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88 Cups of Tea
88 Cups of Tea
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Rhoda Belleza on Silencing Your Internal Editor

  • 4 minute read

Rhoda Belleza is a children’s editor at a publishing house and is the author of Empress of a Thousand Skies and Blood of a Thousand Stars.  The New York Times Book Review wrote, “Intergalactic political intrigue, family betrayal and coveted thrones feature in this space opera story…real-world analogues and social commentary make Empress of a Thousand Skies an important and relevant novel.”

In Rhoda’s episode, we chat all about her love for action movies and how that led her to novel writing. We dive into her experiences as an editor at a publishing house and how that helped her explore the other sides of the publishing world, and how being an editor helped to improve Rhoda’s own writing. We dive into the details about her novels “Empress of a Thousand Skies” and “Blood of a Thousand Stars”, from the inspiration behind the characters, to the world building, and to closing out your characters and ending your story.

Further into our conversation, we break down how joining a writing community you trust can help you receive constructive feedback on your writing, why it’s important to separate yourself and your self-worth from the revision process of a first draft, and why we should seek professional opinions during our research process. We chat realistic word counts per week, why we should be writing consistently throughout the week and how that helps us stay intimate with our characters and strengthens our character building. We also cover why it’s crucial to put aside an editing day each week to prevent yourself from editing along the way.

Rhoda will be taking over our Instagram stories for the release of her episode, be sure to catch her takeover by clicking here. 

Happy listening!

Xo,

Yin

PS. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!

“You’re not on anyone else’s schedule but your own.” 

-Rhoda BellezaTweet:

“There’s nothing to revise unless you write that first bad draft.”

-Rhoda Belleza Tweet: “I don’t remember a time where I actively decided to be a writer, it was just always a part of who I was.” -@John_Boyne via @88CupsofTea. #amwriting #amediting #writerslife #writechat #writemotivation #storystarter

“At the end of the journey…you want it to be crystallized and engaging. There’s all these ambitions you have for the draft, but right now it’s just a draft and it needs to get better. The only way that it will get better is for you to be vulnerable.”

-Rhoda BellezaTweet: “You can be a good mimic, but eventually you have to have your own voice and your own style of writing.” -@John_Boyne via @88CupsofTea. #amwriting #amediting #writerslife #writechat #writemotivation #storystarter

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • A discussion on “Empress of a Thousand Skies” and “Blood of a Thousand Stars”
  • How Rhoda’s love for action movies led her to novel writing and editing
  • How joining a writing community you trust can help you receive constructive feedback on your writing 
  • Why it’s crucial to separate yourself and your self-worth from the revision process of a first draft 
  • Rhoda’s experience as a YA editor and how that helped her explore other sides of the publishing world and improve her own writing 
  • The inspiration behind Rhoda’s characters and world building
  • The importance of seeking out professional opinions during your research process
  • Closing out your characters and ending your story
  • How setting realistic word counts per week will help you reach your writing goals 
  • Why writing consistently throughout the week will help you stay intimate with your characters and strengthen your character building
  • How setting aside an editing day each week can prevent you from editing along the way

Learn More About “Blood of a Thousand Stars”

War tears the galaxy apart, power tests the limits of family, and violence gives way to freedom in this exhilarating sequel to Empress of a Thousand Skies.

Empress 
With a revolution brewing, Rhee is faced with a choice: make a deal with her enemy, Nero, or denounce him and risk losing her crown.

Fugitive 
Framed assassin Alyosha has one goal in mind: kill Nero. But to get his revenge, Aly may have to travel back to the very place he thought he’d left forever—home.

Princess 
Kara knows that a single piece of technology located on the uninhabitable planet Wraeta may be the key to remembering—and erasing—the princess she once was.

Madman 
Villainous media star Nero is out for blood, and he’ll go to any means necessary to control the galaxy.

Vicious politics and high-stakes action culminate in an epic showdown that will determine the fate of the universe.

Learn More About Rhoda Belleza

Rhoda Belleza was raised in Los Angeles, where she grew up writing XFiles fanfiction and stuffing her face with avocados. When she’s not writing, Rhoda obsesses over nail art tutorials, watches kung fu movies, and sews together crooked things that pass for clothes. She’s a children’s editor at a publishing house and writes from a sunny Brooklyn apartment stuffed far too many bikes and far too many shoes. Empress of a Thousand Skies is her debut novel.

Books & Resources Mentioned in Rhoda’s Episode:

Die Hard directed by John McTiernan and screenplay by Steven E. de Souza, Jeb Stuart

Imprints Macmillan Publishing

Leigh Bardugo

Gwendolyn Clare

Kami Garcia 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Diversity in YA Tumblr 

Glasstown Entertainment

Lonely Planet

Daniel Jose Older 

The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

Say ‘Hi!’ to Rhoda

Official
Twitter

Topics You'll Enjoy!
  • Character Development Tips
  • editing
  • feedback
  • First Draft
  • Revision Process.
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