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

“The object itself didn't cause the conflict. The person who made the choice with the object caused the conflict.” - Randy Ellefson In today’s episode, we’re going to cover something really fun—how to create believable monsters. And I have a special guest joining me today—someone that knows way more about creating monsters than I do. His name is Randy Ellefson, and he is the author of The Art...

“We need to advance the plot and we need to develop the character. When you can marry the two, you have a strong scene.” - Abigail K. Perry We’re taking a deep dive into Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins to see how and why it works. Join me and Abigail K. Perry as we break down this first chapter of the third book of The Hunger Games trilogy to see how it hooks our interest and pulls us into the story...

Telling a story through multiple viewpoints can be a great way to create a more expansive (and objective) look at your characters, world, plot, and/or theme. But with each additional viewpoint character you add to your story, the more room there is for mistakes. In this episode, I'm sharing the 5 most common multi POV mistakes writers make and how to avoid them in your draft. Here’s a preview...

“Writing is a creative project. It's not an earthquake, but the thoughts and the worries can feel similar. If I can have a positive association or feel prepared for an earthquake, surely I can do that for writing.” - Rhonda Douglas Ever found yourself staring at the blank page, trying to write but unable to find the right words? You’re not alone! Tune in to hear Rhonda Douglas share strategie...

“Focus your pre-writing and drafting and revising efforts on the present moment of your story.” - Daniel David Wallace I asked five of my peers to share one of their favorite writing tips, and boy, did they deliver! Tune in to hear 5 editors and coaches talk about their favorite tip and why it’s so helpful. Here’s a preview of what’s included: [01:40] Tip #1: Fully embrace scene structure in your...

“Usually stakes start personal and they become public. That's a way of raising stakes, regardless of the genre.” - Savannah Gilbo We’re diving deep into Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins to see how and why it works. Join me and Abigail K. Perry as we break down this first chapter to see how it hooks our interest and pulls us into the story! Here's a preview of what's included:  [05:2...

“You, the writer, have a bigger sphere of knowledge. You know more things than the narrator necessarily knows.” - Gabriela Pereira In today’s episode, I ask Gabriela Pereira of DIY MFA for her thoughts on some of the most commonly asked questions I get about point of view and voice—and she shares some of her favorite tips and strategies for mastering POV and voice in your writing.  Here’s a previe...

“It's really important to focus on the big picture story first and not worry about granular details that you can figure out later.” - Savannah Gilbo Get more done in less time, overcome procrastination, and become a master at time management with these 5 super simple productivity tips that I’ve been using daily for the last 10 years. Read the blog post here! Here’s a preview of what’s include...

“Sometimes it's easy to take feedback to mean that your story's broken when it's not.” - Savannah Gilbo I’m taking you behind the scenes with me throughout my entire work week! You’ll see how I plan my days, what projects I work on, what I learn from the writers I work with, and so much more! Read the blog post here! Here’s a preview of what’s included: [01:48] Sunday Update - This...

“In stories that feel society dominant, is survival even worth it if you don't have freedom?” - Abigail K. Perry We’re taking a deep dive into The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins to see how and why it works. Join me and Abigail K. Perry as we break down this first chapter to see how it hooks our interest and pulls us into the story! Read the blog post here! Here's a preview of what'...

“The key to making books within a series work is to grow, escalate, and complicate the conflict and stakes from book to book.” - Savannah Gilbo A good book series allows readers to immerse themselves in a world and stay there. But how do you write a series that works? To start, here are 5 steps to help you start planning your book series. Read the blog post here! Here’s a preview of what’s include...

“ Flat or boring characters who are underdeveloped are never going to light up a scene, no matter how many tricks you pull.” - Savannah Gilbo If you’re writing romance, the chemistry and tension between your characters can make or break your story. Let’s explore how to create romantic chemistry between two characters in an authentic and compelling way to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Re...

“Work on being a better writer and work on your craft and the other stuff will follow. As long as you have a great book, marketing comes a lot easier.” - Alexa Bigwarfe In today’s brand-new episode, I’m sharing a conversation with Alexa Bigwarfe about how writers can overcome the fear of marketing their books and what you can do right now to kickstart your marketing efforts. Read the blog post her...

“When a story doesn't include these key scenes and conventions of its genre, it's just not going to work.” - Savannah Gilbo Want a framework for your entire story? Learn what readers expect from a story like yours, and then use these obligatory scenes and conventions as a framework to craft a story that works. Read the blog post here! Here’s a preview of what’s included: [03:47] What are...

“It might seem strange to start a story with an ending, but all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time.” - Abigail K. Perry In this episode, we’re talking about The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom to see how and why it works. Join Abigail K. Perry and me as we break down this first chapter to see how it hooks our interest and pulls us into the story. Read...

“Every time you write something hard, it changes you as a writer, and it makes you a better writer.” - Jessica Brody Today I'm sharing a conversation with Jessica Brody where we talk about some of the most common mistakes writers make when outlining, writing, and editing their books using the “Save the Cat” method. Read the blog post here! Here's a preview of what's included: [02:30...

“ The purpose of a first draft is not to come up with something that's perfect. Instead, the purpose is to explore your story and get it out of your head.” - Savannah Gilbo Transform your writing as I reveal 5 all-too-common mistakes that plague writers. Learn the savvy strategies to sidestep these blunders and discover my top-notch tips for rectifying them if you've already fallen prey....

“That's how much my writing's improved. But not just the writing, it's the ease. It's not a struggle when I sit down in front of the laptop to write. Everything just seems a lot easier.” - Morgan Schrock In today's episode, I reached out to some of my Notes to Novels Season 3 students and asked them to share the number one thing they learned about writing a first draft. Yo...

“Try learning new skills and then putting what you learn into practice right away, because, at the end of the day, you can only really learn through doing anyway.” - Savannah Gilbo Is imposter syndrome holding you back from writing a novel? Here are the EXACT action steps you can take right now to combat your feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, and fear—and to overcome imposter syndrome for good....

“My point is that you have to do the work to make the mistakes and learn.” - Savannah Gilbo The past year on Fiction Writing Made Easy has been a treasure trove of insights, expert advice, and creative hacks, all neatly bundled up in amazing podcast episodes and interviews. Today, we dive into a delightful countdown, revisiting the very best tips that get into the heart of fiction writing, and unc...

“The more work you do up front and the more you get your mindset right, the more likely your chances of success are.” - Savannah Gilbo In this episode, I'm giving you a glimpse behind the scenes and sharing some of the key takeaways I learned from coaching writers this year. I hope that you'll be able to reap some of the benefits of these lessons so that you can move forward with your wr...

“I think that's really important at the end of every time that you write a scene. Ask yourself, how can I raise the stakes even more?” - Abigail K. Perry Join us today as we embark on a thrilling literary journey through the fantastical world of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros. In this episode, I'm joined by Abigail K. Perry and I encourage you to read this mesmerizing tale, peel it apart w...

“It's the inciting incident, the turning point, the crisis moment, the climax, and the resolution, and each scene really needs to have that to move the story forward.” - Fern Bernstein In today's episode, I’m sitting down for a conversation with Fern Bernstein to talk about her debut novel, Staunch: The Edie's of Grey Gardens .  Here’s a preview of what’s included: [01:44] Savannah...

“Every story has one main question that it raises in the beginning and answers by the end.” - Savannah Gilbo In this latest podcast episode, we'll explore a fundamental element of storytelling: the Major Dramatic Question (MDQ). From the outset of your story, readers should be gripped by this central question. Here’s a preview of what’s included: [01:31] Savannah talks about why the major dra...

“As I kid I was like, I would love to get paid to read.” - Julie Taylor In today’s episode, I’m sitting down to chat with Julie Taylor, Chief Operating Officer at The Spun Yarn - a company that offers paid beta reading and sensitivity reading services to authors. Here’s a preview of what’s included: [06:15] How does The Spun Yarn create a perfect matching system between its authors and its beta re...