Brandon Sanderson Mansplaining, The Next Big Story, The Bonnie Blue of Agents, and Rachel's Muse is Murderous

Kayla and Rachel share juicy updates on their newest writing projects—Rachel’s twisty, spicy dinner party murder mystery (with a murder mystery game inside!) and Kayla’s speculative dystopian novel idea, recently submitted to The Novelry’s “Next Big Story” contest. They discuss the thrill and terror of writing fast, sending before revising, and navigating feedback while staying creatively uninhibited.You’ll also hear:A breakdown of Brandon Sanderson’s best story structure tips (and how Kayla used them to analyze Rachel’s character motivations)A tangent about writing sex scenes while your kids are awake (oops)A deep dive into “thisness” (aka haecceity) with examples from Margaret Atwood and Annie DillardWhether your writing should sparkle enough for an agent to remember you—and what Kayla plans to do about that one agentManifestation, muses, and Rachel’s evolving shrine cupboardAnd an honest conversation about feedback, friendship, and not wasting each other’s timeThis is an episode about being in the thick of it—writing messy, dreaming big, and figuring it all out as you go.Mentioned in this episode:The Novelry’s “Next Big Story” ContestBrandon Sanderson’s NaNoWriMo video tipsThe Oxford Writer on YouTubeMargaret Atwood’s Alias GraceAnnie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker CreekRachel’s novel-in-progress (aka the dinner party murder mystery with spice)Kayla’s male-only island dystopiaThe Write Your Heart Out Instagram – where you might see Kayla's shrine (eventually) and Rachel's vision board (maybe) @writeyourheartoutpodPlease subscribe, rate and review! New episodes every other Wednesday.E-mail us your short story at [email protected] us on instagram @writeyourheartoutpod Leave us a message at 650-260-4885