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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
#15: How to Figure Out the Shape of Your Story
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to figure out the big-picture shape of your story. Here's a preview of what's included:
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[02:45] Each genre asks a specific story question. For example, in an action story, the central story question is some version of, "Will the protagonist defeat the antagonist and survive the encounter?" (This article has the start and end points by genre)
[03:45] The central story question helps you create a framework for your story. That's because these two "ask and answer questions" become the global inciting incident and the global climax of your story.
[04:00] The global inciting incident is a scene that raises the central story question in the readers's mind. It's the question that the whole story will work to answer.
[05:55] The global climax is a scene that answers the central story question. It's what helps you deliver a satisfying emotional experience to the reader.
[07:15] If you're writing an action story... the global inciting incident is usually some kind of threat or attack from the antagonist. These stories end with the protagonist defeating the antagonist (or not).
[08:20] If you're writing a romance... the global inciting incident is usually the first time the lovers meet or appear on the page together. These stories end with these two individuals either committing to a romantic relationship (or not).
[09:25] If you're writing a mystery... the global inciting incident is usually the discovery of some kind of murder or crime. These stories end with revealing the identity of the murder/criminal and bringing them to justice (or not).
[10:35] If you're writing a worldview (or coming of age) story... the global inciting incident is usually a challenge to the protagonist's black and white worldview. These stories end with the protagonist maturing or staying stuck.
[12:15] If you're writing a story with both an external and an internal genre, you can identify these key moments to create a story that feels like a cohesive whole AND a story that has more impact.
[13:25] Key points and a quick recap of the episode.
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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 or what you'd like to see on a future episode. Thanks in advance!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- How to Figure Out the Shape of Your Story (article)
- How to Choose the Best Genre for Your Story (article)
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