Jenny Colgan Calls🐂💩 on Some Generally Accepted Writing Advice, and Ali Bryan Helps You Master Multi-POV

Plus, critically-acclaimed thriller writer Will Dean shares his writing process in a new video, and two brand-new query critiques!

Dearest friends of The Sh*t,

We’ve got another good one for our paid subscribers this week! First up is a Q&A with New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan, who shares a trick anyone can use to get the writing going when doing so feels hard, as well as some choice words to describe her opinion on some writing advice we all know and love—or do we? ✍🏼🤔 Is her take controversial, or do you agree with it? You’ll have to keep reading to find out…

We’ve also got an insight-packed essay from award-winning novelist Ali Bryan on writing Multi-POV fiction, which is both an extremely popular narrative approach and an extremely challenging one to do well. Ali clearly knows her stuff, though; you can tell just from the essay’s title (Editor’s note: you might recall I mentioned in our Friday edition that it nearly made me shoot my Nespresso out my nose and I wasn’t kidding—it’s absolutely an “It’s funny because it’s true” moment). 😂

You wouldn’t think a writer of thrillers and mysteries was scared of much (especially not one who lives and writes in a cabin he built himself in the middle of a forest in Sweden!), but you’d be wrong. Tune in to this week’s author video from Will Dean (whose latest thriller, The Chamber, releases today), to find out what he finds “utterly terrifying”—and learn how he uses that fear to drive his writing forward. 😱 We think it’s actually a pretty practical approach and one that could work for a lot of writers.

For anyone who was used to seeing Carly and Cece’s written query critiques on Thursdays and was wondering where they’d gone, don’t forget to look for them below! This week we’ve got two (very different) historical fiction queries: one set in late medieval England and France and the second during the California Gold Rush. Carly and CeCe share notes on impact, emotion, and human psychology! 📖✍🏼

🌟And last but certainly not least, some big news for everyone who’s been asking...🌟

Bianca’s All About Fantasy virtual retreat opens for early-bird registrations in just 10 sleeps! This is not a drill! We repeat: This. Is. Not. A. Drill! So mark your calendars and scroll down to see the incredible, not-to-be-missed lineup! 🎉🎉🎉

Until next time…Happy reading!

❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team