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PODCAST

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips

Fiction Writing Made Easy is your go-to podcast for practical, no-fluff tips on how to write, edit, and publish a novel—from first draft to finished book. Hosted by developmental editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo, this show breaks down the fiction writing process into clear, actionable steps so you can finally make progress on your manuscript.Whether you"re a first-time author or a seasoned writer looking to sharpen your skills, each episode offers insights on novel writing, story structure,

arts books

All Episodes

18:17

#157. 10 Surprising Lessons From My First Book Launch

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/09/03

Earlier this year, I published my first book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—and I learned soooo much about book marketing.Tune into this episode to hear the ten surprising lessons I learned from my first book launch, including things like:[03:10] What I learned about asking for Amazon reviews—and how asking for favors was the most uncomfortable part of the book launch process for me[04:30] A look behind the scenes at my marketing plan, including

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26:44

#156. Student Spotlight: 5 Lessons Learned from Notes...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/08/27

Do you ever wish you could see a behind-the-scenes look at how other people write? In this episode, you’ll get to hear directly from five of my Notes to Novel students as they share how they brainstormed, outlined, and wrote their books inside the Notes to Novel course. I asked each of them to share the biggest thing that helped them get to “The End” of their drafts, and that’s exactly what they’re sharing with you today.In the episode, you’ll hear things like:[01:50] How fast drafting and using

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33:01

#155. 10 Things That Will NOT Make You A Better Writer

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/08/20

As someone who’s worked with hundreds of authors, I see people making the same mistakes over and over and over again. Mistakes that are easily avoidable once you know they’re mistakes.In this episode, I’m sharing some of these mistakes. Specifically, the 10 things that will NOT make you a better writer—and oh boy is it a juicy episode! In it, you’ll hear me talk about:[01:27] Why waiting until you feel more “ready” to write is actually one of the worst things you can do (and spoiler alert: you will

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81:12

#154. Coaching Call: Critiquing Jac Sahlin's Query...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/08/13

“I think your story has a genre identity crisis. That’s probably why you’re not getting responses from agents.” ← That’s what I told my new friend, Jac Sahlin, about the duology she’s currently querying.Tune into this episode to hear Jac and I talk through her query letter and first five pages—and to hear my thoughts on why she hasn’t received any requests from agents. Although Jac isn’t technically a client of mine, our conversation will give you a peek behind the scenes into what it’s like working

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47:16

#153. Scene Analysis: Chapter 5 "Diagon Alley" From...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/08/06

“How many scenes are in the Diagon Alley chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?” Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequently asked questions I get from writers when they hear I’ve written a book breaking apart this mega best seller scene by scene. And it’s a valid question! This chapter was the hardest chapter for us to analyze when putting together The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.But this week, Abigail K. Perry and I have an

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38:35

Three Act Structure Breakdown: Harry Potter and the...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/08/01

How did Rowling deliver on the life-and-death stakes an action story requires, but in a way appropriate for middle-grade readers? How did she consistently weave together the external plot and Harry’s character arc in such a way that they’re inseparable?Tune into this episode to hear Abigail K. Perry and I talk through the plot structure of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone using the Story Grid’s Five Commandments of Storytelling. Yep, we’ve broken down the beginning, middle, and end of the first

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18:21

Bonus: The Global Story Structure of Harry Potter and...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/30

Rowling is a master at weaving the external plot with Harry’s internal character arc—and using the external plot events to help Harry grow and change.In this episode, you’ll hear Abigail K. Perry and I talk through the big-picture plot structure of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone using the Story Grid’s Five Commandments of Storytelling. We’ll also discuss how this story fits in the Action Genre Framework and how Rowling adapted that framework to suit a middle-grade audience.⭐ Rate + Rev...

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28:00

Bonus: How To Write Scenes Like Rowling (An Interview...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/25

J.K. Rowling is the master of layering things within her scenes. She’s also fantastic at raising the stakes from scene to scene, too. But how does she do itTune into this episode to hear Abigail K. Perry and I talk to Tim Grahl (the CEO of Story Grid) about what it was like to study Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—what we learned from J.K. Rowling about writing scenes and so much more.⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sou...

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21:17

#151. How Rowling Built A World Ripe For Life Or...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/23

Ever wonder how Rowling created such a fantastic, three-dimensional story world for her Harry Potter series?That’s exactly what you’ll hear in this week’s brand-new podcast episode! Join me, Abigail K. Perry, and Tim Grahl, as we discuss the world-building in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—and what we learned from our analysis of this mega best seller.You’ll hear us talk about things like:[02:38] How Rowling built a fantastic story world ripe for life and death conflicts (but in a way that’s

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11:34

Bonus: How Rowling Used Plot Catalysts to Keep...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/18

Plot catalysts make it difficult for a character to achieve their goals. If you’re writing an Action story, there are three main plot catalysts you’ll want to include in your book—a speech in praise of the villain, a deadline or ticking clock, and one or more set-piece action sequences.Tune into this episode to hear a sneak peek from my new book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and hear how Rowling used plot catalysts to keep readers engaged.⭐ Rate

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34:03

#150. How Rowling Created A Cast of Compelling...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/16

Ever wonder how Rowling created such a wonderful cast of quirky and relatable characters in the Harry Potter series? If so, tune into this episode to hear Abigail K. Perry, Tim Grahl, and me talk about the characters in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. You’ll hear us talk about things like:[02:32] How to think about the number of characters you include in your story (and what we can learn from the characters Rowling highlighted in book one)[09:17] How to write a dynamic cast of characters that

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26:35

Bonus: What Made Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/11

What made Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone a worldwide bestseller? Why does this story still resonate with readers almost thirty years later?And why did Abigail and I agree to spend so much time dissecting every single scene and page to find out how and why it works?!Tune into this episode to hear Abigail K. Perry and I talk to Tim Grahl (the CEO of Story Grid) about what it was like to study Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—why we chose this book, what we learned from our analysis,...

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14:25

[SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT] My Book Is Available For...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/09

Ever wish you could understand exactly what makes your favorite stories so lovable? Me too! So much so that I deconstructed every single scene in the first Harry Potter book to see how and why it worked. And today, I’m super excited to share with you that my brand-new book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: A Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide, is officially available for pre-order right now!Tune into this episode to hear me talk about things like:[03:25] What’s inside the book and how it’s

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26:32

#149. 5 Questions To Write Better Antagonists

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/07/02

Antagonists can make or break a story—both for the writer and the reader. Writers who don’t spend time developing their antagonists tend to write drafts that fall apart in the middle. Anyone who reads a story with a weak or unconvincing protagonist is unlikely to finish it. So, how do we go about making our antagonists just as compelling as our protagonists? How do we write an antagonist with impact?In this episode, I’m sharing five questions that will help you create a compelling, genre-appropriate

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44:55

#148. How To Use Universal Fantasy To Write Better...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/06/25

“Never wonder if readers will love your story again.” This is exactly what Theodora Taylor teaches you how to do in her book 7 FIGURE FICTION: How to Use Universal Fantasy to SELL Your Books to ANYONE.Despite writing fiction in a niche genre (interracial romance), Theodora Taylor has grown a fanbase of rabid readers and fans through the power of something she calls Universal Fantasy—aka “the ingredients you need to write DELICIOUS stories!”In this episode, Theodora Taylor shares how she discovered

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31:45

#147. A Week in the Life: 7 Days Behind the Scenes...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/06/18

Want a peek behind the scenes into my work week? 👀In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes and sharing what I do as a developmental editor and book coach. I’ll talk through the projects I’m working on, what I’m excited (or not excited) about, what’s coming up in the next few weeks, what I learn from the writers I work with, and basically anything else that happens during the week!Tune into the episode to hear me talk about things like:[05:07] A behind-the-scenes look at the making of this

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37:05

#146. 6 Ways Mindfulness Can Make You A Happier &...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/06/11

If you’ve ever felt frustrated with your progress (or lack of progress), it’s probably time to take a step back from your writing and consider your mindset.To help you do just that, I’m sharing a conversation in today’s podcast episode with April Dávila, an award-winning author, speaker, and writing coach who specializes in teaching writers to integrate mediation into their writing practice.Tune into this episode to hear us talk about how integrating mindfulness in her writing practice helped April

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20:33

#145. How To Develop Your Character's Backstory

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/06/04

Crafting compelling backstories for your fictional characters is critical to developing a cohesive story, but it’s sometimes easier said than done.There are endless options when it comes to which details you can include in your character’s backstory, and what you do include will influence everything that happens in your story—from the plot events to your character’s motivations to your own ability to manage the thematic subtext of your story on a scene-by-scene-basis.In this episode, I’m goin...

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43:45

#144. Student Spotlight: How She Landed A Book Deal...

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/05/28

Have you ever heard someone say that the only difference between a published author and an unpublished author is that the published author never gave up?I wholeheartedly believe this, and my guest today proves it’s true.Savannah Carlisle writes heartwarming romance novels that transport readers to fun and quirky small towns where friends feel like family. And her debut novel, The Library of Second Chances, is officially available for purchase as of May 2024. Tune into this episode to hear us talk

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39:55

#143. How To Pitch Podcasts With Michelle Glogovac

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing... ·

2024/05/21

“Human beings want to hear the stories of other human beings. And that's exactly what podcasts do.” - Michelle GlogovacYou have a finished book, now what? Learn how to pitch yourself to podcasts (and create your own podcast book tour!) in this episode. Here’s a preview of what’s included:[04:47] What is a podcast book tour? And what are the benefits of doing one?[12:20] How to pitch yourself, even if you don’t have a finished book.[31:32] How to repurpose content from your interviews so you

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