The Fiction Lounge

Hannah and Jess talk about the areas in which you will need resilience during your writing journey, as well as encouraging words for you and practical tips for how to build resilience. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out  this form  to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on  Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our w...

In this episode, Hannah and Jess interview author Jasmine Carolina. As a practiced self-published author, she brings her self publishing perspective with lots of helpful advice for writers just starting out or writers who are returning to the work after a long break. Jasmine De La Cruz, an Angeleno born and raised, is a wife and dog mom to two hellions, Maiya and Chloe. She has written as Jasmine...

Hannah and Jess discuss the power of identifying the wounds our characters carry and how it impacts the way we write them. Hannah gives a homework challenge at the end of the episode, so make sure to have your pen and paper ready. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out  this form  to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on  Instagram , TikTok...

Jess and Hannah discuss how to be intentional about the editorial choices you make when working on your novel. No matter what genre you're working in, intentionality is important to the craft. Hannah and Jess explain intentionality, give literary examples, provide practical tips for being intentional as a writer, and more! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out  this form  to le...

Genres can often be confusing when you're trying to find a way to apply the concept to your book. How do you know which genre is the best fit? What about when it feels like genres are blending together? Why is genre important, and how does it impact my bottom line as an author? Hannah and Jess answer these questions and more! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out  this form  to...

Join Hannah and Jess as they interview Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer of Book Works about all things author platform! How do you start one? When do you start one?  What do you post? Do you need a social media following to be successful? Gretchen and Nicole answer these questions and more! Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer are the duo behind Book Works, dedicated to empowering authors through ...

Jess and Hannah discuss their top four books of the first quarter of the year, each bringing an honorary mention as well!  We want to make a note to apologize for Jess's audio quality, as she was recording this during a thunderstorm and sounds like she's a  First Time Caller  into a radio show. (Pun fully intended.) Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out  this form  to let us kn...

Hannah and Jess discuss the details of what goes into choosing comp titles for your book, what agents are looking for versus publishers, and a few tips on how to find titles to get you started. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok , and Threads ! And you can always visi...

In this episode, Hannah and Jess interview author Carmela Dutra, an author releasing a traditionally published novel this fall. She gives insight into the querying process and how she knew her agent was the one, and warns against common mistakes in querying. Hailing from the Bay Area of California, Carmela Dutra cherishes her family, rainy days, and making others laugh. After years of working on h...

Hannah and Jess discuss the mental toll of querying and how to prepare, give suggestions on what resources assist the querying process, talk about how to strategize and find agents, and so much more! Plus, Jess provides a fun "hack" for the inevitable rejections authors face in the process. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow u...

Hannah and Jess get specific about the key points of writing a query letter, what to include, what to exclude, and more! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our website ! SHOW NOTES Jane Friedman on Query Letters

Hannah and Jess answer anonymously submitted questions about all parts of the writing process. Want your question to be featured next round? Don't forget to fill out our form with anything you want us to address in the podcast! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and...

Hannah and Jess navigate the tricky world of log lines and elevator pitches: what they are, what purpose they serve, and what best to include within them. They also give real-world examples of log lines and discuss why they work. TW: There is mention of SA in this episode. Hannah will prepare anyone who needs to skip, and gives the appropriate amount of time to fast forward. Do you have feedback o...

Guest interviewer Jordan asks Jess and Hannah about their writing journeys, spoiler-free synopses of their books, and even asks about the most unconventional writing advice they've gotten! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our...

Hannah and Jess explore the ever-elusive concept of authorial voice, bringing practical advice to an abstract conversation, and talking through real examples. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our website ! SHOW NOTES Random Ho...

Jess and Hannah discuss the signs they follow when deciding if the manuscript is truly finished, as well as different strategies to make sure you're getting the most out of your editing time before it's time to move to the next phase. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTo...

Hannah and Jess discuss the importance of seeking feedback as well as taking it, spend a bit of time discussing sensitivity readers, give input on how to get the most of alpha and beta readers, and discuss the value of critique partners and feedback groups. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionloun...

Jess and Hannah discuss the second pass of editing: how to edit at the line level, what to look for, and all that comes with a deeper dive into edits! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our website ! SHOW NOTES

Hannah and Jess discuss the first phase of editing, where you consider elements like story structure, world building (setting), character, and more. They discuss their own approaches and share important must-haves for this phase of the process. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagr...

Hannah and Jess discuss how they each approach preparing their manuscripts to be edited. They also talk about the difference between different types of editing, and give suggestions on how to approach this "pre-edit" process in a way that works best for you! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlou...

Join Hannah and Jess as they interview their FIRST guest on the podcast. They talk all things writing process! Aubrey B. (Aubrey Reverie) was born and raised in a working-class, small Appalachian town, and like most kids from the sticks, dreamt of leaving that town in the dust the day she turned 18.  She got as far as West Virginia University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism w...

Hannah and Jess discuss what themes and symbols are, as well as how to incorporate them in your draft after you've finished writing it. And Jess would like to make sure the record is corrected: she is 65th on the list for her Onyx Storm library hold. Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on I...

Fixing your draft isn't always easy; where does one begin? This series hopes to help you figure out where to start. Hannah and Jess talk all things pace, dialogue, and repetition in plot! If you want to participate in our feedback form, click here . Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our website ! SHOW NOTES

In this first episode of our three-part "Fix Your Draft" series, Jess and Hannah talk about the difference between "Show and Tell" and "Show vs. Tell". And these writing wins are ICONIC! Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our we...

Hannah and Jess do a deep dive into story structure, Hannah provides a real-life book example to explores its structure, and they review the more popular story structures out there, with a discussion on experimenting with structure as a more experienced writer. Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram , TikTok, and Threads ! And you can always visit our website ! S...