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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
#10: How to Create Memorable Characters Using Hooks
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In today's episode, I'm going to show you how to create unique and memorable characters using "hooks." Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:15] What are character hooks? How do they help readers?
[02:25] Hook #1: Give your character a unique accent or way of speaking.
[03:20] Hook #2: Give your character an identifiable physical feature.
[04:25] Hook #3: Give your character their own body language.
[05:25] Hook #4: Give your character a human or an animal counterpart.
[06:20] Hook #5: Give your character a unique personality.
[07:35] Hook #6: Give your character both strengths and weaknesses.
[08:40] Hook #7: Give your character a specific role in the story.
[09:45] Hook #8: Give your character a connection to some group or family.
[10:55] Hook #9: Give your character a default emotional state.
[12:00] Hook #10: Give your character a part to play in concealing clues.
[13:00] How do you incorporate these types of character hooks into your own story?
[14:50] Key points and a quick recap of the episode.
Subscribe & Review in Apple Podcasts
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!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Episode Freebie: 10 Examples of Character Hooks PDF
- 5 Questions to Help You Create Compelling Characters (article)
👋 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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