It's the Rewriting That Makes You an Author

Author and NPR producer Haili Blassingame joins Bianca Marais to discuss her debut novel, ‘They All Fall in Love in the End', a bold exploration of love, non-monogamy, identity, and self-discovery. Haili shares how her own experience in an open relationship inspired the story, how a viral essay led to finding an agent, and why learning to revise transformed her from a writer into an author. The conversation dives into crafting complex, “unlikable” yet compelling characters, using fiction as a way to interrogate political and personal realities, and the importance of sensitivity readers when writing beyond your lived experience.Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host ​and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Chime and use my code chime.com/TSNOTYAW for a great deal: https://www.chime.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands