Writerly Insights with Bestselling Author, Elin Hilderbrand

In today's Books with Hooks , Carly and CeCe tackle two queries each. In the process, they discuss how you have less time to get to the inciting incident in a YA novel; being mindful of ‘telling’ that doesn’t move the storyline forward or is irrelevant; why too much interiority isn’t good in a query letter and how to replace interiority with plot; avoiding redundancies and repetition in your query letter and pages ; and how building mystery requires specificity by the author. After which, CeC e chats with bestselling author, Elin Hilderbrand , about how to make unlikeable characters whole and real; the benefits of third-person close, and why you can get even closer than with first-person; why Elin will never write in first person; how the University of Iowa writing program made Elin miserable; how Elin’s literary background has contributed to her commercial success; how classic techniques can be transformed into fresh ways of thinking and writing (the Greek chorus in Elin’s case); how Elin deals with writer’s block; how writing isn’t magic but hard work; and Elin's plans for retirement. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Website: www.biancamarais.com Elin Hilderbrand can be found at www. elinhilderbrand.net and on Instagram and Twitter at: @elinhilderbrand 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