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The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

How To, Books, Education, Fiction, Arts

4.8 • 733 Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2022

⏱️ 79 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each look at two query letters, and in the process discuss making sure interiority adds up—showing not just what a character thinks, but how they think; ensuring the line-level writing and unfolding of tension is allowing the reader to actively put the pieces of the puzzle together; ensuring there is specificity and the story climax in the query letter; making the first scene dynamic by giving the character a story-forward goal and a clear obstacle with power imbalance and sharp specifics; showing on the pages what a camera could capture and having interiority elevate that; using comps instead of themes in a query letter; using a selling type of language instead of a synopsis type of language in a query letter; and ensuring your hook can wow agents and editors, even in areas of a genre that are “soft” in the market right now.

After which, Bianca chats with Roxana Trabulsi, author of Of Mud & Honey about deciding on writing fiction instead of memoir; research vs personal experience; what constitutes ‘bloody good writing’; bringing a place alive that readers are not even remotely familiar with; reaching out to experts on the subject you’re writing about; publishing with an indie press; and including foreign words within the text.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing

Facebook: @tsnotyaw

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com and www.carlywatters.com

Roxana can be found at www.roxanatrabulsi.com and on Instagram at @roxanatrabulsiwrites

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Transcript

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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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