The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Arts:Books
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 @ceciliaclyra
Instagram: 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/TSNOTYAW
Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com
To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW
Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting
More information about Caroline can be found at www.carolineleavitt.com
She'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.html
Carly'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 POD15
Metaphor and Meaning in Memoir
April Bonus Episode: Writing Without a Pricetag
Figuring Out What Genre You Should Be Writing In
Choosing the Best POVs for a Multi-POV Novel
Insights from Mary Kubica
Defining Book Club Fiction
March Bonus Episode
How Research Should Inform a Novel Without Leaving Too Many Fingerprints
Balancing Curiosity Seeds and Tension Without Making the Reader Feel Cheated
Insights from Acquisitions Editors & Working on Author Collaborations
Being Intentional With Your Novel's Timeline
Bumper February Bonus Episode
How Some Stories Need You to Become a Better Writer Before Telling Them
Torturing Your Characters in the Second Act
How Writing Contests Can Help Launch Your Career
Insights from NYT Bestselling Authors, Ali Hazelwood and Kiley Reid
January Bonus Episode
How the Close Third Person POV Can Get You Closer Than First Person
The Dos and Don’ts When Writing For Children
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
Anne of Green Gables
The Art of War
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends