The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Latest Episodes:

How to be Creative During Difficult Times Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca is joined by guest agent, Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon from Westwood Creative Artists, who looks at four query letters. Emmy warns against tokenism and avoiding vague comps that might oversell your work. They also discuss reputation clauses and their growing prevalence in contracts; why editors and agents are wary about debut novels over 100 000 words; how ‘quiet’ novels are being passed over, but their hopes that the industry will eventually change; difficulties in getting the YA ‘voice’ right; and the importance of accessibility in your writing.
After which Bianca chats with bestselling and award-winning author, Karen Joy Fowler, author of Booth, about the difference between creating and marketing a novel; writing a novel involving an individual without centering them; using passive voice and omniscient narration, and the benefits of using those tools; and how to be creative during difficult times.
Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
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Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Karen can be found at www.karenjoyfowler.com.

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Bonus Episode: Spotlight on Indie Authors and Publishers & We Answer Your Questions Mar 14, 2022

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In today's Bonus Episode, we spotlight two awesome indie authors and publishers. Bianca first chats with Maggie Smith, author of Truth and Other Lies, about using the same title as another book; being able to collaborate on the book cover with a smaller publisher; running your marketing campaign as an indie author; giving ARCs to early readers and how running a campaign on NetGalley to get reviews out before the launch of your book is a wise investment; the difference between indie publishing and hybrid publishing; and writing several drafts in several POVs to determine what works best to help you really get to know your characters.
After which, Bianca chats with Amy Tector, author of The Honeybee Emeralds, about choosing which historical characters to tell your story; keeping track of timelines in your draft; indie publishers putting a lot of care into their books; the woes of rejections and how to work through them; getting “the call” that all authors hope for; and Amy’s publishing journey with an independent publisher.
Finally, Carly and CeCe take your questions!
Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Maggie Smith can be found at www. maggiesmithwriter.com and on Instagram at: @MaggieSmithWrites and on Twitter at: @magpie0218
Amy Tector can be found at www.amytector.com and on Instagram at: @amytectorwrites and on Twitter at: @amy_tector

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How to Ensure Each Scene is Doing the Heavy Lifting Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

In today's Books with Hooks, Kelly and Paul join Carly and CeCe to discuss their submissions. During the segment, we discuss the difference between dual timelines and flashbacks; the importance of your ‘opener’ and what that is; the importance of striking a balance between interiority and external plot at the beginning; and the new initiative we have to help you with your comps!
After which, Bianca chats with Nita Prose, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Maid, about when prologues work well; creating neurodivergent characters; creating a Frankenstein genre; being a ‘tent pole’ writer; how to make sure your scene needs to be there and that it’s doing all the heavy lifting it needs to do; and working inciting incidents into every scene.
Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Nita Prose can be found at www. nitaprose.com and on Instagram and Twitter at: @NitaProse

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BONUS EPISODE: Jesse Thistle's Advice to Memoirists & Our First Q&A Session Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Jesse Thistle, author of the bestselling and award-winning memoir, From the Ashes, about the difference between memoir and biography; thinking about what you want the ‘message’ of your memoir to be; speaking to universal elements of your memoir; the emotional/psychological effects of writing memoir about traumatic events; and Jesse's advice to memoirists.

After which, Carly, CeCe and Bianca take your questions!
If you'd like to ask a question, head over to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW
Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Jesse Thistle can be found at www. jessethistle.com and on Instagram at: @czechmet and on Facebook at @thistlejesse

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Writerly Insights with Bestselling Author, Elin Hilderbrand Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe tackle two queries each. In the process, they discuss how you have less time to get to the inciting incident in a YA novel; being mindful of ‘telling’ that doesn’t move the storyline forward or is irrelevant; why too much interiority isn’t good in a query letter and how to replace interiority with plot; avoiding redundancies and repetition in your query letter and pages ; and how building mystery requires specificity by the author.
After which, CeCe chats with bestselling author, Elin Hilderbrand, about how to make unlikeable characters whole and real; the benefits of third-person close, and why you can get even closer than with first-person; why Elin will never write in first person; how the University of Iowa writing program made Elin miserable; how Elin’s literary background has contributed to her commercial success; how classic techniques can be transformed into fresh ways of thinking and writing (the Greek chorus in Elin’s case); how Elin deals with writer’s block; how writing isn’t magic but hard work; and Elin's plans for retirement.

Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Elin Hilderbrand can be found at www. elinhilderbrand.net and on Instagram and Twitter at: @elinhilderbrand

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Writing Romance Masterclass Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

In today's BONUS EPISODE, we do a deep dive into the romance genre. Bianca first chats with Farah Heron, author of Accidentally Engaged and Tahira in Bloom, about the sub-genres of romance; how romance is defined; the difference between romance and women’s fiction; The Bridgerton Effect; structure and plotting for romance; and tropes in the romance genre.

After which, Bianca chats with publishing phenomenon, Elena Armas, author of The Spanish Love Deception, about her journey from bookstagrammer to bestselling author; the power of Tik Tok; indie-publishing editing vs. traditionally published editing; how to make your own book covers; and how to write steamy sex scenes.
Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Farah Heron can be found at www.farahheron.com and on Twitter at @FarahHeron and on Instagram at @FarahHeronAuthor
Elena Armas can be found at www.authorelenaarmas.com and on Instagram at @thebibliotheque and on Twitter at @elenaarmasbooks

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Why You Need to Be Your Most Sympathetic Critic Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Mire and Katy who have submitted their work for critique. They discuss not losing the plot in a quest for being true to the emotionality of the story; making sure that one character isn’t just a vessel for the other in a dual POV story; toeing the line between making the reader curious and leaving them frustrated; making sure that if you focus on one POV in your query letter, you still include who the other POVs will be; giving context so the reader understands certain details; limiting the number of ppl in your opening pages so as not to confuse the reader; and being present with your protagonist.
After which, Bianca is joined once again by Femi Omotade who interviews Marlon James, award-winning and bestselling author of Moon Witch, Spider King, about why Marlon is attracted to fantasy as a genre; how the best stories are about making new myths; how a novel can be born from research into something you’re interested in without knowing it’s going to be a novel; drawing from your mythological history; being careful what resources you pick for your research; how readers can feel like tourists in a work you’re creating but characters needs to be at home there; believing both your protagonist and your antagonist, and leaving it up to the reader to decide who’s telling the truth; and how where you begin writing isn’t necessarily the beginning of the novel.
Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Marlon James can be found at www.marlonjameswriter.com and on Twitter at @MarlonJames5
Femi Omotade can be found on Instagram at @thebookalert

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A Masterclass in Writing Multi-POV Novels Across Various Genres Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

In today’s BONUS Episode, Bianca chats with three awesome authors writing multi-POV stories across various genres. First up is Kim Fay, author of Love & Saffron, who talks about how being a bookseller influenced her writing; how writing is a craft and every sentence matters; letting the words flow when the magic happens; and including a piece of yourself in the story you want to tell.

Next is Kristen Bird, author of The Night She Went Missing, who talks about writing a successful 4-POV debut novel; the challenges of ensuring the reader can connect with each POV character with limited time on the pages; outlining a published novel to see how the author achieved their scene and chapter goals; treating your previous unpublished novels as practice, not failures; and allowing yourself to be content in the season that you’re in.

Lastly is Eliza Jane Brazier, author of Good Rich People, who chats about opening with a strong prologue; writing unlikeable characters that readers are still compelled to keep reading about; knowing what your villain truly wants; infusing social commentary into your writing; and switching hats from novel writing to screenwriting.

Kim Fay - Twitter and Instagram: @kimkfay
Kirsten Bird – Twitter: @kbirdwrites and Instragram: @kirstenbirdwrites
Eliza Jane Brazier – Twitter: EJaneBrazier and Instagram: @Elizajanebrazier

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Writing With an Intelligent Reader in Mind Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe kick it back old-school to review the same three query letters. During the segment, they discuss avoiding flowery language, especially in a query; avoiding "reviewing" your own work and letting the pages show what kind of work it is; pitching your story rather than your writing; making sure you have the right category/genre, so that the right people read it and judge it accordingly; and getting creative with your POV when you need to write a character that isn't a main character.
After which, Bookstagrammer Femi Omotade joins us again to interview #1 NYT Bestselling Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half. They discuss the writer’s responsibility to their reader; not giving yourself the burden of having to educate the reader; writing with an intelligent reader in mind; imagining that the reader is smarter than you; not trying to be universally appealing; writing as specifically as possible; how reviews are for readers, not writers; finding ways to protect your boundaries; how the book (rather than the author) is the product; and aiming for tonal fluctuations in a book.

Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Brit Bennett can be found at www.britbennett.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @britrbennett
Femi Omotade can be found on Instagram at @thebookalert

Our Sponsors:
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What It's Like to Be Out On Submission & Circling the Building in Your Opening Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

In today's BONUS Episode, Carly chats with Andrea Dunlop, author of We Came Here To Forget, about comps and why they’re so important; what it feels like to be out on submission; writers not getting what they need in terms of knowing how to market themselves and their books; a day in the life of; and NaNoWriMo goals.
After which, Bianca chats with Nick Petrie, author of The Peter Ash Series, about backstory; being a pantser; internal and external conflict in the opening chapters; circling the building as you find your way into your opening; and how to structure chapters to keep readers turning pages.
Find us on our socials:
Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing
Facebook: @tsnotyaw
Website: www.biancamarais.com
Andrea Dunlop can be found at www.andreadunlop.net and on Instagram at @andreadunlop
Nick Petrie can be found at www.nickpetrie.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @_nickpetrie_

Our Sponsors:
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