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The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Grady Hendrix’s Insights on Writing

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

How To, Books, Education, Fiction, Arts

4.8733 Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2023

⏱️ 72 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the latest Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each critique two queries and discuss pitching only one genre; having a solid reason that a story takes place in near-history; POV changes within a single chapter; when a query sounds more like a synopsis; opening with a daydream; sucking the agent in with curiosity and tension; needing to be the best in a busy category; using an elevator pitch; dialing down the setup and characterization details in a query; and which character readers connect to first in a multi-POV novel.

After which, Bianca chats with Grady Hendrix, author of How to Sell a Haunted House, about the horror genre; how horror can open up conversations about the darker side of death and how we process it; what it is about the south that lends itself to gothic novels; horror genre conventions and tropes; establishing a stasis; writing what you know; writing the antagonist; and why it’s important to have humour infused along with the dark stuff.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self.

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.comwww.biancamarais.comwww.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Grady can be found at www.gradyhendrix.com, on Twitter @grady_hendrix, and on Instagram @gradyhendrix.



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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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