✨Query Critiques Inside! Plus, How a Screenwriter’s Sense of Pacing Can Deepen a Novel’s Emotional Impact; Writing to Understand; & Wisdom for Memoirists✨
And farewell to 2025! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!
Happy Tuesday, writing friends!
Last week was 📕Books with Hooks 🪝week on the podcast, so you can find Carly and CeCe’s written query critiques below. Also, yesterday was the last bonus episode of the year and it was, even if we say so ourselves💅🏼, an excellent one in which CeCe chats with all the literary agents at Wendy Sherman Associates to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens at a literary agency.
For our final Substack edition of the year, we have three awesome essays lined up for you!
The first is by J Timothy Hunt, author of The Museum of Lies, who pens an excellent piece about How a Screenwriter’s Sense of Pacing Can Deepen a Novel’s Emotional Impact.
“If you pay attention, you’ll notice that in most movies, somewhere in the first three minutes, there is a line of dialog, or carefully chosen screen image, that subtly states the theme of the film or foreshadows what is to come. It can be something very simple like a person saying, “Oh, that? Don’t worry about it,” or “God, I hate Christmas,” or maybe there’s just an ominous weather report on TV. As a novelist, you also need to hook your readers from page one, so take a tip from a screenwriter and start with a bang and a bit of foreshadowing.”
Then, David Arndt, author of Philosophy of Writing, delves into the topic of Writing to Understand:
“If I began to write about something I wanted to understand, insights would start to come of their own accord. Some of the greatest joys I have ever known came in the moments of truth that occurred in and through the practice of writing.”
It really helps reframe so much of a process that, for many of us, has unfortunately become about writing to publish!
Finally, Marion Winik, author of First Comes Love, shares her wisdom for memoir writers.
“At first, some subjects seemed untouchable, as I imagined the exposure I would endure, and the shame, and the complexity of getting these difficult, multifaceted stories down right. And what about my poor mother?
Eventually I learned to recognize that “don’t do it” reaction for what it is, camouflage and barbed wire around the entrance to the place you are looking for, whether you know it or not.”
On a final note, we know this has been a long and challenging year for many of you, and we also get how difficult it is to be creative when you’re mostly treading water. Don’t beat yourselves up over it, but also don’t lose sight of the fact that the world needs artists and creatives now more than ever. Keep your flame burning bright because you never know who needs to cup their hands around it, drawing strength from its heat. 🔥
Thank you for your amazing support over the past year - we couldn’t do any of this without you. And we’ll see you on the other side. We have so much exciting stuff planned for 2026 that we can’t wait to share with you!
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! ❤️
❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
This Week’s Bonus Episode
In our final bonus episode of 2025, we uncover what really happens inside a literary agency. This week, we’re giving you a fly-on-the-wall look at a real agent meeting.
CeCe is joined by fellow agents from Wendy Sherman Associates to talk trends, romantasy, cover reveals, editor movement, author marketing pressure, and what agents actually do after a book sells. Honest, funny, and packed with insider insight—this is publishing, unfiltered.
Also don’t miss our final comps segment for 2025 with the fabulous Emilie Sommers of East City Bookshop!
