After a long hiatus, Eva and Katryn are back this week to discuss taking a beat and rethinking the mission statement of Write Where it Hurts. Katryn soft-launches her Lord of the Rings character maps, and Eva talks about shifting her feedback tactics and being the proud mom of a (criminally cute) Doodle.

Sources:

• Are you going to LoveLitCon? Eva is going to be there as a LoveLitCon author!

• Katryn can’t get this song out of her head this week and if you hate ICE as much as we all do, you might need it too.

• Pre-order I’M GONNA GET YOU BACK today!

Katryn talks Lord of the Rings inspired character beats using maps of Middle Earth as her guide

This week, Eva and Katryn get real about self-esteem crashes after publishing, from the forever wait for good news to drop into your inbox, to that feeling of having to beg people to read your book in self-promo. Katryn has a new Lord of the Rings-inspired verb for your consideration, and Eva turns into a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man for reasons of EMOTION.

*On hiatus until late summer/early fall!*

Content/Spoiler Warnings: TW for discussion of body dysmorphia and disordered eating (non-graphic, brief)

Sources:

• Eva discusses the exciting news that Penguin formed Berkeley XO, a new imprint dedicated to crossover audiences in YA and New Adult!

• A new verb was born! Denethored is in our forever vocab.

• Two of our listeners, JR Cathers and Maggie Rapier, have new books to celebrate! JR’s buzzy Romantasy, Child of Shivay, is coming out in October, and Maggie’s Soulgazer is out now and a USA Today bestseller!!

• Also, please don’t hesitate to DM us if you have good news to celebrate!

• Follow Eva and Katryn on Substack for more big publishing feels (especially Eva right now for REASONS!)

Eva and Katryn dive into character arcs this week, from craft inspirations to the similarities between building our characters and parenting them. Eva reveals her new book title (YAY!) and Katryn unveils a Lord of the Rings-inspired story cartography process for character arcs. Martin Short is also discussed, because why the hell not?

Content/Spoiler Warnings: CW for mention of JKR’s transphobia

Sources:

• Katryn discusses a troubling trend she’s noticing in this episode and her substack.

• Eva and Katryn both recommend Susan Dennard’s craft writing--check out Susan’s Substack!

• Eva has recently learned about James Scott Bell’s Write Your Novel From the Middle

• Katryn discusses her own reasons for not writing characters from outside her racial background, but please read author and co-founder of We Need Diverse Books, Dhonielle Clayton’s words on this, because it gets the point across without nearly as much ambient mumbling and word repetition.

• When it comes to redemption arcs, PLEASE pick up Tae Keller’s Jennifer Chan is Not Alone

• Read Becky Albertalli’s Amelia, If Only, Brynne Weaver’s Butcher and Blackbird, Geneva Rose’s The Perfect Marriage