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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

135:24

Bumper February Bonus Episode

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/02/26

In today's Bumper February Bonus Episode, Bianca kicks it off by interviewing interviews tech anthropologist and author, Nikki Payne. They discuss her latest novel, Sex, Lies, and Sensibility, a retelling of the classic, Sense and Sensibility; how Nikki approached writing her retelling, one which specifically centred diversity; decentering whiteness in the romance genre; Nikki's experience using sensitivity readers; how much 'shorthand' you can use when writing a retelling; reframing

en-US

62:32

How Some Stories Need You to Become a Better Writer...

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/02/22

In today's Books with Hooks segment, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by emerging author, Sarah. They discuss ways to make a novel sound less quiet in a query; the necessity of a hook; when it's acceptable to comp to a hugely successful novel; how to convey a longer timeline; how to share pivotal plot points in a query without spoiling the novel; and what made Sarah's pages particularly special.After which, Bianca interviews Donna Hemans, author of The House of Plain Truth. They

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67:03

Torturing Your Characters in the Second Act

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/02/15

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly discuss small tweaks for an overall 'fantastic' query; a good example of framing and planting curiosity seeds; starting a novel with a scene where the protagonist is waking up; being careful about word choice in a query; being mindful of when you're being vague vs specific; and the importance of showing inner life in your characters.After which, Bianca interviews NYT's bestselling author, Robin Oliveira. They discuss

en-US

57:04

How Writing Contests Can Help Launch Your Career

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/02/08

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly critique an upmarket/southern-gothic query and a book club romance. They discuss a "perfect" first query paragraph; the importance of accurate framing in a query; when a content warning is necessary; tips for elevating your line level writing along with examples of sophisticated writing; writing protagonists' thoughts in a realistic way; mistakes writers make that make their writing appear less polished; and examples of how to

en-US

93:42

Insights from NYT Bestselling Authors, Ali Hazelwood...

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/02/01

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

en-US

95:47

January Bonus Episode

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/01/29

In today's January Bonus Episode, Bianca interviews Jami Attenberg, author of 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round. They discuss Jami's 1000 Words of Summer newsletter and the idea of being a good literary citizen; the essays from Jami's latest work; writing for other reasons than to get published; remembering why you write; battling with imposter syndrome; the false concept of an expiration date as a writer; writing as

en-US

76:52

How the Close Third Person POV Can Get You Closer...

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/01/25

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by guest listener, Erica. They discuss the need to illustrate external plot points within a query letter, even if the book is more quiet/internal; using plot as scaffolding for the emotionality within your novel; the need for propulsiveness in a query and plot; figuring out how to describe your climax when it includes various subplots; how having a strong, definitive hook makes it easier to write a query letter; letting your story

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65:40

The Dos and Don’ts When Writing For Children

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/01/18

In today's Books with Hooks, CeCe and Carly discuss what agents look for with a resubmission; the issue with starting with themes in a query letter; the need for your plot and stakes to have a 'domino' effect; infusing character description with emotionality; the need for specificity in plot points; the standards for literary fiction writing; the ever-present need for active emotions and interiority; and the subjectivity of the industry and taste in novels.After which, Bianca chats with

en-US

66:45

Creating intimacy With Your Reader

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/01/11

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss the importance of eliminating any confusion in your query; the distinction between having a 'perfect' query letter and one that does the job; how plausibility issues may or may not be a problem for different agents; the need to be intentional with dates you choose in your novel, rather than just convenient; the art of giving specifics when they are needed; and the need for active rather than passive stakes and inciting incidents.After

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74:03

Working with a Writing Coach

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2024/01/04

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest Alicia Clancy, executive editor at Lake Union Publishing. They discuss the need to establish what is real and what is made up in a fantasy query; the importance of physical movement in the opening pages to help with pacing; avoiding vague plot points in your query, especially when relating to the climax; sufficiently explaining why you chose a specific character to focus on in your query letter when writing a multi-POV novel; the

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71:08

Finding Your Voice

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/12/28

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss an example of an excellent hook and query letter in general; the issues with beginning your novel with a cliched scene; the importance of emotional layers in interiority, especially with big, messy emotions; framing your query letter in a way that gives your protagonist more agency and 'protagonism', or that shows how a character's lack of agency pushes the plot forward; the problem with using self-published books as your

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62:59

December Bonus Episode

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/12/25

In today's December Bonus Episode, Bianca interviews Sarah Lariviere, YA author of The Bad Kid, Time Travel for Love and Profit, and the upcoming, Riot Act. They discuss Sarah's decision to base her latest novel in her hometown; pinpointing what makes a work fit into the YA category; writing in a way that is authentic to your audience (including the language you use and how you portray certain experiences); the intentionality of choosing a setting and time period; using song lyrics in your

en-US

69:40

What to do When a Scene is Falling Flat

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/12/21

In today's Books with Hooks, CeCe, Carly, and Bianca are joined by Harvey to discuss his submission. They chat about illustrating plot escalation in a query; boosting SEO through your title choice; stakes that are personally important to the protagonist; the importance of cross-over with characters when you have multiple main characters; the need for causality when it comes to plot points; CeCe shares a 'masterfully written' line; the need for sharp specificity and active emotions in

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74:09

Writing with Respect and Authenticity

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/12/14

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly, CeCe, and Bianca discuss a historical mystery and a women's fiction query. They chat about whether starting from a male or female POV may (or may not) affect how agents request pages; why an author whose work is quite polished may not have received many requests from agents; transforming hooks in ways that will garner the most agent and editor attention; the issues with wanting a romance to be the B plot, but then also having a weaker A plot; and the

en-US

63:19

How Writing Interiority is Like Squeezing an Orange

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/12/07

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by guest, Ronnie Alvarado, a senior editor at Simon Element. They discuss two queries, one of which includes a resubmission. The four discuss why agents might pass on a resubmission despite changes having been made; how info-dumping can keep readers from connecting with characters; why writing interiority is like squeezing an orange; typos in query letters; when adverbs are useful; and a prologue that works. After which, Bianca

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57:38

Writing Retellings and Reimaginings

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/11/30

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe critique two listener query letters, one fantasy and one middle-grade fiction. During which, they discuss the need for characters to physically move around and the idea that a lack of movement might mean too much interiority and not enough plot; the need for interiority to match point of view; Bianca gives line level writing advice about phrasing; the idea of your protagonist being the 'sun' in your novel and other characters the

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126:37

Bumper November Bonus Episode

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/11/27

In today's Bumper November Bonus Episode, Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop kicks us off with suggested comp titles. After which, Bianca is joined by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley, co-authors of Three Holidays and a Wedding. They discuss the differences in approach in writing a collaborative project rather than a solo one; the benefits of writing genre-fiction when it comes to creating an outline, and the importance of an outline in a collaborative process; the idea of tackling hard

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61:54

In Praise of the Essay

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/11/23

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by Nicole to discuss her query submission. They discuss the introduction of characters in a query letter to avoid overwhelming the reader; avoiding 'hopping' around in time and switching tenses in a query; ideas to up the stakes within the relationship of Nicole's main characters; examples of how Nicole successfully described a character's appearance using first person POV; advice on how to avoid common turns of

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64:59

Writing Morally Ambiguous Characters

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/11/16

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe critique two query letters. They discuss a good example of the concept of 'curiosity seeds'; the importance of expedience when getting a character from point A to point B; the creation of immediacy through present tense; how to give specifics in the query letter without ruining the curiosity seeds you want to plant in the pages; how the discussion of money in pages allow for various opportunities to reveal details about a character; and

en-US

70:03

Encouragement from NYT Bestselling Author, Jean Kwok

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing ·

2023/11/09

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest agent, Dana Murphy. The four discuss the need for specificity in a query letter; whittling at larger ideas to hone them and make them clearer; internal logic within a scene; the necessity of 'upfront' world building; being clear with stakes in a query letter; the difficulty of pitching something as 'humorous'; the issue with a character’s intuition that is proven correct; and the need to trust your reader

en-US

378 results

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