The Novel Writers Podcast

Can you still get burnout when you’re doing your dream job? Join Bri and Mer as they chat about *gasp* ambition, tapped creative wells and figuring out how to push yourself just the right amount. Come for the commiserating over the fact that writing is really, freaking hard and stay for the ladies’ new dream job that’s everything the movies say it is. Books MentionedDissection of a Murder by Jo MurrayRavenous by Sara Cooper

Will there be fisticuffs? Possibly! (Probably not). But join Bri and Mer anyway as they talk about conflict and how it goes far beyond the seven main categories you were taught in school. They discuss how to create minor layers of conflict that amplify your book’s theme, how to make your audience care, and how stakes play a role in all of it. Come for the reasons why Bri thinks conflict makes everything easier, and stay for the fight! Fight! Fight!

Hey, agents are humans, too. And to prove that Bri and Mer bring on their brilliant, shared agent, Abby Saul of The Lark Group, to talk all things publishing. Abby spills the tea on queries, comps, the state of publishing, and more. Come for the tips on preventable query mistakes and stay for the burning question: what ever happened to that god-awfully named genre “chick lit”?Episode Outline00:00 - 22:00 - Intro21:57 - 1:23:15 - Our Chat with Abby Saul1:23:15 - 1:39:20 - Book RecsBooks MentionedThe Housewife by Natalie BarelliBuckeye by Patrick Ryan Dad Had a Bad Day by Ashton Poliantoff

Is it editing or revisions? Either way, it’s really freaking hard. This is where the manuscript becomes a book and where you earn your paycheck. Bri and Mer discuss self-editing and dreaded blindspots, beta readers and feedback from friends, and the emotional stakes of being professionally edited. Come for tips on how to find the message behind the editing note and stay to find out what 19th century viscounts have to do with anything. Books mentioned:She’s a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock Obstetrix by Naomi KritzerFalling Back in Love With Being Human by Kai Cheng ThomFound Time by Caroline GoldsteinWolf Hall by Hilary MantelEpisode Outline00:00 - 08:35 - Intro08:36 - 58:46 - Editing discussion 58:46 - 1:10:03 - Book Recs

A book is so much more than just the spark of an idea. A ton of people have the spark of an idea—and now can plug it into a plagarism machine to spit out a story. But you become a writer in the millions of choices you make between the story idea and putting the words down on the page. Bri and Mer both lay out their creative process, from where they come up with ideas to how they create their characters and plot beats, highlight the different ways that can work for every individual writer and have one or to revelations about their own writing process ten years in. Come for mini-rants about AI and stay for Mer’s brush with viral fame. Isola by Allegra GoodmanBromantasy by Maire RocheSingle Player by Tara TaiThe Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahonEPISODE OUTLINE00:00 - 14:01 - What is going on in our writing lives? 14:01 - 1:16:02 - Craft Topic: Build-a-Book1:16:02 -1:22:21 - Book Recs

Gatekeepers, cheerleaders, partners-in-crime, the person you call to talk you down from a panic attack, or the person standing in the way of your dream. Literary agents have been labeled many different things in the publishing industry, but mostly they’re just people who love books just as much as you do. Bri and Mer, who were signed a few months apart in 2016, discuss their journey to getting representation, offer advice on the agent-writer relationship, and, gasp!, read their query letters. Come for the nuanced discussion about finding the right agent for you and stay for the typos they both find in said query letters. Books mentioned:Famesick, Lena Dunham

It’s one of the most valuable tools in a writer’s kit, but what even is voice? And how does it differ from your characters’ voices? Bri and Mer chat about the way your whole life can shape your writing voice, discuss writing outside your own identity, and offer tips that include listening to curling podcasts and reading newspapers. They then realize they might be old. Come for the tips about how to create unique character voices even while using multiple POVs and stay for Bri and Mer’s one key element that will make you a better writer.Books mentioned:The Ending Writes Itself, by Evelyn ClarkeFlyweight, Courtney EllisStation Eleven and Exit Party, Emily St. John MandelThe Eyes are the Best Part, Monika KimMary, Nat CassidyHave a question or a craft topic suggestion? Email us at [email protected] or DM us on Instagram @novelwriterspodcast. EPISODE OUTLINE00:00-12:50 - Intro/What is going on in our writing lives? 12:50 - 54:38 - Craft Topic: Voice 54:38- 1:03:47 - Book Recommendations Opening and Closing Titles by Simon SchweitzerAudio Production by Simon Schweitzer

Two writers with slow-burn allegations spill everything they know about pacing--and they do promise it doesn’t lag in the middle. Mer and Bri discuss the somewhat nebulous concept of pace, while also offering tips—like using multiple POVs—to keep the narrative arc moving. Their worldviews get slightly rocked when it’s revealed one of them likes writing toward the mid-point of the book instead of the ending, while their Grey’s Anatomy knowledge helps them remember what those heart-reading charts are called. Come for the flashing neon warning Bri offers about saving your work and stay for a little daydreaming about nineties boyband hair. Books we recommend on this episode:American Fantasy by Emma StraubGo Gentle by Maria Semple Episode Outline00:00-09:35 - Intro/What's going on in our writing lives09:36-1:13:30 - Craft Topic: Pacing 1:13:30-1:17:30 - Book Recommendations

You know when you go to a magic show, you’re going to be tricked… and you’re going to love it. But how does the magician get the audience to look the other way when everyone is just as eager to catch him in the misdirection as they are to be delighted?Mer and Bri discuss the best way to write twists while at the same time solving a murder involving a greedy developer and some rat poison. Finally, they parse through the ways twists can mean different things in genre and literary fiction. Come for a a break down of the satisfying/unexpected endings quadrant and stay for a debate over a real-life, six-figure twist. Books we recommend on this episode:Cherry, Baby by Rainbow RowellWhidbey By T Kira Madden Episode Outline00:00-15:00 - Intro/What is going on in our writing lives? 15:00 - 1:05:00 Our Craft Topic: Twists 1:05:00 - Book Recommendations Opening and Closing Titles by Simon SchweitzerAudio Production by Simon Schweitzer

She woke up, walked down the stairs, made herself some breakfast and then posted her podcast about how you decide the right place to start the story. Mer and Bri discuss the fine balance between hooking readers’ interest and forcing an inciting incident too early into the plot, and how just because TV executives want big action to come within the first thirty seconds—to keep audiences from changing the channel—that doesn’t mean you should shove your first chapter full of dead bodies. Come for our honest reaction on some bad writing advice, and stay for us working through Big Feelings about editorial feedback. Books we recommend on this episode:Last Stop at Union Station by Sarah JamesJulie Chan is Dead by Liann ZhangMurder on Sex Island by Jo Firestone

With the pop culture spotlight on genre books such as Heated Rivalry and Project Hail Mary, there has been some heated discourse about what constitutes “good writing.” Join Bri and Mer as they discuss genre expectations, why those don’t equate to low standards, and whether the current state of Capital L literary fiction is as dire as pearl-clutchers might have you believe. Come for the discussion on whether forgoing quotation marks is deeply artistic or deeply annoying and stay for advice on how to level up your own prose. Books we recommend in this episode: The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth ArnottHeated Rivalry series by Rachel ReidCrux by Gabriel TallentThe Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu Check out our books! https://briannalabuskes.com/meredithhambrock.com