Those Aha Moments That Arrive at the 80 000-Word Mark

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

🗓️ 27 February 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this engaging conversation, Bianca, interviews New York Times bestselling author Gillian McAllister. The author’s explore Gillian’s writing process, narrative techniques, and character development. Bianca and Gillian chat about the challenges of writing multi-POV novels, the organic twists that emerge during the writing process, and the importance of character occupations in driving the plot. Gillian shares insights into her unique approach to storytelling, emphasizing the alchemy of writing and the depth of her characters.

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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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello from CeC. I'm so excited to announce an all new class called Starting It Right, which is all about how to begin your story in the best place and in the best way.
0:10.0	Now this is going to be a four-day class, so come prepared to take lots of notes.
0:15.0	We'll cover the different types of beginnings and how to choose the best one for your story, how to frame your inciting incident in a compelling
0:22.4	way, common mistakes writers make when starting a story, how to balance exposition and mystery,
0:29.3	how to make readers connect with your protagonist, and how to make the reader want to turn to the
0:35.0	next chapter, and so much more. And guess what? For the first time
0:40.0	ever, there will be an interactive component to my class. Everyone who is registered will have the
0:46.2	option of sending in the opening scene of their work for a chance to be critiqued during the
0:51.7	webinar. Writers of all categories and genres are invited to attend, and there are limited spots.
0:57.0	So if you're interested, sign up now.
1:00.0	And don't worry if you can't attend one or more live sessions
1:03.0	because the recording will be sent to everyone who is registered.
1:07.0	This class will begin on March 20th, and like I said, we'll go on for four days.
1:13.1	For more details, check out the link in my bio on Instagram. I hope to see you there.
1:19.0	It's a new year and time to get fresh eyes on your work in progress. Are you looking for
1:24.5	beta readers, some of whom might potentially become writing group members down the line?
1:29.3	Are you wanting to be matched up with those writing in a similar genre and or time zone
1:34.3	so they can critique your work as you critique theirs at the same time?
1:38.4	Your manuscript doesn't have to be complete to sign up for this 3,000 word evaluation.
1:43.9	This matchup will be open to registrations
1:46.1	from now until the 2nd of March with the matchup emails going out on the 3rd of March.
1:52.2	Always such an exciting day. For more information and to register, go to Bianca Moray.com
	...

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