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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
#17: The 6 Scenes Every Horror Novel Needs
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every horror novel needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:10] In horror novels, bad things happen to good people. There are life and death stakes, a monster intent on death and destruction, claustrophobic settings, and a major fight for survival.
[02:25] Readers choose horror novels because they want to feel the thrill and the terror of being in a life and death situation without actually being in danger in real life. And like all genre fiction, you have to deliver the emotional experience readers are looking for in order for your story to work.
[03:05] Obligatory scenes are the key events, decisions, and discoveries that move a protagonist along their journey from point A to point B. They help us writers craft a story that works AND a story that will deliver a specific emotional experience.
[04:55] Key scene #1: A scene that includes a threat from, or an attack by, the monster (or antagonist). This is the global inciting incident of your story.
[06:00] Key scene #2: A scene where the protagonist ignores a crucial warning and consequently ends up on a path that's headed directly toward the monster. This usually occurs near the end of act one.
[07:20] Key scene #3: A scene where your protagonist understands the true nature of the monster (or antagonist) and realizes what he or she is up against. This usually happens around the midpoint of a novel, or in the middle of act two.
[08:50] Key scene #4: A scene where your protagonist learns, does, or realizes something that sets themselves up to be the monster’s final victim. This usually occurs near the end of act two.
[10:05] Key scene #5: A scene where your protagonist is at the mercy of the monster. This is the moment readers have been waiting for since page one.
[11:47] Key scene #6: A scene where readers learn whether the protagonist survives the confrontation with the monster (or not). Plus, a sense that "evil still lurks."
[13:45] Key points and episode recap.
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Links mentioned in this episode:
- Episode Freebie: Horror Genre Key Scenes PDF Cheat Sheet
- Horror Obligatory Scenes: The 6 Scenes Every Horror Novel Needs (article)
- Horror Genre Conventions: The 10 Things Every Horror Novel Needs (article)
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