✨Even Praise is a Distraction to be Avoided, and Other Hard-Won Insights from Susan Wiggs; and Leigh Radford on the Importance of Self-Belief✨

Also inside, Carly & CeCe's query critiques; Tasha Coryell shares her strategy for surviving feedback; and a not-to-be-missed video from debut author Natalie Guerrero!

Happy Tuesday, writing friends!

Buckle up, Shitlets, because we are on the verge of an indignant rant today (it’s not aimed at you, of course. Because we ❤️ you). We shouldn’t need essays like today’s one by Susan Wiggs, but here we are, once again compelled to shout into the void about the absolute ridiculous waste of energy it is to yuck another’s yum by unnecessarily spouting off one’s personal (and just plain wrong) opinion that certain genres of books are superior while others should be embarrassed to exist.

We defy anyone who reads this essay to reach the part where Susan describes the heartfelt feedback she got from a fan and not see that as an absolute victory, and an excellent reason to write (one of the best ones, actually, after doing it because you feel you simply must) whatever kind of book moves you. Because there will always be someone out there who shares your sensibilities, and that person’s opinion matters a whole lot more than some troll who decries anything that isn’t literary (but who has likely never read, say, War and Peace…). Susan (whose Wayward Girls is out now!) is able to get past this nonsense, possibly because of her ridiculously successful career or possibly because of this insightful pearl her mother once told her: “You wouldn't worry so much about what people think of you, if only you realized how little they did.” (Ouch, but also spot-on.)

We’ve also got two excellent videos for you today. Our first, from Tasha Coryell (Matchmaking for Psychopaths), is all about creating healthy habits around receiving feedback. Tasha (who, sounds awfully, like, together, for someone with so much insight into the dating preferences of the unhinged…) knows that reacting emotionally to feedback is often triggered by viewing it as if it were a comment on, or reflection of, who you are as a person, and shares the techniques she’s learned to help her avoid falling into the trap of taking it personally. Being able to work with feedback—from agents and editors in particular—is a big part of being a successful writer, so it’s good to start training for it now, and Tasha’s video is a good place to start!

Before writing My Train Leaves at Three (out today!), debut novelist Natalie Guerrero spent a lot of time working on an (ultimately unsuccessful) non-fiction proposal, and today she shares what the experience taught her. It’s a massive lesson and we’re hoping that if you spend just 5 minutes watching the second of today’s videos, you’ll be able to avoid having to learn it the hard way. What does Natalie now understand about the marketplace, and what it does and does not want to hear from you? Watch her video to find out, and you’ll also get an excellent and succinct example of “show don’t tell” from her book for anyone still struggling with that concept, as well as her take on the actual benefits of working full-time while writing (no, really!).

Leigh Radford (One Yellow Eye) is in our Q&A hotseat today, with answers that range from the practical yet funny (“when I can’t seem to write anything I read, and at the same time, I am able to foster the illusion that I am extremely busy doing important research“) to the incredibly moving (try not to get tears on your keyboard when she shares what made her finally stop wishing to write, and get actually get on with doing it already). Plus, if you’ve never heard of it before, Leigh shares the course she took that not only gave her the structure, deadlines and confidence boost she needed to complete her book, but also put her work directly into the hands of the agent who ended up signing her! Check it out below!

Last but not least, last week was 📕Books with Hooks🪝week on the podcast, so you can find Carly and CeCe’s written query critiques below!

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! ❤️

❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team