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In this episode of Show, don’t Tell Writing, Suzy offers live feedback on the opening page of Lisa Tisor’s fantasy novel. Lisa, a librarian and aspiring author from Eastern Oregon revisits a story she began as a short piece over 20 years ago. Suzy provides actionable advice on showing vs. telling, grounding the reader in the story’s setting, and pacing as Lisa’s protagonist stumbles into a mysterious fairy realm. Together, they explore how to highlight the magic of the story without info-dumping.

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight

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In this Q&A episode of Show Don’t Tell Writing, Suzy tackles timely questions about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the writing industry, how to start building an author platform, and how to know if your writing is ready for readers.

Resources Shared This Episode:
ProwritingAid
Autocrit
Grammarly

QUIZ: Is Your Writing Ready for Readers?

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight

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In this episode of Show Don’t Tell Writing, Suzy provides live coaching for Muhammad’s action-adventure story, The Well. Muhammad, a Nigerian writer, shares his vision for crafting a story that reflects African culture and folklore with a larger-than-life protagonist. Suzy offers actionable advice on enhancing worldbuilding, developing character motivations, and grounding the reader in a vivid setting. The conversation covers storytelling essentials for creating an immersive adventure, especially for writers seeking to elevate their fantasy or action genres.

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight

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In this episode of Show Don’t Tell Writing, Suzy walks listeners through the process of self-editing, offering practical strategies for writers to refine their manuscripts before seeking professional help. Suzy emphasizes the importance of editing as a way to ensure that the story you envision reaches your readers as clearly as possible.

➡️Have Suzy Vadori's Book Ready Self-Edit Checklist: 8 Simple Tests to Run on your Book Before Ever Sending it to an Editor, Agent, Publisher, or Reader sent to you!

Main Topics Include:

1. The Purpose of Editing
2. Different Types of Editing
3. Using Tools for Self-Editing
4. Seeking Feedback Before Hiring an Editor

Tools Mentioned:
1. Autocrit
2. Grammarly
3. ProwritingAid

➡️✍️ Sign up here to FINISH YOUR BOOK in Suzy's Wicked Good Fiction Bootcamp. Enrolling now!

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight

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In this episode, Suzy goes beyond the basics to discover how to get your query letter noticed.

Topics include, the competitive nature of querying, statistics on the number of queries agents receive, and the small percentage that result in representation. She highlights the importance of grabbing an agent's attention quickly. Suzy emphasizes that simply following the rules isn’t enough to stand out.

Suzy discusses how the “Show Don’t Tell” technique can be applied to query letters. She provides examples of how to describe key plot points and character dilemmas in an engaging way that showcases the writer's voice.

The episode concludes with encouragement for writers who have faced rejection. Suzy shares insights on when to move on from a project and how to keep a positive outlook.

Get Your Query Template HERE

➡️✍️ Sign up here to FINISH YOUR BOOK in Suzy's Wicked Good Fiction Bootcamp. Enrolling now!

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight

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In this episode of Show Don’t Tell Writing, Suzy answers questions from participants at the two-day writing retreat held at the end of September. She provides valuable insights on various writing topics including, dealing with stalled projects, incorporating backstory, introducing a large cast of characters, and keeping multiple projects on track.

Show, don't Tell in Memoir is also discussed, and how it is similar to a traditional novel.

➡️✍️ Sign up here to FINISH YOUR BOOK in Suzy's Wicked Good Fiction Bootcamp. Enrolling now!

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight

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In this powerful episode of Show Don’t Tell Writing, Suzy provides live feedback on a page from Susan McKelvey’s memoir. Susan shares the heart-wrenching story of losing her husband and grappling with her new role as the matriarch of her family while coping with hereditary disease in her children and grandchildren. Suzy helps Susan refine her page, offering insights on how to transform deep emotions into compelling storytelling. Together, they explore techniques to create an immersive experience for readers while staying true to Susan's voice.

➡️✍️ Sign up here to FINISH YOUR BOOK in Suzy's Wicked Good Fiction Bootcamp. Enrolling now!

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight

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"And so the biggest thing that an agent is going to be looking for, or a reader, anybody, to catch them, to hook them right on that first page, which is really important, is why should I care about your character and what is it that they want? If you can answer those things really fast and just incorporate the worldbuilding into it.

We don't want to stop the story and give three pages of worldbuilding. If you've got that right now, rip it out and find ways to dole it in."

On September 27th and 28th, 2024 Suzy hosted an Online Writing Retreat. In this recording of the Live Q&A session, Suzy answers pressing questions from participants covering a wide range of topics on everything from finding the perfect editor, to worldbuilding from page one, to keeping pacing steady in your novel. This is Part 1 in this Q&A series.

➡️✍️ Sign up here to FINISH YOUR BOOK in Suzy's Wicked Good Fiction Bootcamp. Enrolling now!

Sign Up for the Inspired Writing Newsletter HERE

Submit Your Page for our Show don't Tell Coaching Episodes

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Intro and Outro Music is Daisy by Zight and used under a CC by 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. For more music by Zight visit https://www.youtube.com/zight