My New Favourite Podcast: The S#!T No One Tells You About Writing

I’ve mentioned before on my blog that one of the things I love to do in the middle of the day to keep my mind fresh is take my dog for a walk. This much-needed “me time” is my opportunity to shut my brain off for a bit, to get outside of my head and recharge my focus-battery for the afternoon writing session. Instead of listening to music, though, as I used to do, I’ve taken to listening to podcasts in more recent years. There are several I enjoy, with topics ranging from content creation to entrepreneurship, from positivity to psychology. But my new favourite podcast, which I began listening to at the end of this winter, is called The S#!T No One Tells You About Writing.

This podcast is hosted by author Bianca Marais, and literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra from P.S. Literary Agency. Coincidentally, I’d been following Carly Watters loosely for nearly a decade, having been originally inspired by her online presence and style of social engagement when I was just a newbie, unpublished, aspiring author. (I say coincidentally because I’d just randomly searched for “writing podcasts” when I came across TSNOTYAW… and yes, that acronym is pronounced T-SNOT-YAW, lol!) The format typically begins with agent commentary on actual query letters they’ve received, before moving into the topic of the show which involves a guest author. It’s informative, fun and strong, and with each episode I listen to, I gain valuable takeaways that I can apply to my own writing.

Here are three of the many reasons why this show has become my new favourite podcast for my noon-time walk with the doggo.

Getting a feel for the query letter

Though I do enjoy the guest author portion, I admittedly enjoy the part with the query letters the most. I love seeing what other authors come up with, and how they approach the query letter process. I, myself, am not actively querying right now (though I have done so successfully in the past so am familiar with how it works), but I still find it interesting to see how other creative minds approach the process. What information do they share about their books? How do they open their query letter? How much do they share about themselves? There is, of course, tons of “How To Write a Query Letter” advice posts out there on Internetland, but I have found that the best way to improve your own efforts is to have access to someone else’s query letter that an agent has picked out of their pile and designated discussion-worthy.

Agent insights served fresh

Anyone who has submitted a manuscript for consideration before knows the sting of the rejection letter. Your girl Veronica is no exception. Internet wisdom suggests that it’s not personal, but that we shouldn’t seek out additional feedback for why our manuscript was turned down (which, by the way, is very appropriate wisdom—don’t do it!). Even still, it can be hard not to feel dejected by a “no thanks” or a no response, and to not feel a little lost on how to correct whatever it is that you did “wrong” (quotes intentional… maybe there was nothing wrong after all; it just wasn’t right for that agent). The head says “It’s all good, keep moving forward,” but the heart says “I’m dying inside.”

On this podcast, Carly and CeCe give you their insights, both on what they found good about their selected query letter and the first five pages attached, and what might benefit from improvement. As they’re discussing their insights, I love that they are so positive. There are no criticisms, just honest critiques. Listening to these two passionate professionals, you do come to understand and appreciate that nothing about their rejections are personal, and that their enthusiasm is genuine. Here is an example that had me grinning on my noon doggo walk.

At 29:49 in May 25th’s episode, CeCe Lyra says of the manuscript and letter she’s chosen to share, “I want to read a great first line, because this is an amazing first line: ‘The droplets from the crystal chandelier twirled rainbows onto the carpet where little feet used to dance among the colors, trying to catch the green or red with her plump toes.’ What makes this line so amazing is ‘they used to’; little feet ‘used to’. Because immediately I go, ‘Wait. Where did the feet go? The feet aren’t dancing anymore. Where are the feet?’ I want to know where is the child.” Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I too found I wanted to know where the feet went. For me, this passage is a prime example of the passion that these literary agents have for what they do, and for what they help authors to achieve. It’s simply fantastic.

Mythical creatures no more

While it’s hard to not feel disappointed by a rejection, I would argue that it’s equally hard to not fall into the habit of thinking of the literary agent as the “mythical creature.” A unicorn, perhaps, or a phoenix that holds the key to a writer’s success and career. One must approach cautiously and with great forethought of action in order to not offend or frighten or chase off… even though, when we allow logic to prevail over fantasy, we know deep down that agents are just people doing their job. This is a truth which this podcast puts into perspective for me: an agent is a real person, with their own quirks, humour, wit, preferences and style. I find that listening to TSNOTYAW bridges the gap between the perception of the mythical creature and the reality of the professional individual in my head.

So in conclusion, friends, if you are looking for your next favourite podcast to listen to, I highly recommend The S#!T No One Tells You About Writing. I hope you find it as insightful, inspiring, and entertaining as I do. Happy listening!