✨Riley Sager Answers YOUR Questions; and From Touching Grass to Bleeding Screens: Alina Khawaja on How to Recharge Your Writing✨

Plus, Maggie Giles shares how community can help support achievement of your writing goals, and Kathleen West shares the seemingly anti-mantra mantra she uses to get the job done

Happy Tuesday, writing friends!

And a very Happy Book Birthday to our very own Bianca Marais and her latest, A Most Puzzling Murder! 🎉🎉🎉 And on behalf of Bianca, Carly, and CeCe, a very big thank you to everyone came out for last night’s most epic launch party! ❤️

Of course, every Tuesday has multiple book birthdays, and today we’ve got AMAZING content for you from four writers whose books publish today.

First up, we could not be more excited that THE Riley Sager (whose latest, With a Vengeance, is out now!) has agreed to answer questions from you, dearest Shitlets. We put out the call asking what burning craft questions you most wanted to ask Riley and you really came through! So much so that we had some trouble picking just five, but in the end we managed it and we’ve got Riley’s incredibly insightful and generous answers for you below (Editor’s note: If you missed your chance to submit a question, fear not! Jo Piazza, author of The Sicilian Inheritance, has offered to do the same for us in an upcoming issue and you can get ahead of the pack by sending yours now to: askanauthor.theshitaboutwriting@gmail.com)!

You’ve likely heard a lot about “the writing community” and “building your community” by now, but does it resonate with you? (Editor’s note: My personal reaction to such things is typically along the lines of “This sounds like touchy-feely B.S. and a lot of work for no guaranteed reward.” And let me be clear: I am an idiot. But don’t just take my word for it…) In today’s author video, Maggie Giles (Wicked) shares her take on the power of community and all the ways (tangible and intangible) it can benefit you—from the emotional (sure, your partner supports you, but do they really get it when you open your inbox to another rejection and tell them life as you know it has lost all meaning?) to the more practical, helping you level up your writing game (all that plus a tipsheet! We do love a good practical download here at The 💩).

Kathleen West answers our questions in today’s author Q&A, with a very chill take on a writing mantra (that clearly works for her—Kathleen’s fourth novel, Making Friends Can Be Murder, is out today). It’s not pantsing (something largely associated with not plotting vs. plotting) so much as it’s about entering a state of curiosity and experimentation that might feel super-comfy for some, and deeply unsettling for others (Editors note: It’s me. I’m “others.” That said, despite my unease with uncertainty, I’m reminded of Marie Rutkoski’s video in last Tuesday’s issue, where she spoke about planting questions not just for the reader but for yourself, so there’s clearly something to this notion). Take a read and let us know what you think—are you ready to try Kathleen’s approach?

Last, but absolutely not least, we’ve got an essay from Alina Khawaja (Writing Mr. Right) on the subject of knowing when to walk away from your writing—and when to come back. We know from reader response to essays on similar topics in the past that this is a subject that resonates deeply with a lot of you, and for good reason. Like a lot (likely all) of us, Alina has faced her fair share of rejection (even after experiencing success, which somehow seems cruelest of all). In fact, she walked away from writing altogether for a time. And it was the walking away that turned out to be the boost she needed—even the fact that what she wrote required so much editing her computer screen looked like a crime scene wasn’t enough to kill her enthusiasm once she’d found it again. Take a read for tips on how you can get to that same place with you writing.

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

❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team