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 pros and cons of indie publishing. Here’s a preview of what you’ll hear in the episode: [01:30] Indie publishing is the pure do-it-yourself publishing path. It's where you, the author, take on ALL the roles of and basically become the publisher of your own book. [02:30] The pros of indie publishing [08:20] The cons of indie publishing [13:...

In today’s episode, I’m going to walk you through the pros and cons of traditional publishing. Here’s a preview of what you’ll hear in the episode: [01:35] Traditional publishing refers to the established system of submitting a finished manuscript to agents with the goal of getting a book deal with one of the Big Five publishers. [03:00] The pros of traditional publishing [08:45] The cons of tradi...

In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the fifth book in the Harry Potter series! [03:40] A very quick summary of the first chapter [06:25] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book...

In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the fourth book in the Harry Potter series: [03:05] A very quick summary of the first chapter [05:50] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book The W...

In this episode, I'm sharing the three contextual elements you'll want to include at the beginning of each one of your scenes. We'll also look at how these three elements show up in the opening of a scene from the novel An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. Here's a preview of the key points: [03:10] Key element #1: Where and when is this scene taking place? [04:35] Key element...

In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every crime story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] Crime stories are all about the quest to either solve or commit a crime. So, these stories start with a crime, build with an investigation (or a completion of the crime), and end with id...

In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the third book in the Harry Potter series: [03:00] A very quick summary of the first chapter [04:50] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book T...

In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the second book in the Harry Potter series: [03:30] A very quick summary of the first chapter [05:30] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book T...

In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the first book in the Harry Potter series: [04:30] A very quick summary of the first chapter [07:00] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book...

In this episode, I'm sharing the 10 most common querying mistakes I see writers make and how to avoid them. Here's a preview of what you'll hear in the episode: [02:45] Mistake #1: Your story isn't 100% ready to send out just yet. [04:25] Mistake #2: Sending your query to the wrong person. [06:15] Mistake #3: Not following the submission guidelines. [08:45] Mistake #4: You forg...

In today’s extra special bonus episode, I'm sharing an interview I did earlier this year with Emma Dhesi for her Be A Bestseller Summit. We talked about genre and how your story’s genre can help you write a story that works. And specifically, we dove into the thriller genre and talked about how the key scenes and conventions of the thriller genre show up in The Silence of the Lambs. This was...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the action genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Hunger Games. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] Action stories are about life and death, and good versus evil. They’re about a character who has to rise up, overcome great obstacles, defeat forces of evi...

In this episode, I'm exploring 5 reasons why readers might stop reading a novel. Here's a preview of what you'll hear in the episode: [01:50] Reason #1: Nothing meaningful happens in the opening pages. [04:15] Reason #2: It’s hard to connect with the point of view characters. [06:30] Reason #3: Readers don’t know what kind of story they’re reading. [09:40] Reason #4: Readers have se...

In this episode, I'm sharing three tips for writing a first draft in 90 days. Here's a preview of what you'll hear in the episode: [01:35] How one of my Notes to Novel students, Jennifer, wrote a draft in 90 days (after creating a flexible, yet very fleshed out scene-by-scene outline) [04:35] Tip #1: Block out the time and space on your calendar so that you'll actually have the...

In this episode, I'm sharing two of my favorite ways to test out a story idea before you start writing a single word. Here's a preview of what you'll hear in the episode: [01:50] The goal of these two exercises is to find out which foundational pieces of your story still need to be fleshed out. Better to find out now than halfway through a draft! [01:10] Exercise #1: Write a 1-2 sen...

In this episode, I'm doing my own little countdown of some of the best and most listened to clips from the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast episodes in 2021. Here's a preview of what you'll hear in the episode: [00:00] Tip #10: The more clear you are about your goals, the better chance of success you’ll have when it comes to accomplishing them.  [00:00] Tip #9: Knowing your story’s...

In today’s episode, I'm sharing some of the lessons I learned from coaching writers this year. My hope is that these lessons will help you to keep moving forward with your work in the most efficient way possible. Here's a quick preview: [01:15] Lesson #1: Most writers have trouble with the emotional layers of their stories. We need to properly learn how to convey our character's emo...

In today's episode, I'll walk you through three tips for crafting unforgettable supporting characters .  Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] Supporting characters are any characters that are not your protagonist or your antagonist. In general, each supporting character in your story will either support or thwart your protagonist as they try to achieve their goal. [03:1...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beats that make up the end of a story, or the final section of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:45] A recap of the last three episodes (episodes #47, #48, and #49)/ [03:15] The average novel is about 80k wor...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beats that make up the second half of the middle section of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:55] A recap of last week's episode that focused on the first half of the middle beats in the STC! method. Cli...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beats that make up the first half of the middle section of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:55] A recap of last week's episode that focused on the beginning beats in the STC! method. Click here to liste...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beginning beats of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:05] The STC! method highlights 15 “beats” or plot points that each has a specific purpose and serves a particular function within your global story. [02:25...

In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every worldview story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:20] Worldview stories focus on a period of the main character’s life where he or she is transitioning from one significant state to another. These stories show how the external events of...

In today's episode, I'm sharing three strategies that will help you overcome imposter syndrome .  Here's a preview of what's included: [01:50] A quick story about what my two dogs, Forrest and Luna, taught me about overcoming imposter syndrome (and how you can, too).  [04:35] An example of how a client I worked with suffered from imposter syndrome for twelve years before every...

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the performance genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Mighty Ducks. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] Performance stories center around a character who wants to achieve something specific in order to prove their worth to the world. For example, they mi...