Hi Reader,

Once upon a time, I entered a writing contest.

The prize? A year’s supply of pizza.

I was in third grade, so there were few things I wanted more in life.

I wrote an essay. Do I remember the topic? Nope. But I do remember that I won second place and got one free pizza.

After hearing about my win, I was asked to read my now prize-winning essay in front of my elementary school’s parent-teacher association (PTA).

In preparation, I reread my piece and realized something shocking.

It was riddled with errors.

Typos, awkward sentences, things that made zero sense.

In hindsight, I probably got second place out of two entries, or maybe the bar for elementary schoolers was just that low.

To save myself from humiliation in front of the PTA, I re-edited the whole thing and did something I should have done before submitting in the first place: showed it to my mom.

She said something I’ll never forget: “If you’d let someone read it, you could have won first place.”

And she was probably right.

I could have had a year’s worth of pizza instead of a single one.

Of course, we’ll never know that for sure, but at least I would have known I’d submitted my absolute best work.

That’s when I learned a lesson I’m still sharing with writers today. We cannot create our best work, work that works for our readers, without sharing it with someone else.

It may be scary. It may lead to more work when they point out things that need to change. But it is necessary.

If you’re ready to get supportive, actionable feedback at every step in your revision journey, enrollment for Reader Ready Revisions opens on Monday, but only if you’re on the waitlist!

Get on the waitlist instantly by clicking here and you’ll also get early access to my early-bird bonuses!

Better Writing

You’ve probably heard me talk about genre expectations before. But what you may not know is that understanding your genre in an intellectual sense is just the start. Then, you need to turn that into a series of jobs to do in your manuscript.

Here are five questions to help you get started:

1. Does this genre have any structural requirements? If yes, what are they?
2. What do readers want to feel when they read this type of book?
3. When people recommend or positively review this type of book, what do they typically love about it?
4. When people negatively review this type of book, what do they typically hate about it?
5. Fill in the blank: A book in this genre is successful when it _____________.

Better Living

I still love pizza. In fact, I love pizza so much that I make it on an almost weekly basis. It all starts with this pizza crust mix & a finely shredded 6-cheese pizza blend, then one of the following topping combinations:

1. Rao’s Roasted Garlic Sauce + Shredded Chicken + Bacon Bits
2. Rao’s Roasted Garlic Sauce + Pepperoni
3. Ranch + Shredded Chicken + Bacon
4. Traditional Sauce (any brand) + Pepperoni + Kalamata Olives + Basil + Arugula (optional)

The pan gets oiled with garlic-flavored olive oil & the crust is sprinkled with this spice blend & a little sea salt.

It’s my favorite Friday tradition and taps into my inner-baker!

Better Reading

I’m finally reading Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport*. It’s enemies-to-lovers romantasy, and I think it’s a great example of the enemies aspect done right. Why? Because halfway through the book, the characters let their walls down and showed a moment of vulnerability. It was relatively short-lived, and they went right back to bantering afterward, but it was key!

Too often, clients come to me with enemies-to-lovers stories that contain 99% hate and 1% lust that suddenly turns to love on the last two pages. It’s a common problem that comes from a misunderstanding of the job. Yes, we need the characters to hate each other at the start, but we also need to see that hatred turn into love on the page over time. If you haven’t done that, the job isn’t done yet!

Thank you so much for reading another issue of the Better Writer Weekly!

Have a wonderful week and happy writing!

Olivia

P.S. The next cohort of Reader Ready Revisions opens for early enrollment on Monday. Join the waitlist instantly by clicking here. I'd love to help you create the best book possible!!

Your story matters. Let's make it great.

Curious to know how I can help? Check out my services here. I can't wait to work with you, so you can write the book your future readers are waiting for!

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