✨Non-Fiction Author Turned Novelist Kate Fagan on Playing to Your Strengths✨
Plus, podcaster, performer, and humourist Amy Wilson's unmissable answers in this week's Author Q&A!
Happy New Year, writing friends!
How’s 2025 treating everyone so far? Easing into the new year slowly? Or are you already crushing your goals? Either way, what we’ve got for you today is bound to get your wheels turning and help kickstart your year with some encouragement.
On the podcast this week, Bianca talks with accomplished non-fiction writer (and big fan of The Shit!) Kate Fagan about her journey to publishing her debut novel (The Three Lives of Cate Kay, out next week). After starting and abandoning several projects, when Kate sat down to begin work on The Three Lives of Cate Kay she decided to approach it like a memoir, a genre she’d previously published in and was comfortable with, never actually meaning for it to be the novel’s final form. But what began as a “hack,” a way of overcoming a writing challenge, ended up being the very thing that made the book work—and sell. It worked because it played to Kate’s strengths as a journalist and memoirist—what untapped strengths do you have that could help you “hack” your way to success? Tune in and be inspired! 🎧💡⌨️
This week’s Author Q&A is with podcaster, comedy writer (and performer!) and non-fiction author Amy Wilson, who we’re pretty sure you’ll agree is exactly the kind person you wish was one of your writer friends, someone you could have on speed dial when the going gets rough. In the absence of Amy’s phone number, we suggest you read her wise words on (among other things) finding time to write and how to get unstuck when you have the time, but the words won’t cooperate—her insights are absolute gold. 🪙☎️📱
Finally, we’ve got two more things that should help you get your year off to a creative and productive start: the 2025 Deep Dive Virtual Retreat and the Ultimate Planner for Writers. Check them out below!
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! ❤️
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
P.S. Still not sure about upgrading to paid? Check out our Tuesday Teaser below to see what you’re missing!
This Week’s Podcast✨🎙️✨
In today’s episode, Bianca interviews Emmy award-winning journalist and bestselling non-fiction author, Kate Fagan, about her debut novel, The Three Lives of Cate Kay. Take a listen here!
Bianca and Kate discuss the unique structure of the novel and Kate shares insights on the creative process behind her ambitious storytelling and how she played to her strengths as a writer of memoir. She delves into the process of creating a book within the book, and describes discovering The Shit No One Tells You About Writing through her late mom, and how excited she was when Kate queried Carly (did Carly offer to represent her? You’ll have to listen to find out!).
“With the book I'm working on now, I'm trying to be a little more front heavy on prep work. But with [The Three Lives of Cate Kay], I had started and stopped so many manuscripts that it almost felt like comical. This is the ridiculousness of the writer brain. It would have felt like wasted time to me to really outline and really know what I was doing [with it] because I seem to abandon projects.”
– Kate Fagan
You can connect with Kate on Instagram or you can find her on her website!
You can pre-order The Three Lives of Cate Kay on our Bookshop.org affiliate page here. Buying books through this link supports a local indie bookstore, as well as The Shit No One Tells You About Writing 📚❤️
Author Q&A with Amy Wilson!
Amy Wilson is the author of Happy to Help: Adventures of a People Pleaser and When Did I Get Like This? She is the co-host of What Fresh Hell, a Webby-honored podcast, and is also a comedy writer and performer who has appeared on Broadway, as a series regular on TV sitcoms, and in the national tour of her solo show Mother Load.
TSNOTYAW: Were you ever close to giving up on writing and, if so, what stopped you?
Amy Wilson: I don’t have the same consistency of craft as many writers do. There have been years in my life where I have produced very few pages. But I’m always doing *something* creative, which I think does keep the pump primed and ready to work. After my first book (*When Did I Get Like This?*) came out in 2010, my second book of essays didn’t sell. My agent encouraged me to write a novel instead. I spent years on that novel, only to end up with something my agent and I agreed needed to remain in my desk drawer. Then I really was ready to stop writing for a while. But while I was fighting with that novel, I was also writing plays with a friend. And when I gave up on the novel for good, my now co-host approached me about starting our podcast (*What Fresh Hell*). Eight years later, that podcast is going strong, and the research and writing I have done over hundreds of episodes is a body of work that shows me I never really gave up on writing; I just called it something else. Learning who our podcast listeners were, and connecting with them, taught me who my ideal reader was. That led me back to having something I wanted to say to her. And there I was writing again.
What one piece of advice (craft- or publishing industry-related) has always resonated with you?
Something the humorist Wendi Aarons teaches her students has always resonated with me, and even before I heard her say it, it was the way that I tried to write, although I would not have been able to articulate it. It’s this: in well-written humor that doesn’t punch down, you, narrator, are the asshole. It’s always you. Sure, that other driver cut you off, but you’re the one who went on to have a 20-minute conversation with them in your head. Yes, your uncle is an unsophisticated boor, but you were the one who tried to discuss the election with him after two glasses of wine. Keep the focus on your own shortcomings, and that’s comedy. Talk about what a jerk the other person was, and the humor can turn sour pretty quickly.
How do you ensure you have enough time to write amidst so many obligations competing for your time?
Get up earlier and do the writing first. The best writing days are the ones where I have words on the page before the coffee has even kicked in, when I hide from my family until the day’s writing is done, and when I don’t check my phone until writing is over. I mean, I’m not a transplant surgeon; I can be pretty confident that whatever is on there can wait until at least 10 a.m. for me to look at it. The problem is, “do the most important thing first” is also great advice for exercise, or meditation, or sending that complicated and overdue email. I get pretty bad at all of those other things while I’m writing. But don’t let anyone tell you that first thing in the morning is the best time to get a workout in—which it is— if you’re in a season where the thing that’s most important to you is writing.
Writer’s block: myth or unfortunate reality? If you experience it, how do you overcome it?
There isn’t a writer out there who doesn’t have periods of great inspiration and fluidity alternating with long stretches of looking at the ceiling. Creativity is stutterstep, not continuous. I think “writer’s block” is usually either the panic that sets in during this very normal state of things, or the panic of starting the work at all. To get around scary moments like these, I play little tricks on my brain. I move from the keyboard to pen and paper—or pencil, if I really want to whistle past my brain like nothing important is happening here. (These days I’m more likely to use my Remarkable 2 to work by hand, but that’s supremely erasable as well.) If I’m very stuck on a particular moment, I put it all down and go for a long walk. The answer, or ending, usually drops down from above, but only once I’ve successfully convinced my brain that we’re not thinking about that tricky moment at all. Another get-unstuck trick I learned from my friend (Sean Conroy), a comedy writer who’s worked in many writing rooms: start a list of ten things that absolutely can’t be what happens next. It *can’t* be that the ghost was actually the sister, all along. It *can’t* be that there’s a knock at the door, and on the doormat is bag full of money without a note. I find that if I’m expansive enough in my silly and bad ideas, before I finish the list of ten wrong answers, the right answer is in there somewhere.
What is something you’ve learned about yourself later in your writing career that would have surprised your younger self?
That one doesn’t have to be in such a hurry to publish that first book after all. (Or the next one either.) I find I have more to say as I get older, that the writing has gotten a little easier. The things that matter enough to write about bubble to the top more quickly; the perspective I can provide those events is deeper and more accessible. It all falls into place. As I just heard Catherine O’Hara say (with a wink) on a recent episode of Wiser than Me: “That’s what’s wrong with aging: you start seeing things a little too clearly.”
If you could travel back in time and meet your past self in the year after the publication of your debut, what words of encouragement and/or warning would you give yourself?💡
It’s going to take longer than you think to publish Book Number Two, for one hundred reasons— and most of those reasons will become the things you write about in Book Number Two. Slow your roll, and be kind to yourself. You’ve got to live it first.
You can pre-order Happy to Help on our Bookshop.org affiliate page here. 📚❤️
Still Wondering How to Make 2025 Your Best Writing Year Yet? We Might Have A Suggestion… 💡😉
It’s now officially less than a month until the 2025 Deep Dive Virtual Retreat and, while there are no guarantees in life (or writing), we still think it’s one of the best things you can do to help set yourself up for writing success; after all, one of our fantastic presenters this year is bestselling author Annabel Monaghan, who also just happens to be a former Deep Dive attendee. Out entire roster of speakers is pretty incredible, and so are the prizes we’ve got lined up—check them out below! 👇🏽
Prizes:
Every registered delegate will automatically be entered into a draw which will be done live at the end of the retreat. Twelve (!) lucky participants will win one of the following incredible prizes:
A 10,000-word critique done by one of our speakers. There are 9 prizes available being offered by Jenny Jackson, Cherise Fisher, Annabel Monaghan, Pilar Garcia-Brown, Mark Tavani, Sarah Cantin, Diane Marie Brown, Stephanie Delman and Tiffany Yates Martin.
Free Registration for Deep Dive 2026 — 3 of these prizes available
It’s Not Too Late to Grab Your Copy of the Ultimate Planner for Writers!
Have you been frustrated with the limitations of your daily planner which, while allowing for hour-to-hour scheduling of your usual appointments, doesn't allow you to include all the myriad activities associated with your rich writing life?
This planner allows you to:
Keep track of your daily word count, as well as assign and monitor time spent on brainstorming, researching, drafting, editing, etc.
Log and track your agent queries
Brainstorm and make editorial notes
Outline your WIP
Create character profiles
Outline your plot/scenes
Complete scene cards
Keep all your ideas in one place
Keep a record of your research and material sources
Make notes of inspiration
Track the books you've read
The Ultimate Planner for Writers has all the monthly, weekly and daily functionalities of a usual planner, but with added features designed specifically for writers. It’s available for purchase either as a hardcopy or as an e-planner that's been designed for use on an iPad or similar touch screen tablet, and makes the ultimate gift for the writer in your life.
Tuesday Teaser 😉
We’ve got some great stuff in next week’s newsletter exclusively for our paid members!
First up, we have a Q&A with playwright, comedian, author and one of the UK's hottest drag talents, Holly Stars, whose debut novel, Murder in the Dressing Room, comes out on the 14th. Holly talks about her 20-year-long “whirlwind” journey to publication and shares her insights on topics ranging from LGBTQ+ tokenism in crime fiction to the value of social media (Holly’s story about the role Instagram played in her writing is 🤯😮🙌🏽 ).
Next, we have an essay from debut thriller author Daniel Kenitz on the topic of beta readers. Daniel’s take on the subject is one we know will resonate with a lot (if not all!) of you, and includes solid advice based on his experience that will help you make the most of the feedback process—you really won’t want to miss this one!
Not yet a member? For just $8USD a month or $80USD a year you get:
an exclusive newsletter on Tuesdays featuring bonus author Q&As and other exclusive content from industry experts
access to Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra’s written notes on queries from the podcast’s Books With Hooks feature
monthly bonus podcast episodes, AND
regular Ask Me Anythings / Q&As with Carly, CeCe, and Bianca Marais.
If that doesn’t kickstart your writing journey, we don’t know what will!
That’s all for this week’s news! If you enjoyed it, why not share the love? 🥰
Tune in again next week for more invaluable wisdom from our wonderful hosts! Until then, happy writing! 😍
❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
Our work takes place on land now known as Toronto and Ottawa and we acknowledge that these are the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples as well as the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. Toronto is covered under Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties. We respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures, languages, and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada. We invite you to learn more about the land you inhabit, the history of that land, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together at Native Land or Whose Land.
Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work in this newsletter is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe in this newsletter are solely that of themselves and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.
Brilliant!
"Another get-unstuck trick I learned from my friend (Sean Conroy), a comedy writer who’s worked in many writing rooms: start a list of ten things that absolutely can’t be what happens next. It *can’t* be that the ghost was actually the sister, all along. It *can’t* be that there’s a knock at the door, and on the doormat is bag full of money without a note. I find that if I’m expansive enough in my silly and bad ideas, before I finish the list of ten wrong answers, the right answer is in there somewhere."
I know I’m a little late to the party but I gotta say The Sh*t is THE BOMB! I’ve saved this post and will be coming back to re-read for sure!