✨Checking Your Ego; How Persistence Pays Off; & The Deep Dive Begins Tomorrow!✨
Plus, there's still time to sign up for the year's first Beta Reader Match Up!
Happy Friday, writing friends!
We’ve been counting the sleeps for far too long, but the big day is almost finally upon us. The very last Deep Dive Virtual Retreat is this weekend! Yay! We’re bouncing off the walls with excitement, because we have such a stellar lineup of speakers who will be covering so many brilliant presentation topics! There’s still time to register!
We hope you didn’t miss yesterday’s podcast author interview with Leodora Darlington who was such a delight to chat with. She and Bianca delivered with the topic: When the Past Won’t Stay Buried: Building Dark Psychological Thrillers.
Then, we have a wonderful author Q&A with April Reynolds, author of The Shape of Dreams in which she discusses persistence:
“When I was in college, my teacher Randall Keenan told me, “You may write like lightening, but it means nothing if you’re not persistent.” Every story can be re-written, re-imagined; minor characters can blossom into major characters. Major characters can be sequestered in a scene or two. Aspiring writers, aspire. Work and work and work. There’s a lid for every pot. Persistent writers will find their lids.”
She also has great insights on checking your ego:
“The thing I learned was how to check my ego. It’s not about me; it’s about my novel. Did I write a good story? Can I rewrite this and write a better story? And then can I do it again? And again?”
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 this week’s author interview, Bianca chats with debut novelist Leodora Darlington about The Exes, a sharp, dark psychological thriller that asks how far the past can reach into the present. Leodora shares her unconventional (and accidental!) path to publication, what it’s like querying agents while working in publishing, and why choosing the right agent matters more than choosing the first yes. They dive into craft topics including dual timelines, unreliable narrators, planting twists that feel earned, and how deep editorial work can elevate a story. A must-listen for writers curious about suspense, structure, and the realities of debut publishing.
Listen to it here or watch it on YouTube!
“I’m so hyper aware, again, because of my job of just how much people who love this kind of fiction—suspense, psychological fiction, thrillers—how much they read. It’s really difficult to surprise readers in this area of the market. So when it came to the reveals, I knew that there was a challenge there. How do I do something that feels fresh and new?”
-Leodora Darlington
More information about Leodora can be found on her website. She’s also on Instagram!
Q&A with April Reynolds!
TSNOTYAW: Did you use an AI-based platform like ChatGPT to help write your book’s hook/elevator pitch? Would you consider using one? What are your thoughts on using AI to help with the more ‘business’ side of being an author?
April Reynolds: No, I did not use an AI-based platform, nor would I consider using one. I think it’s important to think about things that we sometimes don’t like thinking about; it is clear AI is an impediment to that kind of learning. Also, I think if most people began using AI to create elevator pitches, then your hooks sound less idiosyncratic, unable to catch the eye of an editor or an agent.
When did you consider yourself a “writer”? When did you feel comfortable fully wearing that moniker?
That’s an interesting question. When I sold my first novel, I considered myself a writer. Until then, I would think, ‘I am writing a novel,’ or ‘I write.’ Still. I don’t really call myself a writer very often; I’m much more comfortable calling myself a teacher. Thankfully, I live in New York so the question I’m most often asked is, “How much is your rent?”
How many drafts did your first (eventually agented and published) novel go through?
Too many to count. I had an agent throughout this process, but I did about four major revisions before I met my editor. The thing I learned was how to check my ego. It’s not about me; it’s about my novel. Did I write a good story? Can I rewrite this and write a better story? And then can I do it again? And again?
What writing and/or publishing resources do you recommend? Is there a craft book that you can’t live without?
Read, read, read. And then, re-read and re-read. Aristotle says all learning starts with mimesis. He’s right. Duh. If you want to write wonderfully, read wonderfully. Real writing doesn’t come with instructions; you read wonderful writers and dream.
Do you feel like there’s ever a point where an aspiring author should move on and realize that they may not find success in this industry?
When I was in college, my teacher Randall Keenan told me, “You may write like lightening, but it means nothing if you’re not persistent.” Every story can be re-written, re-imagined; minor characters can blossom into major characters. Major characters can be sequestered in a scene or two. Aspiring writers, aspire. Work and work and work. There’s a lid for every pot. Persistent writers will find their lids.
How did you know your agent was someone you wanted to work with and someone with whom you could build a good working relationship?
You know how you hear the story of love at first sight, and think, sure; right. I fell in love with Jennifer Lyons the first time I meet her. We meet at this Granta party with blue vodka martinis. And she said, send me your work. She got back to me the same night. I don’t know what other agents do, but Jennifer thinks about a writer’s career; she cares about how to sale your book, but she always thinks about you and the writer you want to be twenty, thirty years from now. Nothing but good can come from that relationship and that kind of thinking.
Tuesday Teaser 😉
In next week’s newsletter exclusively for our paid members, we’ve got an excellent author Q&A in which Christina Hammonds Reed, author of The Johnson Four thoughtfully tackles some of your burning questions. We especially love this quote:
“The writing of the book is like its own little love story with these complicated little fictional people in my head.”
Libby Page, author of This Book Made Me Think of You, pens a wonderful essay about overcoming self doubt:
“Sometimes my brain tricks me into thinking that my book is like a computer game, and if I do everything exactly correctly and in the correct order, then I will have completed book writing and will have achieved perfection.
But the reality is, there are countless ways of writing a novel, and a lot of them would probably be equally good, just different.”
In Tuesday’s author video, Jane Ward author of Should Have Told You Sooner, discusses her experiences with hybrid publishing and its advantages over traditional and self-publishing.
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
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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!
2026’s First Beta Reader Match Up 😎
Want to kick off your year with a creative bang? Get matched up with those writing in a similar genre and/or time zone, so they can critique your work as you critique theirs.
Your manuscript doesn’t have to be complete to sign up for this 3000-word evaluation.
This particular match up will be open to registrations from now until the 1st of February, with the match up emails going out on the 2nd of February.
Please spread the word even if you aren’t signing up this time! The more writers we have registered, the better the matches will be, which means you’ll be paying it forward to your fellow authors.
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
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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.
Ooh. Checking your ego. Always great advice!
You wander around the Kaaba a lot
that he has hidden himself there
if he does not wander around the Kaaba, then wander around until we wander
Here you drink wine
There you wear a robe
How vain you strive
Here you torment people
There you are free from sin
How vain you think
Here your companion and neighbor is in pain and illness
You are there seeking help
What do you think, where does he ask you for such a thing
What a meeting that he knows nothing but to speak in one language
What a title that he knows nothing but dinars and dirhams from you is hard
What are you looking for that you are confused
You have lost your wisdom, perhaps you do not know
Become Zamzam, now be silent
Stay intoxicated in your poetry
They sew your lips like a carpet
Thousands are seditionists
They hang you at the door of the tavern