's picture book and literary fiction query, discussing genre specifics and crafting query letters. Interview with debut author Sara Koffi, analyzing character development and themes. Importance of tension, external plots, and POV in storytelling. Avoiding comparison in writing journey and waiting for publisher responses.

Guest agent Jo Ramsay and hosts discuss the importance of plot and stakes in queries, first lines in novels, psychological depth in characters, and risks of having too many POVs. Author Fiona Williams talks about her debut novel with multiple POVs, writing from children's perspectives, and potential character conflation.

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe discuss choosing a unique title for your work; having a strong plot connection between your main characters in a multi POV novel; avoiding situations where the agent has to make too many assumptions in a query; choosing between italics and dialogue tags when having a character talk to themselves; balancing interiority so as not to leak tension; framing your story in a way that is accurate to your work; connecting external stakes to plot points; centering the reader in a memoir query; and CeCe's tension song!Bianca then interviews NYT bestselling author, Mary Kubica, about her latest novel, She's Not Sorry. The two discuss the thriller genre; readers’ fascination with the domestic suspense genre; how Mary approaches structure and the creation of tension; how personal universal elements can connect readers to characters; tackling the 50% chunk of Act II; writing an 'authentic' twist that doesn't make the reader feel manipulated; strategies for hiding clues in plain sight; and advice for thriller and domestic suspense writers.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comTo ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAWBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingMore information about Mary can be found at: https://marykubica.com/She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marykubica/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MaryKubicaCarly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is now available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15To book for CeCe's upcoming Writing Tension Webinar on the 11th of April, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B9m5eRJIT_uxiVrUte381g#/registrationNote: 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.Our Sponsors:* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Authors discuss crafting compelling plots, protagonist interiority, realistic story details, and pitfalls in writing. Interview with Jo Piazza on dual POV structure, personal inspirations, and advice for writers. Chapters cover character dynamics, query letter analysis, beauty in scenes, and true crime podcasting.

In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews game designer, curator, and writer, Holly Gramazio to discuss her debut novel, The Husbands. The two discuss Holly's journey to publication; the novel’s inspiration and genre; how game design lends itself to novel writing; how she structured the novel; the importance of causality; Holly's approach to POV; and whether she feels pressure to write future novels in the same genre.After which Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop provides the invaluable service of suggesting comp titles to our listeners.If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/ Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAWTo connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/More information about Holly can be found at https://www.hollygramazio.net/She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/holly_gramazio/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/hollygramazioOur Sponsors:* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Authors discuss the delicate balance of revealing plot in query letters, emotional calibration in characters, and avoiding information overload. Garrard Conley shares insights on writing memoirs, luck in publishing, and the importance of research. The podcast also explores crafting authentic queer narratives, emotional storytelling through research, and promoting meaningful book lines.

In this podcast, they discuss creating tension in stories, surprising readers early on, world-building in queries, and writing for the 'new adult' genre. Johnny Compton talks about the psychology of horror fiction, balancing curiosity and tension, and weaving social commentary into his novel. They also cover the importance of character introductions, emotionality, and authenticity in storytelling.