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Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
Fiction Writing Made Easy is your go-to creative writing podcast for practical, no-fluff tips on how to write, edit, and publish a novel—from first draft to finished book.
Hosted by developmental editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo, this show breaks down the fiction writing process into clear, actionable steps so you can finally make progress on your manuscript and write a novel you’re proud of.
Whether you’re a first-time author, an aspiring novelist, or a seasoned writer looking to strengthen your craft, each episode will help you understand what makes a story work at the deepest level—so you can stop second-guessing your ideas and start building a stronger novel from the inside out.
You’ll learn how to develop your premise, structure your plot, create compelling characters, write stronger scenes, world-build without infodumping, revise your draft, and navigate your publishing options with more clarity and confidence.
If you’ve ever wondered things like...
How do I write a novel if I’ve never done this before?
What’s the best way to structure a story that works?
How do I develop strong characters readers will care about?
How do I build an immersive world without info-dumping?
How do I write scenes that move the story forward?
How do I edit my first draft?
How do I know when my book is ready to publish?
Should I pursue self-publishing or traditional publishing?
…you’re in the right place.
New episodes drop weekly to help you simplify the novel-writing process, strengthen your storytelling skills, and get your book into readers’ hands.
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Popular Episode Topics Include: Fiction Writing Tips, Story Structure, Plotting a Novel, Character Development, Writing Stronger Scenes, World Building, Novel Revision, Story Development, How to Outline a Novel, Character Arcs, Genre Fiction, Editing a Novel, Fiction Writing Mistakes to Avoid, Revision Strategies, Writing Advice
Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
#63: Don't Start a Scene Without These 3 Things
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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 #2: What is your POV character's mental and emotional state?
[08:55] Key element #3: What is your POV character's goal and motivation?
[17:35] Final thoughts and episode recap
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Links mentioned in this episode:
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