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PODCAST

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

This is a podcast for emerging writers who want to improve the quality of their work and learn more about the publishing industry. Your one host, Bianca Marais (the bestselling author of 'The Witches of Moonshyne Manor') interviews authors, agents, editors and just about anyone and everyone who's involved in bringing a book to market. She's joined by her cohosts, literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra from P.S. Literary Agency, who read and critique query letters as well as

arts books

All Episodes

34:23

From Self-Publishing to Traditional Publishing: You...

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/07/29

In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews Kern Carter, author of And Then There Was Us. They discuss the different routes to publication and the differences between traditional and self publishing; how Kern worked to improve his craft while trying to land an agent; the challenges of writing from a perspective that isn’t your own, and why you might choose to do so; how he approached characterization; the importance of nailing emotionality in YA novels; the supernatural elements of And Then

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87:19

Giving Characters Changing Wants and Needs to Fulfill...

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/07/25

In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.After which, Bianca interviews creative writing professor, essayist, and author of Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, Alison Espach. They discuss falling into the mode of writing the same sorts of novels repeatedly; the genre that Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance was pitched and marketed as; Alison's latest release, The Wedding People; writing a book that spanned a long period of time to one that spanned only

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75:56

Giving Yourself Permission to Change and Grow as a...

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/07/18

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

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67:36

Writing Issue-Driven YA Fiction & Considering...

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/07/11

In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.After which, Bianca interviews author, editor, head of Writing Ink Publishing, and creative writing teacher, Abigail Wild. They discuss Abigail's latest novel, More Than One Way To Breathe; the extent to which younger readers can handle difficult topics; Abigail's advice to YA writers who want to write issue-driven fiction for teens; writing characters with disabilities authentically and sensitively; Wild

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68:23

The Joy of Writing Without Following a Synopsis

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/07/04

In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.After which, Carly interviews her very own client and best-selling author, Renee Carlino, to discuss her latest novel, This Used to Be Us. They chat about Renee's journey to becoming a published author; how she found her first agent; what it's been like changing her focus and content over the course of her career; the joy of writing without a deadline or a synopsis to follow; Renee's experience having

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71:53

How to Tackle Writing an Omniscient POV

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/06/27

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly are joined by Jennifer to discuss her thriller submission. They chat about trigger warnings and their necessity in a query; ensuring your stakes aren't too obvious while illustrating the bigger 'why' at hand; framing your query letter in a way that highlights your POV characters and not others; the need for causality when it comes to plot points; utilizing similar pitch copy to help write more difficult or unique aspects of your

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28:36

What Message Do You Want to Convey Through Your Writing?

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/06/24

In today's bonus episode, Bianca interviews author, Kirsten Miller, to chat about her latest novel, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. They discuss writing across different genres and what drove Kirsten to change up her genre; writing with the intention of sharing a message with readers; the inspiration behind the novel; Kirsten's experience working with different editors; putting a book on the shelf for a while rather than quitting altogether; releasing a book during an election

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72:27

How Interiority Makes a Character Come Alive

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/06/20

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a rom-com and a YA submission. They discuss the importance of clarity in your query and avoiding language that might cause confusion; the necessity of a clear major dramatic question in your query; ensuring your protagonists aren't anticipating everything that happens in your pages; the necessity of including a character's tone in dialogue; properly mapping out how your plot points connect; thinking in specifics and

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65:49

An Inspiring Journey to Publication

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/06/13

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly critique two upmarket submissions, one of which is in the gothic genre. They discuss the reasoning behind placing your metadata at the top of a query; avoiding unnecessary detail in your query; avoiding slipping from pitch to synopsis; the need for interiority, particularly interiority that will surprise the reader; taking the opportunity to use plot points as curiosity seeds when you're able to; avoiding performative dialogue; being

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64:48

Writing That Evokes All the Feels

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/06/06

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly are joined by guest literary agent, Mary C. Moore. They critique a resubmission and a sci-fi query, during which they discuss: the importance of making tropes as fresh and different as possible; how to ensure your pitch isn't too dense, especially in genres that involve world-building; highlighting why you're the right person to tell the story you've written; writing plot points that connect to your major dramatic question; the

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71:00

Choosing How to Frame Certain Aspects of Your Work

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/05/30

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by listener, Kelly Fuller, as they critique her book club fiction submission. They discuss picking comps that match the genre you're writing in; using your query to discuss the plot of the book rather than backstory about your characters; ensuring your stakes are high enough; pitching the right agent for your book based on its content; the need for plot that showcases causality in your query; writing a book that's as long as

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85:08

May Bonus Episode

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/05/27

In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca chats with Courtney Preiss to discuss her debut novel, Welcome Home, Caroline Kline. They speak about the inspiration behind Courtney's novel and her journey to publication; her experiences with rejection during the querying process; being aware of cultural moments that could propel your novel forward when you’re timing your querying; the process after Courtney acquired an agent; the importance of knowing what genre you're writing in and who your readers

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57:13

A Debut Experience All Authors Dream Of

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/05/23

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a YA submission and a literary coming-of-age horror. They discuss avoiding using repetitive language in a query; considering SEO when choosing a book title; the concept of 'scene work'; the need for disruption to occur in opening pages; matching word choice to genre when writing your query; pitching a literary fiction; finding a balance between showing and telling, even in literary fiction; and avoiding overwriting.After

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53:40

Insights from Publishing Phenomenon, Veronica Roth

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/05/16

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a literary fiction query and a high concept YA fantasy query. They discuss the necessity of being specific with plot details and your protagonists' motivations in your query; honing in on world-building when your novel takes place in a reality that's different from ours; the issue with not grounding readers strongly enough in scene; avoiding jumping around in time too much in the opening pages; the need to correctly specify

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69:05

Rewriting Instead of Giving Up

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/05/09

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by Paige to discuss her query for her action-adventure romance novel. They discuss the importance of spelling out your protagonist's motivation in your query; the need for story-forward plot escalation; accurately positioning your novel’s genre; making an agent's job easier by picking the right comps; using external plot to make readers invested in your characters; following genre rules when it comes to plot points; the need

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82:51

Metaphor and Meaning in Memoir

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/05/02

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by two guests, author Rachel Kapelke-Dale and her agent, Sarah Phair. They discuss ensuring your comps align with each other and with your work; making sure your query is representative of your whole novel and not just one part; using your author bio to help show why you're the one to write this story; the concept of auto-fiction; the importance of highlighting the POV you're writing from; being specific with your plot

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71:31

April Bonus Episode: Writing Without a Pricetag

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/04/29

In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews poet, novelist, and Chair of the Amherst Writers (AWA), Sue Reynolds. They discuss the AWA workshop method and how it differs from other workshops; what occurs in an AWA workshop; the importance of giving writers a safe and encouraging space to share their work; the concept of strength-based feedback; the specific practices within the workshops; writing without a 'pricetag'; the AWA method's commitment to holding space for marginalized and

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64:10

Caroline Leavitt’s Insights and Encouragement

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/04/25

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

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56:24

Figuring Out What Genre You Should Be Writing In

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/04/18

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a children's picture book and a literary fiction query. They discuss avoiding vagueness, no matter the genre; using illustrator notes in a picture book pitch; the need for tension, even in a children's book; framing your novel in your query so agents aren't confused when they get to the pages; the need for external plot points, even in a more internal work of literary fiction; the natural gravitation of readers to one POV

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60:36

Choosing the Best POVs for a Multi-POV Novel

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/04/11

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest agent, Jo Ramsay, to critique two queries. They discuss the issue of withholding too much plot in a query; highlighting the stakes in your query; the importance of first lines in a novel; the need for psychological depth and acuity in your characters; the issue of comping to titles that are hugely successful; the risk of having too many POVs in a novel; avoiding too much backstory in your query; and the problems with a reader being

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405 results

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