In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beats that make up the second half of the middle section of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:55] A recap of last week's episode that focused on the first half of the middle beats in the STC! method. Click here to listen to episode #48 first! [03:05] The average novel is about 80k words, and this section (the middle, part two) is a...
Aug 24, 2021•25 min•Ep. 49
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beats that make up the first half of the middle section of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:55] A recap of last week's episode that focused on the beginning beats in the STC! method. Click here to listen to episode #47 first! [02:30] Act two is all about your character changing. In act one, the protagonist starts out one way, then...
Jul 13, 2021•28 min•Ep. 48
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beginning beats of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:05] The STC! method highlights 15 “beats” or plot points that each has a specific purpose and serves a particular function within your global story. [02:25] The average novel is about 80k words, and this section is about 20k of them. If you write 1,500-word scenes, you're looking...
Jun 22, 2021•26 min•Ep. 47
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every worldview story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:20] Worldview stories focus on a period of the main character’s life where he or she is transitioning from one significant state to another. These stories show how the external events of the plot affect a character in such a way that he or she must grow, change, and awaken to a new understanding of themse...
Jun 01, 2021•16 min•Ep. 46
In today's episode, I'm sharing three strategies that will help you overcome imposter syndrome . Here's a preview of what's included: [01:50] A quick story about what my two dogs, Forrest and Luna, taught me about overcoming imposter syndrome (and how you can, too). [04:35] An example of how a client I worked with suffered from imposter syndrome for twelve years before every querying agents with her story. Spoiler alert: she's now a published author whose book is with one of the big five publish...
May 25, 2021•18 min•Ep. 45
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the performance genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Mighty Ducks. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] Performance stories center around a character who wants to achieve something specific in order to prove their worth to the world. For example, they might want to win a certain award, climb Mount Everest, be the best in their field, or be famous. [01:55] Readers choose perfor...
May 18, 2021•18 min•Ep. 44
In today's episode, I'm sharing my top ten tips for writing better scenes. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:45] Tip #1: Stick to one point-of-view character per scene. This will help you avoid head-hopping and getting off track. [02:45] Tip #2: Establish where and when each scene is taking place as soon as possible. Especially, if things have changed since the last scene. [03:50] Tip #3: Give your point-of-view character a specific (and meaningful) goal in each scene. What do they want? ...
Apr 20, 2021•16 min•Ep. 43
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through 10 common reasons why manuscripts are rejected by publishers. Here's a preview of what's included: [02:05] After a rejection, you don't have to wait before making your next move. You can get to work right away and figure out what’s wrong with your draft so that you can fix it and resubmit your story. [02:25] Reason #1: The category or genre isn’t the right fit for the agent or the publisher. Usually, this means the author didn't do their research...
Mar 30, 2021•19 min•Ep. 42
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every action story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] Action stories are about life and death, and good versus evil. They’re about a character who has to rise up, overcome great obstacles, defeat forces of evil, and maybe even save the world. But that being said, these stories aren’t always about superheroes. [02:35] Readers choose action stories to experie...
Mar 09, 2021•16 min•Ep. 41
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to write a well-structured scene. I'll also show you how this structure shows up in a scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone . Here's a preview of what's included: [02:50] A scene is a unit of story that takes place in more or less continuous space and time, features a specific cast of characters, is told from one point-of-view, and contains a value shift (or change) from beginning to end. [04:15] The first thing you need to know ab...
Feb 23, 2021•18 min•Ep. 40
In today's episode, we’re going to talk about why so many novels go unfinished, and what to do so that you can start finishing every project that you start. Here's a preview of what's included: [03:20] The #1 reason why so many novels are never finished is because most writers expect to produce a first draft that’s perfect, or at least, really good -- and then, when it’s not perfect or really good, they give up on writing their story altogether. [04:35] Trying to be a perfect writer (or even a g...
Feb 16, 2021•14 min•Ep. 39
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the romance genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie Twilight. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:30] What makes the romance genre unique? In romance novels, everything centers around two characters falling in love despite the odds, and despite the risks. [01:55] Readers choose romance novels because they want to feel all the excitement of falling in love without taking any of the emoti...
Feb 09, 2021•21 min•Ep. 38
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through five questions to ask before you start writing a first draft. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] The purpose of a first draft is to tell yourself the story. The purpose of a first draft is NOT to be perfect or to have everything 100% figured out. [01:50] By doing some of the important work or heavy lifting upfront, you CAN write a stronger, more efficient first draft that feels more like a second or third draft. But to do that, you need...
Jan 26, 2021•13 min•Ep. 37
In today's episode, I'm going to cover all the different ways a book coach can help you finish your draft and become a stronger writer. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] A book coach is someone who guides a writer through the entire book writing process from start to finish while giving editorial feedback, accountability, and support along the way. [04:20] Generally speaking, you can work with a book coach any time -- that’s kind of the beauty of book coaches… they’ll dive in and meet...
Jan 19, 2021•12 min•Ep. 36
In today's episode, I'm going to cover three roadblocks that might be keeping you from writing. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:45] So much of writing or editing a book has to do with managing your mind. And there’s no getting out of having to manage your mind either -- you can understand story structure, you can study all the books and take all the courses on character creation or worldbuilding or whatever, but until you understand that what you think about is going to create the emoti...
Jan 12, 2021•14 min•Ep. 35
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to plan out your writing projects for the new year. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] Creating a strategic plan is something most writers don't think about doing but it’s the kind of thing that can actually help you achieve the big goals you have like writing a novel, or submitting a short story to publishers, or whatever it is that you're hoping to do. [02:55] Step #1: Review the last 12 months so that you can make a realistic pla...
Jan 05, 2021•21 min•Ep. 34
In today’s episode, I'm sharing some of the lessons I learned from coaching writers this year. My hope is that these lessons will help you to keep moving forward with your work in the most efficient way possible. Here's a quick preview: [01:20] Lesson #1: It’s totally possible to write the first draft of a full-length novel in 90 days IF you do the hard work to outline and pressure test your story upfront. [04:25] Lesson #2: It’s okay to start with the plot of your story, or the external stuff t...
Dec 15, 2020•17 min•Ep. 33
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through what to do with your messy first draft now that NaNoWriMo is over. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:20] Everything we cover in today's episode can be used whether you participated in NaNoWriMo or not. All that matters is that you have a finished draft. [02:30] Step #1: Take a break from your draft so that you can get some distance and give your imagination time to regenerate. [03:30] Step #2: Read your draft to familiarize yourself with w...
Dec 01, 2020•17 min•Ep. 32
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every thriller novel needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:18] Thrillers combine all the criminality and suspense of a good detective novel with the danger and life and death stakes from the action or horror genre. Usually, these stories center around a protagonist who's focused on stopping a future crime from happening. [01:40] Readers choose thriller novels beca...
Nov 24, 2020•12 min•Ep. 31
In today's episode, we’re going to talk through four reasons why you should have a target word count for your story. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:50] Generally speaking, a novel is defined as any story over 40,000 words. But, the average novel is usually somewhere around 80,000-100,000 words. [02:05] Technically there’s no maximum length for a novel, but there are guidelines you can follow to determine whether your story is the appropriate length, or too long. These guidelines are de...
Nov 17, 2020•13 min•Ep. 30
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...
Nov 03, 2020•18 min•Ep. 29
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 r...
Oct 27, 2020•14 min•Ep. 28
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every performance story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:30] Performance stories center around a character who wants to achieve something specific in order to prove their worth to the world. For example, they might want to win a certain award, climb Mount Everest, be the best in their field, or be famous. [02:25] Readers choose performance novels because they...
Oct 21, 2020•14 min•Ep. 27
In today's episode, we’re going to talk about crafting a great inciting incident for your story. I'm also going to show you how the global inciting incident looks different across the content genres. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:45] The inciting incident is an event that occurs and upsets the balance of your protagonist’s life. Life can't continue on in the same way now. [02:00] The inciting incident is also what sets your story in motion and gives rise to your protagonist’s overarch...
Oct 06, 2020•19 min•Ep. 26
In today's extra special bonus episode, I'm sharing my interview with Dr. Susan Hickman from the Conquering the Writing Blues Summit I took part in earlier this year. Here's a quick preview of what's included: [02:50] What does a developmental editor do? Plus how and why I became a developmental editor and book coach. [06:25] My take on plotting versus pantsing -- is one of them the “right way” to write? [10:00] What does a book coach do? Plus, why book coaching is having a “moment” with the inc...
Oct 01, 2020•36 min
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the worldview genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:45] Worldview stories focus on a period of the main character’s life where he or she is transitioning from one significant state to another. These stories show how the external events of the plot affect a character in such a way that he or she must grow, change, and...
Sep 29, 2020•22 min•Ep. 25
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through ten steps to get ready for NaNoWriMo. Here's a preview of what's included: [03:40] Step 1: Choose one story idea to work on during NaNoWriMo. [04:40] Step 2: Test out (or flesh out) your story idea by writing a 1-2 sentence logline and a 250-word elevator pitch for your story. [00:00] Step #3: Choose your story's main genre so that you have a blueprint for writing a story that works. [07:40] Step #4: Uncover your story's theme so that you know wh...
Sep 15, 2020•24 min•Ep. 24
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every romance novel needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:45] Romance novels center around two individuals falling in love despite the odds, despite the risks, and despite the opposing forces in their life. These stories usually end in "happily ever after," or at the very least, "happily for now." [02:15] Readers choose romance novels because they want to experien...
Sep 08, 2020•15 min•Ep. 23
In today’s episode, I’m going to walk you through my five-step process for evaluating the conflict in your novel . Here's a preview of what's included: [01:20] Progressive complications are moments of conflict that gets harder and harder to deal with overtime. To learn more about writing good conflict, check out last week's episode (episode #21). [02:30] Step 1: Identify what your POV character wants and how they plan to get it. You’ll also want to have a good understanding of what your characte...
Sep 01, 2020•18 min•Ep. 22
In today's episode, we're going to talk about writing better conflict in your novel using "progressive complications ." Here's a preview of what's included: [01:20] Progressive complications are moments of conflict that get more and more challenging to deal with over time. These complications can be people, places, things, or events, and they can be negative or positive. [02:10] Stories exist because of conflict. If there was no conflict, you'd have nothing to write about. [02:30] Progressive co...
Aug 25, 2020•16 min•Ep. 21
