Tell me your ways...with Helly Teller

Author Interview and Revision Update

I met Helly through the Shit No One Tells You About Writing Deep Dive Series. We were in many a break out room together and I fell in love with the concept of her rom com about a woman deep in throes of existential dread and obsessed with the 27 club (Kurt Cobain, Basquiat, Mia Zapata, Amy Winehouse and many more all died at 27).

I also was charmed by all her entertaining posts on TikTok and Instagram. She’s one funny lady. 

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why do you find this the best way for you to write?

I want to couch all of my responses by saying I have technically only written one book, but I have written that one book multiple times. I'm thinking about my second book now and how I'll go about tackling that, and I'll be honest it's a little overwhelming. For my first book, The Twenty-Seven Club, I had very clear, flashbulb-memory-type visions for several scenes before I wrote a single word, and the DNA of almost all of these super vivid scenes trickled down into the draft I'm preparing to query. One example is the meet cute scene. My book--in large part--takes place at a deli that's...(I say this lovingly) a little run-down, and that was definitely my jumping-off-point. So, the first 1,200 words I wrote were my two main characters, Greta and Eli, meeting for the first time at the deli. A lot of attention was paid to the look of them and the look of the deli, and then the rest of my attention went to dialogue. I'm, like, kind of obsessed with writing dialogue, and I could hear Eli's voice in particular SO clearly, so that actually informed a lot of the first draft and gave me ideas for other scenes. (Spoiler but not really? Eli is 29 but speaks like a crotchety, 60-year-old man and I think it's just hilarious). From there, I kind of stitched everything together, writing toward the conflict/climax (which, again, I'd figured out before writing a single word), which made everything easier. So it was kind of a mix of both. Skeleton + vibes, you could say.

TLDR: I'm kind of a plantser. A structured plantser. 

What does your drafting process look like?

 The drafting process for my first book was, in a word, chaotic. I had my ideas, but I also wrote myself into corners and had to end up changing a bunch of details for ~pacing reasons~ that ended up pulling the whole thing down like a house of cards. I'd change one detail (for the plot!) that would trigger a cascade of changes for, like, the next 200 pages. It was a nightmare and part of the reason it took me so long to write one book. But! It's okay, because I learned a lot and the work is better for it. For my new project, I have the broad strokes of my idea, but I need to figure out the connective tissue. For me, that only really comes with writing a first trash draft. But this time, I'm going to do myself a favor and come up with a query letter kind of pitch and work the trash draft around that (buffering in my brain as we speak). I'm also going to focus on character more from the jump. The two MCs in my new WIP are secondary characters in The Twenty-Seven Club, so finding their voices and ideas for their background has been an easier lift. 

Please walk us through a little of what your revision process looks like?

90% of my writing process is revision and I'm so fine with that. I love the freedom of the first trash draft, but I also love puzzling out the plot details and coming up with something that HITS. I spend a lot of time revising each draft because I'm somewhat of a perfectionist (it's a blessing and a curse, but whattayagonnado?). My revision process includes a lot of staring off into space and taking walks outside. It also includes reading non-fiction books, talking to people at parties (and literally never forgetting a word they say) and going to concerts (and dissociating entirely). Also, I have, on several occasions, made the mad dash to my phone with shampoo in my hair or with my mouth full of toothpaste foam to record a voice note or jot down jibberish in my notes app. (I estimate that 60% of my best ideas come to me when I'm brushing my teeth.) That cascade of changes I mentioned earlier? The house of cards? Yeah. It's because when I'm revising, I'm constantly thinking about my book and brainstorming ways to improve it. I find inspiration everywhere. I usually make a chaotic list in google docs (are we sensing a theme, here?) of ideas and changes I want to make, and then find ways to execute them. Usually, my revision process is rewriting entirely. I'm not precious with words, so I'm not afraid to chop things that aren't working or are slowing things down. I have a theory in writing that "if it doesn't feel right, it's not right" so usually I'll sleep on something that's bothering me, dissociate at a concert, have a eureka moment while doing the dishes, and then fix it as soon as I get the chance. But it's all about being ruthless for me!

How do you know when your story is done?

Currently struggling with this now (see: aforementioned perfectionism). I'll let you know when I have this one figured out :) 

How many beta readers do you typically have for a project? Does anyone read all the versions?

Probably too many!! My long-term CP has a fear that I have too many cooks in the kitchen, especially with this late late late stage draft. I finished a "75% draft" (aka 75% of where I wanted it to be before querying) in December and had...maybe 6 people read it? At the end of March I finished a 90% draft and I've had...4 people read that. Two of them writers, two just as readers. I also have a writing group who's been super helpful in critiquing chapters and scenes on a closer, more micro-level. 

I did have one CP read installments for me like fanfiction (I'd literally send them to her as soon as I finished them) and she was so amazing and encouraging, she's a big reason I was able to push through and I owe her so much. HIGHLY recommend finding a friend and trusted partner like this. 

I think it's important to have both writers and readers beta-read your work. Writers tend to pick at the threads that need more attention, and readers tend to make you feel like you've actually created something worthwhile, and aren't just screaming into a void like, AM I CRAZY? OR IS THIS LIKE...MAYBE POSSIBLY GOOD???? Validation is important. It's gas to the engine, especially for newer writers. Having people in my corner has been a big motivating factor for me, and I have about 75 people to thank in my one-day acknowledgements (*not hyperbole). 

What are you currently working on now?

I have been taking a ~*~BRAIN BREAK~*~ but as Mercury is no longer retrograde at time of writing this, I fear it is now time to get back to work. I have one last revision/line edit pass on my manuscript before I start pitching agents. Eek! 

While I'm querying, I plan to work on my second book (!!!) with no title that's about a black cat girl and a golden retriever boy (think April and Andy from Parks and Rec). I'm sooooooOOOOOooo excited to start working on their story--it's been brewing under my skin for years. Right now it's about self-perception and confidence and self-love and disordered eating...and also probably a critique of the Wedding Industrial Complex? Who knows. It might end up being about clowns from Nebraska. Only time will tell. 

Do you have a favorite book on the craft of writing?

Hm. My fave craft book is this wacky, low-budget book that no one has ever heard of called GMC: GOAL MOTIVATION CONFLICT by Deborah Dixon. An early reader I randomly linked up with (who proceeded to eviscerate my work!!!) recommended it to me after reading my NO PLOT ALL VIBES draft (in 2021 when I was super-ultra-green) and it changed me forever. She hated my draft and ghosted my return critique of her work (in all fairness, I had no idea what I was doing so it probably was not very valuable to her) but man, it was the single-most helpful craft book I’ve ever read. I still think about her sometimes

Anything else you’d like to share? Where can we find you?

I'm heading up to the Yale Writer's Workshop at the beginning of June to work on polishing up my first manuscript (depending on how querying goes!) or starting my second book. Either way I'm super excited. 

I can be found most frequently at @hellytellerwrites on TikTok and Instagram where I blab about writing stuff ALL THE TIME, and I also have a Substack called No Panic, All Disco! that can be found at

Revision Update

At the time of writing this I am one chapter away from being done with this draft of my Scottish Rom Com. I’ll send it to a few more beta readers to check if I’m getting close. It feels like it’s getting close to done. Closer and closer.

I’m hoping it’s in good shape to participate in Joy Pit on June 7th. Do you enter your work in Pitch events? If so and you have a joyful manuscript ready you should join the fun. Let me know, I’ll retweet your pitch!