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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.
Episodes
284 episodes
#7: 5 Questions to Help You Write Better Characters
In this episode, I'll walk you through five questions that will help you write compelling characters. I highly recommend using these questions to flesh out both your protagonist AND your antagonist, but you can also use these questions t...
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#6: 3 Reasons You Should Write in Scenes vs. Chapters
In today's episode, I'm going to give you three reasons why you should write your draft in scenes instead of chapters. Here's a preview of what we'll cover:[01:20] The difference between scenes and chapters and how they each play...
#5: 3 Ways to Figure Out the Theme of Your Story
In today's episode, I'll walk you through three different ways to figure out the theme of your story. Here's a preview of what we'll cover:[00:50] What is a story's theme? And why do you need one?[01:30] How identify...
Bonus: Ask Savannah (Listener Q&A)
In today's extra special bonus episode, I'm going to answer some questions from you guys! Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode:[01:30] Joe Larkin asks, "Do you have a general rule of thumb for how long a ...
#4: How to Identify Your Story's Ideal Reader
In this episode, we're going to talk about your story's ideal reader -- or the one person who is going to love your book just as much as you do. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode:[01:00] What is an...
#3: How to Decide Which Story Idea to Write Next
In this episode, we're going to talk about how to choose between multiple story ideas, or how to decide which story idea to write next. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode:[01:20] Two reasons why tak...
#2: How to Choose the Best Genre for Your Story
In this episode, we're going to talk about genre -- specifically how to choose the primary (or global) genre for your story. Here's a quick overview of what we talk about in this episode:[01:30] What's the difference between ...