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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
#29: Horror Genre Conventions
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In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the horror genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie Halloween. Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:25] What makes the horror genre unique? 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.
[02:35] 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.
[03:15] Genre conventions are the character roles, settings, and events that are specific to a genre. They’re what help us writers write a story that works AND evoke emotional reactions in our readers.
[04:40] #1 - A monster (or antagonist) that can't be reasoned with.
[05:50] #2 - The monster (or antagonist) is VERY strong or powerful.
[06:50] #3 - There’s some kind of sin or past mistake that the protagonist (or the world) is being punished for.
[08:00] #4 - The settings feel very claustrophobic.
[08:45] #5 - There are multiple lives at stake (including your protagonist's).
[09:25] #6 - The monster(or antagonist) stays hidden as long as possible.
[10:30] #7 - There’s at least one shapeshifter character.
[11:00] #8 - A ticking clock or some kind of deadline by which the protagonist has to stop the monster (or antagonist).
[11:45] #9 - A speech in praise of the monster (or antagonist).
[13:10] #10 - A false ending (and a sense that evil still lurks).
[15:35] Key points and episode recap.
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Links mentioned in this episode:
- Episode Freebie: Horror Genre Conventions 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)
- Conventions vs. tropes: What's the difference? (podcast and article)
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