Rewriting Instead of Giving Up
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra
4.8 • 733 Ratings
🗓️ 9 May 2024
⏱️ 75 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by Paige to discuss her query for her action-adventure romance novel. They discuss the importance of spelling out your protagonist's motivation in your query; the need for story-forward plot escalation; accurately positioning your novel’s genre; making an agent's job easier by picking the right comps; using external plot to make readers invested in your characters; following genre rules when it comes to plot points; the need for conflict and tension in act two; focusing on your protagonist in your opening lines/paragraphs; avoiding character descriptions that are too on the nose; the need for active emotions in addition to interiority; the intrigue of complex emotions; and what makes a work YA rather than adult fiction.
After which, Bianca interviews author, nurse, and co-founder of #momswritersclub, Sara Read. They discuss Sara's sophomore novel, Principles of (E)motion; her path to publication; querying her first novel and the feedback she received; structure mistakes that beginner writers tend to make; how Sara pitched her second novel; the importance of rewriting before you give up on a WIP; what Sara learned from each of her rewrites; the need for causality in story; her research process; the prologue in Principles of (E)motion; and the genre of the novel.
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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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
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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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