How Research Should Inform a Novel Without Leaving Too Many Fingerprints

In today's Books with Hooks , Carly, CeCe, and Bianca are joined by Ron , to discuss his query submission. They chat about Ron's curiosity-inducing first query paragraph; the line between giving away too much plot and sharing just enough in a query; how subjective agents’ opinions can be; the right emotional calibration within your characters; the issue with having too many names in opening pages; ways authors share the socio-emotional frameworks of their characters; balancing interiority with explanation and exposition; the difference between emotionality, interiority, and 'telling'; and the idea of putting characters in situations that will reveal the right things about them. After which, Bianca interviews Garrard Conley , professor, and New York Times bestselling author of the memoir, Boy Erased . They discuss All the World Beside ; the letter to the reader in the advanced copy; Gerrard's unconventional journey to the publication with Boy Erased ; the role of luck in the industry; whether Garrard had a large platform/following when he published his memoir; subjectivity of agents and publishers; Garrard's process in writing his latest book; the benefits of researching, even when some of the information doesn't make it into the final work; the number of edits Garrard went through before he produced his final draft; and the idea of 'jazz hands writing' versus simplistic emotional truth. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: 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/TSNOTYAW Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com , www.biancamarais.com , www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting More information about Garrard can be found at: https://garrardconley.com/biography He's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gayrodcon/ Twitter at https://twitter.com/gayrodcon and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/garrardc/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Quince: https://quince.com/tsnotyaw * Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com * Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands