A Debut Experience All Authors Dream Of
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra
4.8 • 733 Ratings
🗓️ 23 May 2024
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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 which, Bianca chats with freelance TV executive and writer, Samuel Burr. The two discuss Samuel's novel, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers; its incredible journey to publication; how to find comps when you have a more unique novel premise; how Samuel developed his protagonist; creating the puzzles that appear in his work; why he chose to use a dual timeline and the process he used when writing it; and his advice for successfully writing an ensemble cast.
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.
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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 Samuel can be found at https://www.samuelburr.com/
He's also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/samuelburr
and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/samuelburr/
To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Interiority Course on the 6th of June, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pKP-TqW9SSOlAHqSjKM21Q#/registration
Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15
To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | It's a new year and time to get fresh eyes on your work in progress. |
| 0:04.8 | Are you looking for beta readers, some of whom might potentially become writing group members |
| 0:09.2 | down the line? |
| 0:10.2 | Are you wanting to be matched up with those writing in a similar genre and or time |
| 0:15.0 | zone so they can critique your work as you critique theirs at the same time? |
| 0:19.5 | Your manuscript doesn't have to be complete to sign up |
| 0:22.1 | for this 3,000 word evaluation. This matchup will be open to registrations from now until the |
| 0:28.5 | 2nd of March with the matchup emails going out on the 3rd of March. Always such an exciting day. |
| 0:35.4 | For more information and to register, go to Bianca Moray.com and go to |
| 0:39.7 | the beta reader matchup tab. And please spread the word, even if you aren't joining the matchup this |
| 0:45.7 | time. The more writers we have signed up, the better the matches will be. Hello from CC. |
| 0:52.6 | I'm so excited to announce an all new class called Starting It |
| 0:56.4 | Right, which is all about how to begin your story in the best place and in the best way. Now, |
| 1:01.6 | this is going to be a four-day class, so come prepared to take lots of notes. We'll cover the different |
| 1:06.9 | types of beginnings and how to choose the best one for your story, how to frame your |
| 1:11.6 | inciting incident in a compelling way, common mistakes writers make when starting a story, |
| 1:17.3 | how to balance exposition and mystery, how to make readers connect with your protagonist, and how |
| 1:23.6 | to make the reader want to turn to the next chapter and so much more. |
| 1:28.3 | And guess what? |
| 1:29.3 | For the first time ever, there will be an interactive component to my class. |
| 1:34.3 | Everyone who is registered will have the option of sending in the opening scene of their work |
| 1:40.3 | for a chance to be critiqued during the webinar. |
... |
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