Unpublished

Angela is starting to feel some momentum. In this episode of Unpublished , Angela and Daniel check in on the latest progress with Eros et Flamingo and talk about what it actually feels like to build a novel one chapter at a time. After spending months rewriting and reworking the opening of the manuscript, Angela is starting to find the rhythm of the characters, the dialogue, and the story itself....

What does it actually mean to tell a story in three acts? In this episode of Unpublished, Angela and Daniel dig into Act One, Act Two, and Act Three, and why that familiar structure still helps a story feel focused, emotional, and hard to put down. As Angela works through the opening chapters of Eros et Flamingo , she talks about getting out of the wilderness of the beginning, finding Sal’s voice,...

In this episode of Unpublished , Angela and Daniel dig into one of the biggest questions facing any writer trying to publish a novel: where does your story actually fit? As Angela continues drafting Eros et Flamingo , she talks through moving from outlining and planning into the messy, surprising, emotionally intense process of writing the first chapters. This episode explores genre from both the...

What makes a fictional character feel real? In this episode of Unpublished , Angela and Daniel dig into one of the most important parts of writing a novel: character development. As Angela continues drafting Eros et Flamingo , she talks through how she is building Sal, Aaron, Carlos, and the supporting characters who will shape the story’s emotional core. This episode explores how writers create c...

In this episode of Unpublished, Angela and Daniel get into the messy, magical, occasionally panic-inducing process of outlining a novel. Angela gives an update on writing the first chapter of Eros et Flamingo, including the particular terror of turning a book idea into an actual manuscript. From introducing a main character to building an original world from scratch, this episode digs into why sta...

Where do book ideas actually come from? In episode two of Unpublished, Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens dig into the strange, messy, magical, and occasionally inconvenient process of turning a tiny spark of an idea into a full novel. Angela talks through how plot bunnies appear, how music helps shape scenes, how playlists become emotional roadmaps, and how a random hotel TV turning on at 4 a.m. ca...

What does it actually take to turn an idea into a finished book? In the first episode of Unpublished , aspiring author Angela Mattes introduces cohost Daniel Stevens to the strange, solitary, exhilarating, and occasionally tear-soaked world of writing fiction. Angela traces her path from childhood bookworm and journalism student to fan-fiction writer, manuscript author, and proud creator of hundre...