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Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
Do you have a story you can't stop thinking about? Maybe it's still just an idea. Maybe it's half a draft you haven't opened in months, or a finished manuscript that doesn't quite work yet. Wherever you are, it can be hard to know what your story needs next.
Fiction Writing Made Easy is a podcast for aspiring fiction authors who want clear, practical guidance on what to do next with their novels. Hosted by developmental editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo, the show breaks down complicated writing concepts into simple, actionable lessons. Savannah explains why storytelling techniques work, how the different elements of a story fit together, and what that means for your own writing—often using examples from familiar books and movies.
Topics include developing your story idea, outlining a novel, creating characters readers care about, writing scenes that move your story forward, and figuring out what to fix when your draft isn't working. You'll also find genre deep dives on romance, fantasy, thrillers, and horror, mindset tips for difficult writing days, and advice on querying agents and self-publishing.
You'll also hear from editors and industry experts, as well as writers Savannah has taught who share how they finished—and often published—their books. With hundreds of episodes and over 3.8 million downloads, there's plenty to explore wherever you are with your book.
Hit follow for new episodes every week—and take the next step toward a novel you're proud of.
Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
#78: Counting Down The Best Writing Tips From FWME In 2022
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, I'm doing a little countdown of some of the best and most listened-to clips from the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast in 2022. Here's a preview of what you'll hear in the episode:
[01:40] Tip #10: Test out your idea by writing a 1-2 sentence summary of your entire story, focusing on the main story thread.
[04:15] Tip #9: Create a scene-by-scene roadmap for your entire story (and then pressure-test it!) before you start writing.
[07:10] Tip #8: Write (and edit) your story in scenes, not chapters! This will help you stay on track and produce a well-paced story.
[10:40] Tip #7: Not everything that happens in a story needs to be dramatized in a full-blown scene. Sometimes, you can summarize!
[13:05] Tip #6: Establish your character’s mental and emotional state at the very beginning of each one of your scenes.
[16:45] Tip #5: When you finish writing a first draft, the very first thing you should do is take a break!
[19:50] Tip #4: Make sure something meaningful happens in your opening pages if you want to catch the reader’s attention!
[22:35] Tip #3: If you want to hook an agent’s attention with your query letter, don’t be vague when summarizing your story–be specific!
[25:15] Tip #2: If you want to get a traditional publishing deal, consider self-publishing (first) to gain experience and grow your audience.
[26:55] Tip #1: Don’t assume a traditional publisher will provide significant marketing help if you get a book deal.
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Links mentioned in this episode:
- Click here to learn more about the First 5 Pages Workshop!
- Ep. 54 - How to Test Your Story Idea Before Writing
- Ep. 55 - 3 Tips for Writing a First Draft in 90 Days
- Ep. 56 - 5 Reasons Why Readers Stop Reading
- Ep. 58 - 10 Querying Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
- Ep. 61 - First Chapter Analysis: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Ep. 63 - Don’t Start a Scene Without These 3 Things
- Ep. 66 - The Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing
- Ep. 67 - The Pros and Cons of Indie Publishing
- Ep. 73 - The 4 Phases of Editing: How to Revise a Novel
- Ep. 74 - When Should You Write in Scene vs. Summary?
👋 FREE TRAINING: Why You Keep Getting Stuck & How to Finally Finish Your Novel - Give me 60 minutes and I'll show you how to turn your ideas into a complete first draft—without getting stuck in the middle, constantly second-guessing, or spending years rewriting instead of finishing. Click here to save your seat!
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