✨Meg Tady on Writing Secondary Characters Readers Will Want to Spend Time With; and Suzanne Allain's Inspiring Publishing Odyssey✨

Plus, ICYMI, we're on YouTube! And don't forget to register for the 2025 Deep Dive before it's too late!

Happy Tuesday, writing friends!

If you’ve ever worried your publishing journey’s taking too long to get from Point A (fingers tentatively touching keyboard) to Point Z (“NYT Bestselling Author Back with Another Hit”), today’s Q&A with novelist/screenwriter Suzanne Allain (The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right) is for you. Suzanne’s publishing journey REALLY has been a journey. Like, practically Homeric. In fact, after her first novel came out in 2001, it was nearly 20 years before her second, Mr. Malcolm’s List, was published—that’s nearly twice as long as it took Odysseus to get home (not to mention nearly 18 years after it was written)! It’s a really cool story and you should definitely check it out—and take heart!🚣🏼‍♀️📕

We’ve also got an essay from Megan Tady (whose sophomore effort, Bluebird Day, is out now) on the subject of secondary characters. The majority of us likely start a new story by envisioning our main protagonist, which is fine, but at a certain point you need to pay attention to who you’re surrounding them with—a fully fleshed out cast of secondary characters can mean the difference between a book that sells and one that falls flat. Or, as Megan puts it in her essay, think of your book like a dinner party, where you need to think deliberately about who you invite to your table (the characters you write onto the page) because it can mean the difference between a memorable evening (read), and one that will make your other guests (the readers you invite into this world) think twice before accepting your invitations in the future.💌📫📖

Still can’t believe it’s already December? Plugging your ears and doing the whole “la la la I can’t hear you” thing when faced with the prospect of it somehow being nearly 2025? We feel you. As painful as that may be, though, it does at least mean we’re that much closer to the next Deep Dive Virtual Retreat. With less than two months to go, spaces are filling fast. Don’t miss out and end up kicking yourself—sign up while you still can!

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team