Lit Service

The Lit Service crew chats with Emily Suvada about science, technology, engineering, and math, it's importance in literature and how to write it through research, creating believable characters and craft.

Be sure to check out the submission on our website: litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation

That's also where you can find info on how to get a first chapter critique from us.

Some of the books we highlight in this episode:

Jurrasic Park by Michael Crichton

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Cinder by Marrisa Meyer

The Martian by Andy Weir

Back to the Future (which is not a book, but is a good example of using fake science in a good way)

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

Star Wars, as usual.

Literary Agent Ben Grange joins the podcast to tell us why plot twists will make or break your book...but not for every genre. We discuss how to go about setting up plot twists and some ideas as to why the do or don't work for readers.

In this episode we discuss

10 Cloverfield Lane (AGAIN. Anyone see number three?)

The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

The Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Traitor's Kiss by Erin Beaty

ALL THE M. NIGHT SHAMALAN

And briefly mention A Quiet Place and Arrival.

If you want to submit your first chapter for a critique, come check out our website: litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation

If you'd like to see the video feed from this episode, you can find it here:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAwCuuXgxfAfIlSFCSNyOA?view_as=subscriber?&ab_channel=LitService

This week Kristen, Caitlin, and Cameron talk about rising tension and how to use it in your writing and announce our special publishing industry professional guest for April. Some books we mention: 

Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

American Panda by Gloria Chao

Out of the Dust by Karen Hess

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

Also, we talk about the movie While You Were Sleeping

Check out our youtube channel if you want to watch this episode (or...the first half of it, anyway, we're still new to youtube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAwCuuXgxfAfIlSFCSNyOA?view_as=subscriber?&ab_channel=LitService

Also, if you are interested in submitting your work for us to critique, come check out our submission guidelines here: https://litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation

Erin, Caitlin, Cameron, and Kristen chat about how character and plot fit together, and how, as you are engineering your character, to choose flaws and strengths that suit the sort of plot you want to write. Erin talks about the emotional core of a book and how oftentimes conflict is internal rather than external.

Please check out the submission we critque here: litservice.wixsite.com/podcast

If you want to submit your first chapter for us to critique, check out the submission guidelines on our website!

Remember to listen in two weeks to find out who we are having as a guest for the month of April!

In which Caitlin, Kristen, and Cameron examine the correct pronunciation of the words "latrine" and "Yosemite". We also talk about our own writing habits and how to cultivate the consistent sort of habits both with writing and editing.

Please come visit us on Twitter https://twitter.com/LitService, facebook https://www.facebook.com/LitServicePodcast/ or on instagram https://www.instagram.com/litservicepodcast/

Come visit our fledgling forum, talk about writing, publishing, look for potential critique partners and generally have a good time! https://litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation/forum

If you want to check out the actual text from the chapter we critiqued in this episode with our notes and everything, you can find it on our website. This is also the place you can find our submission guidelines: https://litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation

Thanks for listening, and we hope you'll join us for our special guest next week!

The Lit Service crew chats about what makes a compelling antagonist or villain with Simon Pulse assistant editor Sarah McCabe.

We highlight some of our favorite examples of antagonists such as Mayor Prentiss from Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, Jackal and Cassius from Red Rising by Pierce Brown, as well as the choices main characters are forced to make as a result of their interactions with these antagonists.

If you'd like to check out the text of the submission critiqued during the show, it can be found on our website, https://litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation

Are you querying author in need of a critique? You can find our submission guidlines on our website.

Don't forget to check out the forum if you want to chat about writing or find a critique partner who likes our Sandersonian rules about what is and is not helpful feedback. You can also talk to us and other querying authors on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

In this episode we talk about some changes to the podcast. We have a new website: litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation where you can find our shiny new forum, a place you can chat about your own work and find craft-savvy querying authors like yourself with whom to form writing groups.

We also announce that in two weeks we'll have special guest Sarah McCabe, an editor at Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse. If you'd like a chance to have her give your first chapter a gander, check out the submission guidlines on our website!

Please follow us @litnation on Twitter, and @litnationpodcast on Instagram and facebook to see more from us and join the new community forming around the Lit Service podcast.

This week we talk about Young Adult and Middle Grade and how they differ.

Inciting incidents: what they are and how to effectively choose one. Kristen, Cameron, and Caitlin discuss their own writerly inciting incidents (how they started writing) and then talk about they ways inciting incidents affect the rest of the story, specifically using examples from RED RISING by Pierce Brown, THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr, ILLUMINAE by Amie Kaufman and Jay Krisoff, LAST STAR BURNING by Caitlin Sangster, and JURASSIC PARK the old and fabulous movie that Cameron has been fixated on for a few episodes now :)

If you'd like to submit your work to be critiqued by the Literary WIP team . . . hold your horses. This is the last episode of the season, and we're going to be changing some things next year. Please stay tuned for announcments about how and when to submit. We're really excited about next season and can't wait to share!

The submission featured in today's podcast (as well as tons of other writing tips and writing advice to help polish your first chapter so it's beautiful and sparkly enough to catch agent attention) can be found on our website: literarywip.wixsite.com/podcast

Peace out, happy holidays, and good luck in the trenches!

Romantic Subplots! The best AND the worst! How do you keep your romantic subplot from feeling like...a plot point? We talk about building relationships in books and how to help your characters come together instead of shoving them together.

We talk exhaustively about the relationships in Maggie Steifvater's THE RAVEN BOYS, Leigh Bardugo's THE SIX OF CROWS, THE WINNER'S CRIME, by Marie Rutkoski, Stranger Things, Firefly and lots of other awesome books and TV shows.

For this week's submission or to submit your own work to be critiqued, check out our website: literarywip.wixsite.com/podcast

To learn more about our guest, visit her website: http://www.erinbeaty.com/

Want to know where your book fits on a bookshelf? We do too, and so do the agents and editors reviewing your query letters. With guest Kate Watson, we chat about why it's important to know where you fit into your genre and how it can help your writing.

You can find out more about Kate Watson and her books here: http://www.katewatsonbooks.com/

If you're interested in Blake Snyder's Save the Cat beat sheets, you can find them here: http://www.savethecat.com/beat-sheets-alpha

If you'd like to see Jami Gold's beat sheets adapted for different genres, they're here: https://jamigold.com/for-writers/worksheets-for-writers/

Want to see today's submission? It's on our website: https://literarywip.wixsite.com/podcast

If you'd like us to review your first chapter, check out our submission guidlines on the website.

Enjoy today's episode? Leave us a rating in comment in iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks!