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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
#3: How to Decide Which Story Idea to Write Next
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In this episode, we're going to talk about how to choose between multiple story ideas, or how to decide which story idea to write next. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode:
- [01:20] Two reasons why taking the time to flesh out your story ideas before you start writing a single word will save you time, energy, and frustration.
- [02:15] 5 questions to help you decide between two or more story ideas.
- [03:15] An example from a real-life writer who was torn between a "for fun" romance novel and a "more serious" memoir. "Which one should I choose?"
- [06:15] What happens when your idea doesn't have enough "meat" to support a full-length novel (hint: it almost always has to do with a lack of conflict).
- [07:30] What's the difference between a topic and an idea? And how do you determine whether you have a topic (aka part of an idea) or an actual story idea?
- [08:50] If you have a topic, you can turn it into an idea that can support a full-length novel by asking yourself these key questions.
- [10:00] What's next? Here's how identifying your genre can help you further flesh out your idea and understand your next steps.
- [10:40] Key points and episode recap.
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Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode! Especially because I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. So, click here to subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts!
If you're already a subscriber, and if you enjoy the show, I would be really grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts, too. Those reviews help other writers find my podcast and they’re also super fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the show is. Thanks in advance--I really appreciate it!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Episode Freebie: How to Choose Which Story Idea to Write Next PDF
👋 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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