✨Getting Your "Yes" with Opening Pages They Don't See Coming✨
Plus, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn on NaNoWriMo, a Q&A with journalist Sadiya Ansari, and a 3-winner Liane Moriarty giveaway!
Greetings, lovely writing friends!
If you’ve listened to yesterday’s podcast, you already know this week’s big news: the team behind The Shit No One Tells You About Writing has come back from summer break rested, refreshed and equipped with new ideas for helping you reach your writing goals. Starting this week, they’re changing up the podcast format to alternate between author interviews and 📕Books with Hooks🪝. Watch the video below and read Carly’s message for the full scoop (which somehow includes bicycle accidents?! There’s never a dull moment here at The Sh*t…).
And speaking of the podcast, this week Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique an upmarket women's fiction query and a dark romance one, which includes some interesting discussion around the choreography of limbs (Editor’s Note: maybe listen to this one with your earbuds in, especially at work, on public transit…). 🌶️😉🌶️
Even though it’s still technically summer, those back-to-school vibes are giving us fall feelings, so what better time to start thinking about NaNoWriMo? Now, we assume you all know what NaNoWriMo is, but just in case, check it out here, then be sure read today’s essay from author Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, How To Brainstorm What To Write During NaNoWriMo. This is part one of a three-part series, and we think Laurie is someone with a lot to offer you—she wrote both her YA debut and half of her bestselling adult debut, The Girls Are All So Nice Here, during NaNo, so she knows what she’s talking about.
We’ve also got a Q&A with award-winning journalist Sadiya Ansari, whose answers to our questions are just as compelling as the premise of In Exile, her non-fiction exploration of her grandmother’s secret life that takes the reader across three continents and back a century, examining what it means to be a woman who defies cultural expectations.
Now that it’s September, we can finally say that All About Fantasy with Bianca and Friends is happening this month! The countdown is on, so register soon if you haven’t already!🧙🏼🪄🧙🏼♂️
And, last but certainly not least, we’ve got a THREE (!) winner giveaway for Liane Moriarty’s latest, Here One Moment! Hurry before the contest closes on the 15th!
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!
Announcement from our hosts 🎤
Alright guys, so we have some really exciting changes coming to the show we want to tell you about. So after four amazing years of bringing you so much content for the show, we're switching up the format. I don't want to alarm you, we're not going anywhere, but we're going to switch up the format just a little, little, little bit. So what does this mean for you guys?
One week we're going to be doing our Books with Hooks segment, which as you guys know is the query segment. And then the next week we are going to dive in depth into the author interview. So it's a rhythm that's going to let us deliver quality content for you guys and just give us a bit more space and time to create it. Life and work are really busy for all of us. We've got a lot going on behind the scenes with our jobs and Bianca's writing. And this new format is really just about sustainability for us so we can continue to bring you guys the best of what we have to offer for many more months and episodes to come.
So don't worry, we are not going anywhere. In fact, we're actually doubling down on our newsletter content. So you can expect lots of great exclusive content, all the sneak peeks, bonus goodies, all of that delivered straight to your inbox in Substack. If you haven't already, make sure that you are signed up for our Substack. And of course, we would love it if you could support us financially. Please become a paid subscriber to consume all the content that you guys love. And if you are a paid subscriber, that's gonna earn you one more newsletter episode a week, which is great. So we're so grateful for all of your support for the past four years. We're so excited about the new chapter of the show. So stick with us as we evolve many more years of learning, writing, and creating together. So thank you.
This Week’s Podcast✨🎙️✨
This week on the podcast (listen to it here!), Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique an upmarket women's fiction query and a dark romance one (spicy content warning!). They discuss
The need for cause and effect between your plot points;
Avoiding overwriting in dialogue;
The difficulties with having a very insecure protagonist;
The need for something unexpected to happen in the opening pages;
The concept of dark romance;
Specificity in your query;
Teasing backstory about your main character in your query;
Avoiding trying to do too much in your query;
Making your letter as readable as possible;
Starting novels with racy scenes; and
Being mindful of positioning and movement in sex scenes.
“There's a common screenwriting technique, which is when you're writing dialogue, you cut every other line to see if the dialogue still works. And usually it does. And that's your test to see if you're overwriting. If you want to make sure to keep it really, really sparse, audition every single word that goes into those opening pages.”
– CeCe
How To Brainstorm What To Write During NaNoWriMo: Part One of a Three Part Series
by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
September: Discovery
Hello, fellow NaNoWriMo-ers! I am the author of five traditionally published novels, and I first discovered National Novel Writing Month back in 2013. Prior to this, I’d written two novels that had been queried unsuccessfully. Each had taken me several months to write, and had been painful and inconsistent processes due to my own inner editor holding me back. I second-guessed everything I put down on the page and convinced myself my writing wasn’t good enough, which led to a cycle of negativity. I needed a jump start in a new direction, and NaNo proved to be just that—it made me write fast enough that the pesky inner editor couldn’t keep up, and for the first time, I found myself wholeheartedly immersed in the drafting process, allowing my writing to take a life of its own. My debut YA novel, Firsts, was written during NaNo 2013. I later drafted half of my adult debut, The Girls Are All So Nice Here, during NaNo—this time, it gave me the boost I needed to finish my novel.
I’m excited to share my tips for a successful NaNoWriMo experience, starting with what might be my favorite part of the process… brainstorming! There’s nothing more creatively liberating than coming up with an idea that sets your soul on fire, and hopefully I can give you some guidance to do just that.
Finding ideas
In order to write a book, you first need an idea. Where to find them? This is the best question because there is no wrong answer! Sometimes inspiration comes from lived experience, like travel and events, and other times, from consuming different forms of media (articles you read online, TV shows, movies, podcasts, other books). What I like to do is, in a notebook or my Notes app, write down or type literally anything that piques my interest. (I keep this going on a continuous basis because ideas rarely come when summoned!) It could be a potential line of dialogue, an interaction, a character’s name, a job, a plot point, a setting, a cool twist. I also have an album in my phone of screenshots I’ve saved from online inspiration, like pictures and headlines. When it comes time for me to choose my next book idea, I scroll through every note I’ve written, and every image I’ve saved, and sit with that information. (Or more literally, in my case, stand and walk with it—going for walks gives me some of my best inspiration.) It always surprises me how easy it is to tell what I’m most drawn to and passionate about. Sometimes I’ll cobble several bits together to come up with a larger idea that interests me, or there will be one big item on the list that I’m desperate to explore.
Follow your passion
A huge piece of advice during the idea selection process: go where your passion takes you. An author’s interest in their story comes through very strongly to readers, so they’ll sense if the subject matter is something you truly care about. Also, you’ll be spending many, many hours with this book, so make sure it’s something you want to write about, and learn about! One of my favorite things about the brainstorming process is getting to learn new things about topics I personally find fascinating. What are you excited about? What world do you want to immerse your characters in?
Build your idea
Once you’ve found an idea that feels like The One, start to build it out. It’s great to have a general concept of story, or inventive plot twists you want to make happen, but sit with your idea and brainstorm different directions it could go/different things that can happen. Try to determine if it has legs to become a novel of 50,000 words or more. If it feels a bit thin, now is a good time to look for ways to build it out. What events could happen to buoy the plot along? What can you add in? How can you make it rich and unique and compelling?
Choose your setting and characters
Now you have the idea and a semblance of plot, but where to set your story? And who to populate it with? Sometimes a story idea starts with a character, so maybe you know who the main players are already. In the brainstorming stage, I always like to write out notes by hand, including what I already know about my characters. What do they want, and what’s standing in their way? What internal and external forces must they overcome? How does the setting you’ve chosen play into this?
Know your genre
Will it be a contemporary family drama? A rom-com? A psychological suspense? A police procedural? Historical fiction? A YA? A combination of the above, or something else entirely? It’s smart to get a sense of genre, and where your concept might fit in the market, in the early stages, as this will help you with voice and character development.
Early research
Every writer is different, but I find it’s helpful during the idea generation stage to learn a bit more about your story’s topic. For instance, if you’re setting your book in a different decade, or century, or country, it’s a good idea to learn a little bit to make drafting easier for yourself. Also, a fun opportunity to buy some books that will help you research, and to read other novels that may align in place or theme, to get you in the mindset for drafting.
Create a mood board
This can be a physical board, or a virtual one on Pinterest, or even just images collected in an album on your phone. But if you’re a visual person, it’s nice to be able to create an aesthetic around your story, and you can return to it again later when you’re feeling in need of motivation.
The notebook
I keep a notebook for each project, and it’s a place where anything goes. I jot down notes about the story, plot points, characters, random facts, etc. There’s something about the act of physically handwriting something that allows me to be messy and enter a discovery stage that I sometimes feel limited by when I’m typing in a Word doc at my laptop.
Oh, and importantly: you’ll want to keep your notebook on your nightstand, because once your brain is lit up with your idea, you’re apt to have brilliant thoughts just as you’re falling asleep. Write them down, because contrary to what you tell yourself, you will not remember them in the morning. (Sadly, spoken from experience.)
You’re just about ready for the next stage of the process… stay tuned for NaNo prep in October!
Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is a former model who lives in London, Ontario with her husband and their four children.
Her adult fiction debut, The Girls Are All So Nice Here, was named a USA Today Best Book of 2021, sold in 11 territories worldwide, and became an instant bestseller in Canada. Her second novel for adults, Till Death Do Us Part, was an instant USA Today and national Canadian bestseller, and a Good Morning America Buzz Pick. She is also the author of three young adult novels: Firsts, Last Girl Lied To, and All Eyes On Her, under the name L.E. Flynn.
When she’s not writing, you can likely find her hiking in the woods, perusing thrift stores for vintage dresses, or bingeing on reality TV dating shows.
Author Q&A with Sadiya Ansari
Sadiya Ansari is an award-winning journalist based in London.
Her work — including essays, features, Q&As and books reviews — has appeared in the Guardian, VICE, Refinery29, the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, Reader’s Digest and more.
She has worked as a Professor of Journalism at Centennial College, managing editor of features at Global News, staff editor at Chatelaine and has reported for the Toronto Star, produced TV for CBC News, edited opinion for HuffPost Canada, and covered arts for the Canadian Press.
She is co-founder of the Canadian Journalists of Colour, a 2021 R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellow, and a 2023–24 Asper Visiting Professor at the University of British Columbia. She has served as a judge for the Digital Publishing Awards and the Amnesty International Canada Media Awards.
Her work has also been supported by the International Center for Journalists, Journalismfund Europe, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council. She holds a Masters of Public Administration from Queen’s University and a Masters of Journalism from the University of British Columbia.
TSNOTYAW: Do you have a go-to mantra or pep talk for the days when writing feels hard?
Sadiya Ansari: My mantra is just "keep going". If the writing feels hard, I will turn my attention to research or revision. If my focus is just terrible, then I’ll try to do something that will feed the writing — like listening to a podcast about craft or watching a film on the subject I’m writing about.
How do you ensure you have enough time to write amidst so many obligations competing for your time?
I really treat it like a job. When I sold In Exile, I took three months off journalistic work to finish the draft because I knew I wouldn't be able to get into the narrative unless I devoted myself to it. I was used to working on long-form pieces, so I was lucky to have a bit of experience in just trusting I just needed to get to my keyboard every morning, even on the days I wasn't sure where I was headed with the writing.
What is the most challenging part of being a successful author? And how do you mitigate its effects?
There's a loneliness that is necessary to writing, and in writing about my family secrets in particular, an anxiety around ensuring I was as sensitive as possible. These are aspects of the work only the writer can sit with — both the process of creating a narrative and owning the consequences of that narrative. I have a really wonderful community, both family and friends, who let me talk through what I'm feeling, provide me with guidance, or just distract me with bad blockbusters.
How did you get your literary agent? What was the querying process like for you?
A friend referred me to my now-agent, Sam Haywood, when I was first exploring the idea for the book and after our initial chat, she told me to get in touch when I had a few chapters. When I started looking for an agent in earnest a few years later, she came highly recommended, so I got back in touch and got really lucky that she took me on.
Do you have any regrets about your journey so far? Do you wish you had done anything differently?
I wish I knew more about the post-publication part of the process. I really pushed myself with promotion but I think there were probably more strategic ways to promote the book. Some of this is a matter of time and money, and I think longer-term planning around these things could have helped me reach more readers.
What question do you wish an interviewer would ask you? (And what’s the answer to that question!)
The questions I wish an interviewer would ask is what I find to be the *best* part of the process. And there are two answers! The first is when it's just me and the writing, when the research I've done and conversations I've had start to crystallize into something tangible. And the second is when the writing is out in the world. There's a shift that came with the publication of In Exile — it felt like the book was no longer mine but belonged to readers now. And that's been pretty cool to experience.
You can purchase In Exile: Rupture, Reunion, and My Grandmother’s Secret Life 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 📚❤️
Tuesday Teaser 😉
In next week’s newsletter exclusively for our paid members, we’ve got a Q&A with Shifa Saltagi Safadi, author of the forthcoming Middle Grade novel-in-verse Kareem Between. Shifa’s favourite piece of writing advice is one we should all take on board.
We’ve also got an essay from award-winning writer Kao Kalia Yang, whose work crosses audiences and genres. We love the way she describes her “unpredictable” career, and the secret to its success (but you’ll have to read the newsletter to find out what it is!) 🤐
Aimie K. Runyan shares a video in which she talks about the challenges of releasing multiple books, the pressure of book launches and public appearances, and more.
And, of course, we’ve got two new📕Books with Hooks🪝 written critiques!
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
weekly 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!
Giveaway!🙌🏼🥳
Three lucky subscribers stand a chance of winning a copy of Liane Moriarty's latest, Here One Moment.
Entries close on the 15th of September with the winners being announced on the 16th.
Learn All About Fantasy with Bianca and Friends!🧙🏼🪄🧙🏼♂️
Join Bianca Marais on the 28th of September from 9am-5pm ET as she hosts a one-day virtual retreat specifically aimed at fantasy authors!
Whether you write YA Fantasy, Romantasy, Adult Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Dystopian Fantasy, or any other variation of the genre, you won’t want to miss out on this amazing day of learning dedicated especially to you and those writing in your genre.
The retreat will be taped, and the recording and materials will be sent out to all registered delegates the next day. Each session that includes a Q and A will allow you to ask the speakers all your burning questions.
A closed Facebook group will be created so that delegates can interact with one another before and after the retreat as a way of building and maintaining community.
The registration fee is US $ 149.00.
For more information, and to book your spot, click below:
Be Part of Carly’s Masterclass 😍📝
Carly’s class includes 10+ hours of writing and publishing video lessons you have lifetime access to, monthly Q&A sessions, and fresh content every quarter.
Did we mention there’s an app, too? You can keep learning on the go. Don’t miss a minute of Carly’s top career advice for aspiring, emerging and published writers. Get the writing career you’ve always dreamed of.
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.
Thank you for sticking with this for four years because just recently found you! I can’t live without you now, obsessed. Bianca, love the message and you walking the walk! Let’s write! Thanks for all of your knowledge and encouragement.
Hi! Where can we find the query letters & pages from this episode's books with hooks segment? I didn't see them in this post or in the email.
Thank you!