Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the thriller genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Silence of the Lambs. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] Thrillers combine all the criminality and suspense of a good mystery novel with the life and death stakes of an action or horror story. [01:50] R...

In today's episode, I'm going to talk about the five most common mistakes I see writers make in their opening pages. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:00] Details about my brand new workshop called “How to Hook Readers in Your First 5 Pages.” In this workshop, I'll walk you through the five key elements that you need to include in your first five pages AND I’ll show...

In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every horror novel needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:10] In horror novels, bad things happen to good people. There are life and death stakes, a monster intent on death and destruction, claustrophobic settings, and a major fight for survival....

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the difference between genre conventions and tropes. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:28] Genre conventions are story elements such as character archetypes, key events, and settings that are commonly found in a specific genre. These conventions define each specific genre and readers' expectations of a story in that...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to figure out the big-picture shape of your story. Here's a preview of what's included: . [02:45] Each genre asks a specific story question. For example, in an action story, the central story question is some version of, "Will the protagonist defeat the antagonist and survive the encounter?" (This article has the s...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through my top three tips for weaving your character's backstory into your novel in a way that engages the reader without bogging them down. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:20] What is character backstory? Character backstory is everything that has ever happened in your character's life that has helped to influence an...

In today's episode, I'm continuing last week's discussion on narrative drive or that "thing" that hooks a reader's interest and pulls them through the story. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:10] What is narrative drive? Why should writers care? (Check out last week's episode for some tips on creating narrative drive in your story). [01:20] A sto...

In today's episode, I'm exploring narrative drive or that "thing" that hooks a reader's interest and pulls them through the story. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] What is narrative drive? Here's a quick definition. [01:35] According to Robert McKee, narrative drive is sustained when a story plays on two primary needs within the reader -- an inte...

In today's episode, I'm sharing my top 10 tips for writing better, more compelling love triangles. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:30] A love triangle is a relationship that takes place between three or more characters. Character A has to choose between character B and character C. [01:50] Three examples of popular love triangles from Pride and Prejudice , Twilight , a...

In today's episode, I'm going to show you how to create unique and memorable characters using "hooks." Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] What are character hooks? How do they help readers? [02:25] Hook #1: Give your character a unique accent or way of speaking. [03:20] Hook #2: Give your character an identifiable physical feature. [04:25] Hook #3: Give your...

In today's episode, we're going to talk about value shifts. Specifically, how understanding the concept of value shifts can help you write an edit a story that works. Here's a preview: [01:10] What are value shifts and why do I need to care about them? [01:40] What does it mean to create a mini-arc of change in each scene? [02:10] How value shifts can help you create a better story...

In today's episode, I share the 7 secrets to success that every writer should know. These 7 secrets will help you accomplish your goals, become a better writer, and live a writing life you love. Here's a preview: [02:00] Secret #1: Courage . Have the courage to take action even when you're not sure where your story is going or what the next step in the process is. [03:45] Secret #2:...

In this episode, I'll walk you through five questions that will help you write compelling characters. I highly recommend using these questions to flesh out both your protagonist AND your antagonist, but you can also use these questions to help you develop your secondary characters, too. Here's a preview of what we'll cover: [01:45] Question 1: What does your character want? Your cha...

In today's episode, I'm going to give you three reasons why you should write your draft in scenes instead of chapters. Here's a preview of what we'll cover: [01:20] The difference between scenes and chapters and how they each play a different role in your story's pacing. [02:45] 3 reasons why you should write in scenes instead of chapters: [02:55] Reason #1: It's easi...

In today's episode, I'll walk you through three different ways to figure out the theme of your story. Here's a preview of what we'll cover: [00:50] What is a story's theme? And why do you need one? [01:30] How identifying your story's theme upfront can help you write a stronger draft. [02:40] 3 different questions to help you uncover the theme of your story. [03:00] Q...

In today's extra special bonus episode, I'm going to answer some questions from you guys! Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode: [01:30] Joe Larkin asks, "Do you have a general rule of thumb for how long a scene should be?" [02:45] Margo Geary asks, "Your job sounds really awesome! How do you become an editor or book coach?" [04:45] Julia...

In this episode, we're going to talk about your story's ideal reader -- or the one person who is going to love your book just as much as you do. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode: [01:00] What is an ideal reader? And why does your ideal reader matter? [02:20] How understanding your ideal reader can help you write with purpose and edit with focus. [03:15]...

In this episode, we're going to talk about the biggest myth that holds writers back and what to do about it if you're falling prey to this myth. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode: [01:00] How do you know if you're falling prey to this myth? Here are 3 scenarios that might signal to you that you need to address the belief at the root of this myth. Whi...

In this episode, we're going to talk about genre -- specifically how to choose the primary (or global) genre for your story. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode: [01:30] What's the difference between commercial genres and content genres (aka the reader's genre and the writer's genre)? And why you should care about BOTH. [05:00] What's the dif...

In this episode, we're going to talk about how to choose between multiple story ideas, or how to decide which story idea to write next. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode: [01:20] Two reasons why taking the time to flesh out your story ideas before you start writing a single word will save you time, energy, and frustration. [02:15] 5 questions to help you decid...

Weekly writing tips from a developmental editor and book coach. My name is Savannah Gilbo and I'm a fiction editor and book coach. Every day, I help people, just like you, write, edit, and publish their books. I started this podcast because I want to prove that writing a novel doesn't have to be scary and overwhelming. Every week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, acti...