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In today’s new episode, we have Holly Black, the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of the popular books that many of you recognize her from are the “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and The Modern Faerie Tale series. She’s also hugely popular for “The Coldest Girl in Coldtown” and the Magisterium series. Holly’s been a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award, the Mythopoeic Award and a Newbery Honor.
In the episode, we talk about the importance of understanding your character’s oppositions to move your plot forward, how to make the most out of critique groups and get the best constructive feedback for your story, the importance of being a part of a community that understands the ups and downs of the industry and ways you can find that community for yourself, and the characteristics you want to ideally find in your critique partner.
We also discuss how to overcome self-doubt as a writer and Holly shares a bunch of writing tools that help set writing goals. We dive into what it means to fast draft and how it pushes you past your critical eye to finish your first draft. For listeners especially focused on the craft of writing, you are going to freaking love today’s episode because Holly also shares how she starts a story with a character and a feeling, and how that navigates her to write the rest of the novel with an image in mind that evokes that specific feeling. Holly unpacks why it’s crucial to describe the fantastical elements at the same level of reality when writing contemporary fantasy, and how to craft narrative voices that resonate with your intended audience by thinking about what you cared about during that age.
Heads up: This episode is so good.
Say 'Hi' to Holly on Twitter! Check out the books and resources mentioned in her episode by clicking here!
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
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If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
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Would you love to support our show with some 88 Cups of Tea swag? Grab our limited edition mug (signed by yours truly) here!
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Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things! You can really feel the love and support in our Facebook community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to have a clear profile picture of yourself. If not, send over links to either your Twitter or Instagram. Fill out the 3 questions that pop up as soon as you join. To protect our group's safe space, these steps help us weed out any spam/fake profiles/creepers. Can't wait to meet you!
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Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
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“A lot of times we are doing things that have nothing to do with our writing until someday it does.” -Holly Black (Click to tweet!)
“Write for your reader-self, not your writer-self.” -Holly Black (Click to tweet!)
“The more real that you can make the real world, the more real the fantasy is going to feel.” -Holly Black (Click to tweet!)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
E. Lockhart is the author of the New York Times bestseller "We Were Liars". In this episode, we dig deep into her newest novel, "Genuine Fraud", where you’ll learn about the inspiration behind the book and its main characters.
She walks us through how she structured her novel and tackled the challenging timeline, and how she wrote her first action sequence by studying other great action sequences. Further into our conversation, we discuss how E. creates effective and realistic story settings, and how she creates emotional resonance in her writing. Craft-focused writers will love our chat about unreliable narrators and why it’s crucial to never lie to the readers.
On a more personal note, E. walks us through one of the most difficult times in her career and how it became a blessing in disguise that navigated her way to success. We wrap up the episode with actionable advice for you to achieve your writing goals. This episode is packed with some fantastic knowledge bombs and I’m excited for you to dive in.
Say 'Hi' to E. Lockhart on Twitter! and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode by clicking here!
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
---
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
---
Would you love to support our show with some 88 Cups of Tea swag? Grab our limited edition mug (signed by yours truly) here!
---
Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things! You can really feel the love and support in our Facebook community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to have a clear profile picture of yourself. If not, send over links to either your Twitter or Instagram. Fill out the 3 questions that pop up as soon as you join. To protect our group's safe space, these steps help us weed out any spam/fake profiles/creepers. Can't wait to meet you!
---
Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
---
“If they [the characters] feel very close to people, it’s because they’re close to me.” -E. Lockhart (Click to tweet)
“Sometimes the door opens but it’s not the door you thought you were knocking on, but it’s still a door.” -E. Lockhart (Click to tweet)
“I’m not going to create my best work if I stay in totally familiar territory.” -E. Lockhart (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
We have Nic Stone in our new episode, author of the incredibly powerful debut, "Dear Martin". Her new novel releases on October 17 and I am incredibly excited that we can reveal an excerpt from "Dear Martin" that’s exclusive to our 88 Cups of Tea community. To read the exclusive excerpt, click here!
In our conversation, you’ll learn what inspired the idea for Nic’s debut and what helped to shape the voice of her main character Justyce McAllister. She shares how to create emotional resonance in our work by being vulnerable and writing like a reader. We discuss the importance of having an honest and visionary editor on your team, the importance of diverse representation in the publishing industry, and how playing with the format of your book can help you cater to specific audiences.
We talk about the detrimental problems caused by systemic racism and we deep-dive into understanding that the root of anger can lead to compassion, and how to create change through self-reflection. We wrap up the interview chatting about Nic’s next novel that she is currently working on!
Say 'Hi' to Nic on Twitter! and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode by clicking here!
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
---
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
---
Would you love to support our show with some 88 Cups of Tea swag? Grab our limited edition mug (signed by yours truly) here!
---
Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things! You can really feel the love and support in our Facebook community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to have a clear profile picture of yourself. If not, send over links to either your Twitter or Instagram. Fill out the 3 questions that pop up as soon as you join. To protect our group's safe space, these steps help us weed out any spam/fake profiles/creepers. Can't wait to meet you!
---
Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
---
“I wasted time trying to find balance instead of just working with what I had.” -Nic Stone (Click to tweet)
“I have to do my art, I have to write, I have to do these things that keep me thriving and keep me going and keep me feeling alive.” -Nic Stone (Click to tweet)
“Write like a reader and read like a writer.” -Nic Stone (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: