Turning to Story

How do you find the right agent? What kind of gifts do writer's really want? How do you balance subplots with the rest of your story? Does King Gerbil make an appearance?!

How do you create a formidable foe? An antagonist your reader will love to hate? A force not be reckoned with and one readers will remember for ages to come? Exploit their weakness! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith are talking all about villains! Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, we chat with literary agent Hannah Teachout to get her opinion on what makes opening pages standout! To prologue or not to prologue? Is waking up in the first chapter a cliche? What about opening with dialogue? All your questions and more are answered this week! Join the Turning to Story Substack!

What's the one thing that sticks with readers long after they close the book? The one part of the story where your character proves their mettle? That's the climax! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how to make the most of your climax. Join the Turning to Story Substack .

Does social media actually help you as an author? How do you get your emotional truth as a writer? How the heck do you make time for writing when you're a parent with a full time job? All these questions and more are answered on this week's episode! Join the Turning to Story Substack!

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how to revise your manuscript and how your greatest strength is in learning how to revise like a reader. What makes your heart swoon? What makes you long for more? What rips you out of the story? All good questions that we cover! Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, we invite Janice Davis, the Thirst Consultant, onto the podcast to talk about all things romance and thirst. How exactly do you get your reader to crave that first kiss? How do you get them to dangle on every single touch? Don't worry, Janice has got you covered! Join the Turning to Story Substack

We're back and we're talking about fast drafting once again! In a follow up to Fast Drafting for Slow Writers, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith explore the more refined method Anna used to crank out her strongest, quickest first draft. Plan, know your characters, and learn something new! Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, we're talking to the mythically busy author, Mary Roach! Mary brings tons of wisdom of building a career out of writing across genres and how doing so can open up more doors than you could ever imagine! Come for the career insight, stay for the sea shanties! Join the Turning to Story Substack!

Save the Cat says Act Two should be all fun and games, but what the heck are fun and games? Carnival rides? A nice puzzle on a rainy day? A good game of chase?! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith attempt to unlock the secrets of writing an act two that keeps your readers engaged and prepares your characters for the grueling Act Three! Join the Turning to Story Substack

On this week's Q&A episode, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith answer YOUR questions. How do you transition from a sparkling, perfect draft to a blank page? When is the right time to quit writing? When do you give the love interest a POV? Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, join authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith as they discuss how writing clear, simple goals can make the strongest plots. Those '90s action flicks really knew what they were doing when they said- defeat the bad guy, go home for Christmas. Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week join authors Anna Mercier, Lyssa Mia Smith, and YA mystery author supreme-Megan Davidhizar as they talk all things mystery. What are red herrings? How do you bury clues for the reader to chase? And is mystery all about distraction? Yes. The answer is yes. Learn more on this week's episode! Join the Turning to Story Substack!

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith uncover the power of moral outrage. It's the reason you stick with stories to the bitter end. It's what keeps you screaming as characters make ridiculous choice after ridiculous choice. It's the three-layer milkshake your story needs to make it unputdownable! Join the Turning to Story Substack.

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss everything about subtext. It's the words left unsaid, the hidden agendas that keep us turning the page, the implications that have us hooked on every word. Join the Turning to Story Substack!

This week, we're answering YOUR questions! You're getting insight on what we think is the most important craft advice, how we've changed since starting the podcast, and what it's like having a horse for a husband. All this and more! Join the Turning to Story Substack!

This week we've got a special guest-- the extremely talented and incredibly smart queen of dystopian, Jill Tew, talks with us about how all stories need a thematic spine. Come for the incredible craft knowledge, stay for how Jill schools us both on the true meaning of The Hunger Games. Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how the reader side of your brain is absolutely sabotaging the way you write! Readers want the characters to kiss RIGHT NOW, but the author needs them to dangle on that yearning for forever. Want those fanart worthy moments? It takes build up! Buckle up, because Lyssa's got a list of knowledge! Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith turn a piece of well-known writing advice on it's head! We're told to show not tell, but what if telling, at exactly the right moment, is the most powerful tool in your writerly toolkit? Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, we're joined by romance author supreme--Emily Charlotte whos debut, Heart Check , has earned well-deserved praise and some pretty amazing fandom response! We decided to pick her brain on how she's designed the Varsity Universe. We're talking immersion, ongoing character arcs, and all about your favorite YA sports romance universe. Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith take a deeper look at the Story Genius method by Lisa Cron. We're talking character exploration, scene cards, and . . . horses??? It gets wild this week! Join the Turning to Story Substack!

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith talk all about the character's inner world. How many thoughts should you convey on the page? How can you bring the reader close to the characters journey? Did Jaime from Game of Thrones deserve more?!? Find out! Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith tackle character introductions. It's not as simple as simply describing the hot main character as hot with epic hotness. Turns out, there's a fine craft to it! Join the Turning to Story Substack

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith dive into line edits to analyze what makes truly great prose. The trick is specificity not pretty-ficity (i.e. focusing on just making pretty prose for pretty prose sake). It's all about choosing your words with great intention. Join the Turning to Story Substack!

That's right! This week, authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier return to finish exploring the tax that all relationships should have in order to keep the reader engaged. We're talking tropes, line level tactics, and . . . Scottish accents? Join the Turning to Story Substack