Fiction Writing Made Easy

You finished your book and now you’re looking for a cover designer, but where do you start? Where can you find a good book cover designer? And how much should you expect to pay them for a quality book cover?These are all questions my guest, Zoe Norvell, will answer in this week’s brand-new podcast episode! Zoe is the mastermind behind INeedABookCover.com and INeedABookInterior.com—and she’s been designing book covers professionally since 2011 (both for big publishers and self-published author...

One of the questions I get asked by a lot of aspiring authors is, “What books should I read to learn how to start writing a novel?” I get asked this question so often that I decided to turn my answer into a podcast episode! Tune in to this episode to hear my take on the 5 best writing books that have had the biggest impact on me and the authors I work with. I’ll share what the books are, why I like them, and what kind of writer they’d be best for.In other words, you’ll hear me talk about:[02:...

Have you ever Googled things like “how many words should be in a novel?” Or “how many scenes should a novel have?” If so, you’ve probably gotten answers like “80,000 words.” Or “somewherre between 40 and 60 scenes.”Easy enough, in theory…But if you’re like most of the writers I’ve worked with, you’ve probably also had trouble sticking to these guidelines because there’s just so much stuff that needs to go into a novel, right?Well, in this episode, I’m going to help clear up some of the confus...

How do you know if you’re actually getting better at writing? In this episode, my guest, Tim Grahl, the CEO of Story Grid and the author of multiple books, both fiction and non-fiction, shares his answer to this question. Tim believes that his new book, The Shithead, is the best book he’s ever written—and I happen to agree with him! So, how did he get here? What did he do to become a better writer? And more importantly, what can YOU learn from Tim’s story to become a better writer yourself?&n...

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:[01:55] How I use a paper planner to map out...

Would you believe me if I said social media could make you a better writer? If you’re shaking your head NO, you’ll want to check out this episode.My guest, Lara Ferrari, is an Instagram marketing specialist who has helped hundreds of writers grow engaged communities of readers online (and have FUN while doing it). In this episode, she’s sharing how you can use social media to increase your creativity and motivation, get reader input and feedback, do market research, and find the accountabilit...

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, ...

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 a...

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: yo...

“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 ...

“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...

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 th...

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...

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...

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 ...