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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
#28: Red Herrings: How to Mislead and Surprise Readers
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In today's episode, we’re going to talk about how to mislead and surprise your readers using red herrings. Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:20] A red herring is anything that distracts readers and/or your characters from an important truth. Red herrings can also lead readers and/or your character to mistakenly expect one particular outcome over another.
[02:00] Red herrings are a type of foreshadowing. The term "foreshadowing:" encompasses all the different ways that an author can give readers hints or clues about what’s coming.
[02:10] Red herrings can be used in any genre. If your story has any kind of plot twist or surprise ending, you can use red herrings to distract the reader (or your characters) from the truth of what’s actually happening. Different genres change how the reader will view and respond to the red herrings in your story.
[03:10] I walk you through an example of how red herrings are used in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This is one of my favorite examples of red herrings!
[06:15] Tip #1: Incorporate red herrings into the fabric of your story so that it feels like an organic part of the plot and not something random to create tension or conflict.
[07:20] Tip #2: Give your innocent characters motivation, means, and opportunity to have committed the crime.
[07:55] Tip #3: Give the reader no (obvious) reason to suspect your guilty character.
[09:00] Tip #4: Focus the reader’s attention elsewhere when you plant "true" clues.
[10:00] Tip #5: Always play fair with the reader. Don't mess with readers by withholding important information that should have been given upfront.
[11:35] Key points and episode recap.
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