Writing a Voicey Novel

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

Education, How To, Fiction, Books, Arts

4.8 • 842 Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In part one of this week’s episode, Bianca sits down with bestselling author Annie Hartnett to dive into her poignant new novel, ‘The Road to Tender Hearts.’ Together, they unpack the novel’s rich themes of loss, redemption, and the beautifully messy nature of human connection. Annie shares her behind-the-scenes writing process, why voice matters more than ever, and how she balances humor with heartbreak. They also explore the magic—and challenge—of writing in an omniscient POV, plus the personal moments that breathe life into her fiction.

In part two of this week’s episode, Bianca sits down with award-winning author Gloria Chao to talk about her latest novel, ‘Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club’. Gloria opens up about her unconventional leap from dentistry to fiction, the magic of crafting unforgettable character voices, and how she navigates bold genre shifts. With candor and humor, she pulls back the curtain on the publishing world—sharing what she’s learned about working with agents, honing your craft, and standing out in a crowded market. Packed with laughs, inspiration, and practical tips, this is a must-listen for any aspiring author.

Note: Cece Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

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It’s Beta Reader Match Up time again where you can be matched up with those writing in a similar genre and/or time zone, so they can critique your work as you critique theirs.

For more information and to register, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

Writing Tension Creating Tension, Conflict and Stakes in a Story

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Beta reader matchup time is happening again. It's been so gratifying over the summer to be tagged in so many posts about beta readers who've become writing besties and who are still going strong many years after they were first matched. Some even travel to meet up and do writing weekends together, which sounds incredible. I can't guarantee
0:23.0	any of that. That's entirely up to you, but what I can guarantee is that you'll be matched with a
0:28.6	group of people working in your genre and or time zone who will critique 3,000 words of your work
0:35.0	as you critique theirs in return. You can sign up from now until the 31st of
0:40.2	August with the matchup emails going out on the 1st of September. Head to my website, Bianca Moray.com,
0:47.9	and look for the beta reader matchup tab. What's up, everyone? This is Cece. If you're a writer, then chances are you've wondered if your story is good enough. Maybe you're wondering that right now. I get it. Here's what I can tell you. As long as your story is making the reader curious, you're good. Now, I'm not saying you won't have to make edits when working with an agent or publisher. Edits are a part of the game, but I am saying that you will get ahead in your career if you know how to make the reader curious.
1:17.6	The best way to do that, infuse your story with plenty of tension, conflict, and stakes.
1:22.6	Which is why I'm so excited to invite you to join my four-day course, writing tension,
1:28.7	creating tension, conflict, and stakes in your story.
1:31.9	It starts on October 13.
1:34.2	My favorite part about this class is that there are formulas, yes, formulas, for tension,
1:40.9	for conflict, for stakes.
1:42.8	And for the first time ever, we're having two optional interactive components,
1:47.0	including a query letter studio and live critiques of select first pages.
1:53.0	I'm super excited about this new format because I've seen it yield results in writers' works.
1:59.0	And it works for writers of any genre as long as you're
2:02.4	serious about improving your work. So if you're ready to take your writing to the next level,
2:08.2	join me for this four-day course. Don't worry if you can't attend live. The sessions will be
2:15.0	recorded. For more information, check out my bio on Instagram or the podcast's website.
2:21.2	I'm looking forward to seeing you there.
2:29.9	Hi there and welcome to our show. the ship no one tells you about writing.
2:35.5	I'm bestselling author Bianca Murray and I'm joined by Cece Leera of Wendy Sherman Associates and Carly Waters of PS Literary.
	...

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