Writers With Wrinkles

Forcing yourself to "just write every day" can make writer's block worse. Author Sylvia Liu shares the sideways fixes that actually get you unstuck.

Writer's block isn't one problem. It's too many ideas, no ideas, a muddy middle, a deadline that's choking you, or a world that feels too loud to write in. Use the wrong fix and you stay stuck for months. Sylvia is a former environmental attorney turned middle grade and dystopian sci-fi author, and her toolkit covers all of those. Lisa got unstuck on her own manuscript live, mid-recording.

In this episode:

• Why "writer's block" is really an umbrella term, and how to tell which kind you have
• The list-and-mash-up exercise that sparks story ideas (and the summer camp ghost story with horseshoe crabs)
• What to do when the news and the scroll are eating your creative energy
• Two plot fixes for pantsers: "stakes and agency" and the midpoint swap
• Mind maps, chapter thumbnails with emoji, and reverse outlining
• How the Beat Sheet Calculator can help with pacing, and why middle grade word counts keep shrinking
• Why walking without your AirPods may beat staring at your laptop
• The worst writer's block advice Sylvia has heard
• Why a throwaway secondary character may be the answer you already planted

Resources and mentions:

• Sylvia Liu's website: enjoyingplanetearth.com
• Sylvia's newest book, Now That We Don't Talk, released October 6
• KidLit411, a resource website and Facebook community for children's writers and illustrators (co-founded by Sylvia and Elaine Kiley Kearns in 2013)
• Beat Sheet Calculator, which maps Save the Cat beats to your word count
• TBR Live on Instagram, a weekly 30-minute group quiet-reading session

If you're stuck on chapter three, or stuck in your life, hit play. You may walk away with the one tool that gets you writing again.

More  on our blog at writerswithwrinkles.net.

Looking to self publish? Let's chat. Writers With Wrinkles Press now open!

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Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

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What do you do when the story you can't stop thinking about doesn't fit the genre you're known for? Thriller author Dina Marie (Dina Santorelli) took a ghost, a Salem mansion, and a big risk, and ended up with a paranormal cozy mystery series.

She started with zero readers, and her first draft took four weeks. The cost of not knowing how she did it is another year of sitting on an idea that won't leave you alone. Hit play to hear what she learned, and why one very popular ghost is about to get a lot more page time.

In this episode:

• The Salem vacation that was never supposed to be work, and the idea that followed
• Why her first plan (a paranormal romance) changed course
• The "rules" for how ghosts behave in her world
• What starting over with no readers looked like, and why she waited ten months to publish
• What readers told her about the character they wanted more of
• The perfect "if you like X, you'll like this" comparison
• A ghost story swap that went way off topic (in the best way)

Books mentioned:

• Going Ghost (Salem Spirits, Book 1)
• Ghost Rider (Book 2)
• Grateful Ghost (Book 8, released in August)

Find Dina's books: https://www.dinamariebooks.com/

More about this episode and the blog: writerswithwrinkles.net

This is the first Confetti Club, our new segment celebrating authors and their brand-new books. Hit play, follow the show, and grab a little confetti. Then tell us which ghost story of ours creeped you out most.

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Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

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We're back in Napa, where the Writers With Wrinkles podcast was born five years ago, with a new book and a new self-publishing press for writers.

Every self-published author we've talked to says the same thing: it was a lot more complicated than they expected. We spent the last year learning why, and we want your manuscript to get out of the drawer with fewer surprises along the way.

Hit play, then visit writerswithwrinklespress.com to send your questions or book a call with us.

In this episode

• Why we're celebrating in Napa, the spot where this podcast was hatched
• The book: Write, Revise, Publish: Essential Lessons from the Writers With Wrinkles Podcast, out now wherever you buy books
• Meet Writers With Wrinkles Press, and why we built it
• The one thing everyone says after they self-publish
• How to reach us, and what's next for Season 6

Links and next steps

• Writers With Wrinkles Press: writerswithwrinklespress.com (ask questions or book a phone call)
• Book: Write, Revise, Publish: Essential Lessons from the Writers With Wrinkles Podcast, available everywhere books are sold
• Add the book to your Goodreads shelf.

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Your graphic novel isn't a novel. It's a screenplay, and editors can tell from page one whether you know the difference. First Second Books editor Ivan Taurisano explains how to write and submit a graphic novel script that gets read.

Kids ages 8 to 12 head straight for the graphic novel shelf, and prose writers are trying to follow them there. But Ivan says a submission that misses the format doesn't just earn a "not for me." It can earn a "don't send me your next one." Here's what he wants you to know before you write a single panel.

In this episode:

• Why writing a graphic novel is closer to writing a screenplay than a prose novel
• Revealing character through dialogue alone (no "she looked wistfully at the ocean")
• Why editors talk page count, not word count, and the "70,000-word graphic novel" red flag
• What to submit for a script-only project vs. an author and illustrator team: script, pitch, synopsis, and 20–30 sample pages
• How much art direction is too much, and the one question to ask before you leave an art note
• Why illustrators usually earn more than writers
• The biggest mistake Ivan sees: art that doesn't match the audience you're pitching
• Why kids who read "slightly above their level" become lifelong readers
• Adult graphic novels and First Second's sister imprint, 23rd Street

Ivan's manuscript wishlist:

• Middle grade graphic novels about girl friendship that capture how big those fights and bonds feel at 10, 11, and 12
• Dragons
• Early reader graphic novels for ages 4–7, 64–96 pages, any topic
• Stories with fresh magic systems
• A joyful, new take on the immigrant journey that shows the excitement, not only the hardship

Ivan's inbox ([email protected]) is open to agented and unagented creators, and he gives feedback when he passes. 

Books and resources mentioned:

• Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (Ivan's must-read before you write a graphic novel)
• The Investigators by John Patrick Green
• Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
• Pizza and Taco
• Narwhal and Jelly
• Parachute Kids
• Tuck Everlasting (graphic novel adaptation)
• Clara and the Devil
• How to Catch Santa Claus (How to Catch series)
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Hit play, then grab a graphic novel for the age group you want to write for. Follow Writers With Wrinkles so you don't miss our next Ask Beth and Lisa episode, and send us your questions!

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Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

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We just turned 150+ episodes of hard-won publishing wisdom into one book — and it's finally here. Write, Revise, Publish: Essential Lessons from the Writers With Wrinkles Podcast is up for pre-order now, and today Beth and Lisa are pulling back the curtain on why they wrote it, what's inside, and how it can save you from making the same missteps they did.

If you've ever finished a podcast episode thinking "that's such a good tip" — and then completely forgotten it by the next day — this book is the fix. Beth and Lisa gathered the best insight from over five years and 150+ conversations with agents, editors, and authors, organized it by where you are in your process (first draft through published book), and added end-of-chapter worksheets so you can actually use it, not just read it. Plus: they're launching a brand-new segment called the Confetti Club, where debut and new-release authors get the mic to pitch their own books — no interview pressure, just celebration.

In this episode:

• The cover reveal for their new book, Write, Revise, Publish: Essential Lessons from the Writers With Wrinkles Podcast
• Why they built the book around 150+ episodes of guest wisdom instead of just their own opinions
• How the book is organized so there's a spot for you whether you're drafting, revising, querying, or publishing
• The personal (and often embarrassing) asides from Beth and Lisa woven into every chapter
• End-of-chapter worksheets designed to turn the book into a practical writing tool, not just a read
• Introducing the Confetti Club — a new short-form segment spotlighting authors with books releasing within 30 days
• Who's lined up for the first three Confetti Club episodes
• A teaser for a third big announcement — coming next month
• Release date, pre-order details, and (of course) a Taylor Swift tangent

Pre-order Write, Revise, Publish on Amazon now — it releases in ebook and paperback on October 6th. And if you've got a book coming out in the next 30 days, keep an eye out: the Confetti Club wants to celebrate you too.

Hit play, and let's dive in. And if you love the show, a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts takes two minutes and helps us keep ironing out the wrinkles every week.

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Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

Support the show

Visit the Website

Find Full Episodes on YouTube!

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Harry Potter didn't just create a fantasy phenomenon — according to one Big Five editor, it quietly helped break middle grade publishing. Every book that tried to chase that success got longer, older, and harder for actual kids to read, and now imprints are shutting down because of it.

In this encore episode, literary agent, bestselling children's author, and founder of At-Home Author Vicki Weber breaks down what's really happening in publishing right now — the layoffs, the imprint closures, and why "everybody's throwing spaghetti at the wall." Then she gets tactical: her #1 piece of advice for authors in the query trenches (hint: it's not "wait for The One agent"), how to read between the lines of an agent's wishlist, and why chasing a "dream agent" is quietly sabotaging your confidence.

In this episode:

• The real story behind Vicki's viral Substack post on the state of middle grade
• The "Harry Potter theory" — how one runaway bestseller reshaped an entire category
• Why editors loving your book is only the beginning, not the end, of acquisitions
• Vicki's #1 tip for querying authors: write another book (and why the process isn't a straight line)
• How to research an agent's actual taste, not just their stated genres
• Why "my dream agent passed" is the wrong way to think about rejection
• Self-publishing vs. traditional: how to decide which is right for your book
• What to do about a "bad" sales track record (and how to reframe it)
• Simple, low-cost ways to build an email list and audience before you're published
• Vicki's current manuscript wishlist: horror-tinged, commercial, with social commentary

We had a new guest lined up for this week, but a family emergency meant we had to reschedule — so we're bringing back one of our favorite conversations instead.

Find Vicki's Substack and more show links in the notes at writerswithwrinkles.net.

Hit play and let's get to it!

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Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

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Most rejected picture book and middle grade manuscripts aren't turned down because they're bad — they're turned down because an editor has already seen five just like them. Susan Marston, the new editorial director of Albatros Books' US expansion (and former 25-year editorial director of the Junior Library Guild), joins us to lay out exactly what's landing on her acquisitions list right now — and what's already been done to death.

We talk about why Albatros — the largest publisher in the Czech Republic — is betting big on the American market, what makes a manuscript feel "irresistible" to an editor who's read literally thousands of submissions, and why she thinks the industry needs way more funny books, shorter word counts, and readers who aren't just "a boy and a girl who are best friends." Susan also gets specific about the exact gaps she's trying to fill: mysteries that go beyond the Sherlock-and-sidekick formula, horror-lite for middle grade, memoir, magical realism, and chapter books that actually try something new.

If you write for kids, this is the episode where an active acquiring editor tells you, out loud, what she wants to see land in her inbox.

In this episode:

• Why Albatros Books chose now to expand into the US market
• What "fun nonfiction" means as an acquisitions strategy
• The gap in chapter books Susan is actively trying to fill
• Why humor is one of the hardest — and most underrated — things to acquire
• Her take on the "boy and girl best friends" trope in middle grade, and why it's fading
• Why she'd take a great 200-page book over another 400-page epic any day
• Where to send your submission (and what she's hoping lands in that inbox)

Submissions: Albatros Books is actively acquiring picture books and chapter books from North American authors. Submission guidelines are on their website — send yours to [email protected].

Hit play, grab a pencil, and get ready to take notes — then head to writerswithwrinkles.net for the full breakdown and links mentioned in this episode.

Send us Fan Mail

Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

Support the show

Visit the Website

Find Full Episodes on YouTube!

Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!

AI companies are shredding rare books to train their models—and now authors are the ones being told to prove they didn't use AI to write their own. Beth and Lisa unpack the double standard rocking publishing right now.

From a debut novelist's multi million dollar book deal getting pulled over AI suspicion, to writers being told to reinsert typos and kill their em dashes just to "prove" they're human, the burden of proof has landed on exactly the wrong people. Beth and Lisa dig into who gets accused (and who conveniently doesn't), why the "nudge theory" behind blue recycling bins explains what's really happening here, and why voting with your dollars might be the only leverage writers have left. Plus: the AI-sounding conference invite that had Lisa convinced she was being scammed — until it wasn't.

Here is the content Lisa references: 

1) Any AI use can never be completely “safe” but using for research, brainstorming, etc. can be acceptable. Usage for critiquing, improving prose or pacing, generating drafts is NOT. AI generated text is NOT copyrightable.

2) When using AI, stick to paid plans or walled gardens. Read the terms of use carefully re: training, storage of your prompts, input text, etc.

3) Avoid inputting your manuscript. Use prompts instead.

4) Cross-check all output for accuracy (false answers, hallucinations, poor nuance).

5) Keep all evidence of your process whether original or AI-involved. 

 Okay.  Now hit play, then tell us: has AI made you paranoid about your own writing voice?

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Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

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Your opening pages have about 30 seconds to keep a literary agent reading — and most manuscripts lose that fight before the first paragraph ends.

Developmental editor Joel Brigham returns to unpack exactly what makes an agent stop reading (and what makes them keep going): the four ingredients — tension, suspense, mystery, and unfairness — that hook a reader in the first few pages. He breaks down why agents almost universally reject prologues, the two-highlighter trick for catching your own info-dumps before an agent does, and where your inciting incident actually needs to land depending on your genre — it's earlier than most writers think.

If you've ever gotten a same-day rejection and wondered why, or you're prepping pages for a conference critique or your next query batch, this is the fix-it guide for those first ten pages.

Hit play — then check the chapter markers below to jump straight to the section you need.

Send us Fan Mail

Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

Support the show

Visit the Website

Find Full Episodes on YouTube!

Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!

Note: If you downloaded this episode before 8/3 and experienced audio issues, please delete the download and hit re-download to grab the clean audio file!

Wendelin Van Draanen spent 10 years collecting rejections before anyone said yes to her Sammy Keyes mystery series — she just kept writing the next one anyway. Now, 40 books and 30 years later, she's still with the same editor who finally did.

If you've ever wondered whether to keep pitching a project nobody wants yet, or whether staying loyal to one editor for decades is a mistake in an industry that rewards jumping ship — this conversation is the counter-argument. Wendelin also gets candid about the moment Rob Reiner called to option Flipped, what it actually takes to hand your book to Hollywood without losing your mind, and the book-festival disaster that had two authors comparing notes on the exact same nightmare bookstore.

Ghosted, Wendelin's new romantasy, is up for pre-order now ahead of its October 6th release.

Send us Fan Mail

Ready to turn your manuscript into a published book? Writers With Wrinkles Press handles editing, cover design, formatting, and distribution, and you keep 100% of your royalties. Visit WritersWithWrinklesPress.com and write CONFETTI on your submission to get $500 off your publishing package. Your book. Your moment. Let's make it a celebration.

Support the show

Visit the Website

Find Full Episodes on YouTube!

Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!