In Praise of the Prologue and Organic Backstory - Christina Clancy
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra
4.8 • 733 Ratings
🗓️ 30 September 2021
⏱️ 82 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss digging into trauma to reveal the root emotion; how even literary fiction needs a hook; readability and writing in italics in certain fonts; needing to connect with character; how a query letter must include details of a specific climax; always keeping the reader wondering about what’s going to happen next; and tackling certain themes responsibly. Carly also sings a time stamp jingle!
After which, Bianca chats with Christina Clancy, author of Shoulder Season, about the research that goes into writing a novel; thinking about your book even when you’re not able to write; knowing when to stop researching and start writing; how close you need to stick to historical fact and how much can be invention; starting a whisper campaign; finding ancillary resources; when a story needs a prologue; being willing to cut things even during a third draft; figuring out where the beating heart of your story is; and why every writer has to despair at some point of the process.
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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