The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Episodes
Writerly Insights with Bestselling Author, Elin Hilderbrand
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe tackle two queries each. In the process, they discuss how you have less time to get to the inciting in...
Writing Romance Masterclass
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS EPISODE, we do a deep dive into the romance genre. Bianca first chats with Farah Heron, author of Accidentally Engaged and Tahira...
Why You Need to Be Your Most Sympathetic Critic
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Mire and Katy who have submitted their work for critique. They discuss not losing the pl...
A Masterclass in Writing Multi-POV Novels Across Various Genres
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s BONUS Episode, Bianca chats with three awesome authors writing multi-POV stories across various genres. First up is Kim Fay, author of Lo...
Writing With an Intelligent Reader in Mind
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe kick it back old-school to review the same three query letters. During the segment, they discuss avoid...
What It's Like to Be Out On Submission & Circling the Building in Your Opening
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS Episode, Carly chats with Andrea Dunlop, author of We Came Here To Forget, about comps and why they’re so important; what it fe...
When Writing is Both Therapeutic and Profitable
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Kathy and Leila who have submitted their queries for critique. During the segment, the...
BONUS Episode: Discussing Action and Humor with Mark Greaney and Josie Silver
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS EPISODE Bianca first chats with Mark Greaney, author of Sierra Six, about writing espionage mysteries, putting your manuscript as...
Mastering Multi-POV and Multi-Timeline Novels with Fiona Davis
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each tackle two query letters. In the process, they discuss the importance of not only having internal...
BONUS: Experimenting with Structure - Mitzi Angel and Janice Hallett
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS EPISODE, we do a deep dive into experimenting with structure. Bianca first chats with Mitzi Angel—publisher of Farrar, Straus a...
Rachel Krantz's Advice on Writing Memoir
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Layne and Peter. They discuss the importance of having a clear antagonistic force that t...
BONUS EPISODE: A Romance Author Answers Your Questions & An Intro to Scrivener
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's bonus episode, Bianca first chats with Seressia Glass, author of The Love Con, about all things romance as Seressia kindly answers list...
Building a Writing Resume on Your Journey to Publication - Deesha Philyaw
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each take on two query letters. They discuss being cognizant of including descriptive features of the ...
Granting Yourself Permission to Tell a Story - Kerri Maher
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are kicking it back to the old format in which they look at the same three queries together. They disc...
BONUS EPISODE: From Rocky Beginnings to Strong Endings
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with two awesome guests. The first is Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart, who discusses q...
Knowing When You're Not Quite There... Yet - Tomi Adeyemi
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, guest agent Veronia Park joins us from Fuse Literary to discuss Joanne's and Gaylen's submissions with them. ...
Ending the Year with a Shot of Positivity from Alka Joshi
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, guest agent Veronia Park joins us from Fuse Literary to review four submissions. During the segment, Veronica discuss...
How Using Writing Software Can Elevate Your WIP
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS EPISODE, Bianca chats with Janet Forbes and Dimitris Havlidis of World Anvil about how the right writing software can take your w...
How Critiquing Other Writers' Work is the Best Way To Learn Craft
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by writers, Michele and Lynne, who have submitted their work for critique. Carly and CeCe d...
BONUS EPISODE: Why You Should Consider Writing Residencies
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS episode, Bianca chats with the writer Clarisse Baleja Saidi about everything you've always wanted to know about writing resid...
Incorporating the Epistolary Form into Your Writing
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss starting a book with dialogue; having tension from page one; using sharp visuals from your cha...
When a Pantser Becomes a Plotter to Get Published - Kirthana Ramisetti
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Emmy Nordstrom Higdon joins us from Westwood Creative Artists to chat with Tyler and Vickie about their work. Emmy un...
Not Every Journey to Publication Takes the Same Route - Jayne Allen
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by writers, Sally and Katherine, to discuss their query letters and opening pages. We discu...
Trusting Your Gut in the Face of Rejection - PJ Vernon
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, we have Emmy Nordstrom Higdon from Westwood Creative Artists join us as a guest agent to review submissions n...
BONUS: Submitting to Presses & Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS episode, Bianca chats with Ami J. Sanghvi and Patrick Hogan of Gutslut Press about the top ten reasons why indie presses reject s...
Ken Follett's Incredibly Practical Tips for Writers
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Liz and Jami join us to discuss their submissions. Carly and CeCe unpack when to put the stakes at the beginn...
How to Write a Novel in Half the Time
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss whether publishing is ready for Covid stories yet; using an inciting incident that is super sp...
Why You Shouldn't Compare Yourself to Other Writers
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Melissa and Stephanie join us on the show to have their query letters and opening pages critiqued. Carly and ...
The Secret to Overnight Success - Jesse Q Sutanto
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's revamped Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe each tackle two queries that have been directed at them via the new submission proces...
BONUS EPISODE: When to Break the Rules - Leila Slimani
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Emma joins us on the show to discuss her query and opening pages. Carly and CeCe tackle sparking curiosity; ...
Staying True To Your Vision for Your Work - Ella Berman
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss putting a fresh twist on a popular trope; taking care not to use titles of novels that are alr...
BONUS EPISODE: Romance, Rom-coms and Writing Sex Scenes
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's bonus episode, we have three romance/rom-com authors who join Bianca to discuss all things related to the genre. NYT bestselling Lana H...
A Wealth of Information Shared by Super Editor, Amy Einhorn
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, we do a lot of brainstorming, which doesn’t necessarily align with the author’s vision for her novel, rem...
How Being Impatient to Publish Actually Works Against You - Ruth Ozeki
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss avoiding hypothetical questions; escalating baseline stakes and tension; how authors a...
From the Archives: What I Wish I Knew Before I Got Published - Courtney Maum
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Host and author, Bianca Marais, talks with the fabulous Courtney Maum, author of Before and After the Book Deal, about writing killer query letters an...
In Praise of the Prologue and Organic Backstory - Christina Clancy
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
From the Archives: Talking with the Bestseller Whisperer
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Tara Singh Carlson, the first editor to have two of their novels picked by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Su...
The Evolution of a Rejected Manuscript on its Journey to Publication
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Books with Hooks segment, we have an author come onto the show to discuss her submission with us. In the segment, Carly and CeCe chat w...
Having Fun with Your Writing & Getting Out of Your Own Way - Lauren Groff
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss thinking of your query letter as real estate with curb appeal; considering what you’re provi...
The Importance of Staring into Space - Sunjeev Sahota
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss how paranormal stories are making a comeback; having YA characters sound like, and hav...
BONUS EPISODE: 10 Legal and Business Topics for Writers to Consider
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's BONUS episode, CeCe chats with Katherine Miller Goldman, an intellectual property attorney, to answer all of your questions! They discu...
Every Story Will Tell You What it Needs - Megan Collins
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss leaning into specificity; concerns over white saviorism and teachable moments; dialogu...
Finding Your Plot Engine - Megan Abbott
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss focusing on trauma and conflict rather than the perfect life that came before; not tak...
BONUS EPISODE: A One-on-One Books with Hooks & Preparing for #PitMad
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this BONUS episode, we have the author, Ruth N, join us to chat about her query and first pages. Carly and CeCe discuss giving the characters mor...
Writing an Engaging First Chapter - Caitlin Wahrer
19 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss being careful with your verb choices so as not to create misunderstandings; the query ...
How to Know When You're Ready to Query Agents
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss not being vague in your query letter; letting us know what’s at stake for a characte...
BONUS EPISODE: How to Make Your Imaginary Worlds Come Alive Through Worldbuilding
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, Bianca chats with Andrew Wall of Craft Better Books about everything you need to know about worldbuilding. Whether you write ad...
Finding a Hook & Writing Dual POV Stories - Andrea Bartz
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss what an action prologue is and the pitfalls of using it; telling us what characters li...
From the Archives: 10 Harsh Truths Writers Need to Know
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with literary agent and author, Cece Lyra, about the 10 harsh truths writers need to know about writing and publ...
Writing Intuitively Without Plotting or Outlining - Samantha Downing
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly reveals that she's a bionic super agent! CeCe and Carly also discuss mixing up your sentences so th...
BONUS EPISODE: Delving into the Author/Editor Relationship
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's jam-packed bonus episode, Carly chats with author, Jael Richardson, and HarperCollins Senior Editorial Director, Jennifer Lambert, abou...
Curiosity May Kill the Cat but it Makes a Writer
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss avoiding wordiness in your opening pages; how writing is a dance and you’re leading,...
BONUS EPISODE: What it Takes to be a Successful Indie Author
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this BONUS episode, Carly is joined by her client and indie author, Kiersten Modglin, to chat about what it takes to be a successful indie author...
Reading: The DIY MFA
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss giving your characters the opportunity to react to big events; only including what'...
From the Archives: Two Opposing Views on Handling Tricky Backstory
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bianca Marais, finishes her discussion with Lisa Cron, author of Story Genius and Wired for Story. In this second of two episodes, Lisa unpacks her ap...
Pitches, Loglines and Queries
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss quiet plots; using the #MeToo hashtag; deciding what kind of author you want to be; pl...
From the Archives: The Biggest Mistake Writers Make: Lisa Cron
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bianca Marais, chats with Lisa Cron, author of Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Wa...
Focusing on Tension Rather Than Plot - Emily Henry
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss prioritizing plot and character over voice in a query letter; giving an old trope a fr...
Director's Cut Bonus Episode: 3 Agents Explain Book Adaptation for Film and TV
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this BONUS episode, Carly is joined by Dana Murphy, an agent from The Book Group, and Addison Duffy, an agent from UTA, to talk about all things re...
Writing Those Tricky Unlikeable Characters - May Cobb
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss the difference between urban fantasy and magical realism; using a scalpel in writing s...
The Importance of Finding Your People
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss making it clear what's at stake, and what the hook is, in your query letter; how i...
Plotting, Outlining and Structuring Your Novel - Hannah Mary McKinnon
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss the heartbreak of the querying process; the power imbalance between agents and authors...
Genre Tropes and Conventions - Uzma Jalaluddin
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss leaning into unlikable characters but how to make them relatable; avoiding info dumps,...
What Goes Into Overnight Success & Mastering Pacing
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss being more explicit about genre and tone; establishing emotionality in your main chara...
Bonus Episode - Taking All Your Questions
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's bonus content episode, Bianca, Carly and CeCe take all your questions about agents' and publishers' contracts; finding a repu...
Hooking Your Reader & Keeping Them Turning Pages - Jeffery Deaver
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss falling in love with a story before falling in love with an author; what constitutes a...
The Writer's Life - Lily King
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss using pseudonyms; the difference between women's fiction and book club fiction; be...
What You Can Learn From Your Rejections
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss the issue of swearing in novels; how characters feel about the action playing out on t...
Writing Starter Novels & Establishing a Research Process
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe fall in love with another submission; discuss writing from perspectives that aren't your o...
What Every Writer Can Learn From Other Great Writers
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe fall in love with one submission; suggest using a different PoV for another; discuss how chara...
How to Build Your Author Platform in an Authentic Way
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Carly Watters and Cece Lyra are now co-hosts of the podcast (Yay!), who will be doing the Books with Hooks segment every week, in which they discuss...
In Praise of Bookstagrammers
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the regular Books with Hooks segment, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra a...
Career Advice from Bestselling Susan Wiggs
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the regular Books with Hooks segment, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra a...
Writing From Rage & Own Voices Stories
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment...
Capturing Time and Place - Ann Mah
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment...
Why Writing is a Marathon - Marissa Stapley
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment, in which lis...
Indie Publishers
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment, in which lis...
First Books with Hooks & Freelance Editors
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this jampacked episode, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with fabulous agents, Carly Watters and Cecilia Lyra, as they launch their exciting n...
Turning Rejections into Success Stories
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and Host, Bianca Marais, chats with writing team, Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, authors of Girls with Bright Futures, about how they turne...
Finding Your Process as a Debut Author
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with award winning author, playwright, screenwriter and journalist, Byron Lane — author of the acclaimed A Sta...
Showing vs Telling and Online Writing Retreats
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Amherst Writers & Artists method facilitator, Susie Whelehan, about supercharging your creativity wit...
Creating Characters That Feel Real : Claire Lombardo
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Claire Lombardo, the New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had, about creating charact...
Balancing Heartbreak and Humor - Steven Rowley
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with bestselling author, Steven Rowley (Lily and the Octopus, The Editor and The Guncle) about writing tearjerke...
My Journey to Publication - Julia Claiborne Johnson
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this hilarious episode, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Julia Claiborne Johnson, bestselling author of Better Luck Next Time and Be Fran...
Kicking Off a Wonderfully Creative Year
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, discusses the main reasons why writers give up, as well as all the things that get in the way of creativity: the pursu...
How to Create and Maintain Suspense in all Genres
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Putnam editor and adjunct professor of publishing for NYU, Mark Tavani, about all things suspense: techniqu...
Point of View and an Update on the Industry: Carly Watters
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and Host, Bianca Marais, chats with literary agent, Carly Watters from P.S. Literary Agency, about elements of craft and the state of the liter...
The Latest Literary Trend: Writing Partnerships
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais chats with bestselling author duos, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, as well as Lynne and Valerie Constantine (who write as...
What All Writers Can Learn From the Thriller Genre
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with bestselling author, Samantha M. Bailey, as well as Nita Pronovost, editor and vice president/editorial dire...
Talking Audiobooks & Elements of Craft with Katharine Lee McEwan
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with award-winning British actress, writer, and producer, Katharine Lee McEwan, about all things audiobooks — ...
Why Writing Groups are Integral
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais chats with two members of her BACKSpacers writing group, Alek Trpkovski and Suzanne Dugard, about why writing groups ar...
What You Need to Know About Self Publishing
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with author, K.A. Tucker, who's gone from self publishing to traditional publishing, and then back again. ...
Succeeding in the YA (Young Adult) Market
08 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with the effervescent Liara Tamani, author of two YA novels, All the Things We Never Knew and Calling My Name, a...
Writing Sex Scenes & Befriending Booksellers
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, loves booksellers! And she especially loves Rebecca Speas of One More Page Books in Arlington, VA. In this episode, Bi...
When You Don't Make Shit Up - Memoir & Nonfiction
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and Host, Bianca Marais, chats with Kelly S. Thompson, an award-winning writer and editor with a broad range of experience and education in the...
Bestselling Jane Green's Advice to Writers
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with the delightful international bestselling author, Jane Green, about her twenty-five year career in publishin...
How an Editor Acquires a Manuscript
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and host, Bianca Marais, takes you behind the scenes of publishing as she chats with editor, Kerri Kolen, about how editors acquire manuscripts...
Delving into the Author/Agent Relationship
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, we're exploring the most important professional relationship that an author will have in their career - the one with their...