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 my work week—and why I’m extra diligent about matching up my digital calendar to my planner
• [04:55] Why grouping common activities into one day (like public speaking or podcasting) helps me conserve energy and recharge my introvert batteries
• [08:30] An update on two writers I’m working with—both of which are about to finish their developmental edits and move into the line editing phase
• [14:50] How I deal with not getting everything on my to-do list done, and why it’s so important to give yourself grace when energy levels are low
• [16:40] What I learned from critiquing the opening pages of five different science fiction novels—and what you can do to avoid making the same mistake

Thanks for coming on this journey with me, and I hope you enjoy this peek behind the scenes! See you next week!

⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ep. 94 - How to Reveal Your Character's Inner Life on the Page
• Ep. 102 - 3 Common Interiority Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
• Planner Pad on Amazon

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

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 accountability and support you need to become a better writer.

In the episode, you’ll hear us talk about things like:

• [02:26] What led Lara to specialize in social media marketing for authors, and how she can help you find your target audience of readers online
• [06:09] How writers often have a negative perception of social media—it’s either a necessary evil to help them promote their books, or it’s a time suck that threatens their writing (and sometimes their mental health)
• [07:34] Unexpected ways social media can increase your creativity, inspiration, passion, and motivation (along with some practical examples so you can put these things into practice, too)
• [17:35] How to conduct actionable market research using social media—think getting reader input and feedback, sensitivity awareness, and things like that
• [29:51] A few different ways you can use social media to find the community, accountability, and support you need to finish your book
• [32:56] How to use social media intentionally to maintain your boundaries and focus on what matters most—writing your book!

If you’ve ever felt unsure about social media, or if social media consistently feels like something that’s just too hard to tackle, you’re going to LOVE this episode with Lara!

⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Lara Ferrari’s Instagram
• Grab Lara’s Instagram Glow Up Guide here!

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

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 how I balanced things like social media, emailing my list, and working with ARC Readers and influencers
• [07:50] What moved the needle for me and made it possible for my book to become an Amazon bestseller and the #1 New Release in the category
• [12:00] The hardest part of the book launch for me emotionally—and how I dealt with people who didn’t show up for me like they said they would
• [15:30] Why it’s important to celebrate after publishing a book (and what my celebration looked like—spoiler alert: it was very low-key but still fun!)

If you want a peek behind the scenes to hear what worked, what didn’t work, what I’m glad I did, and what I’d do differently next time, you’re going to love this episode!

⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ep. #107 - List Building Essentials For Authors
• Grab a copy of my new book, The Story Grid Masterwork Guide To Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (and then claim your bonuses) here!
• Leave a review for my book on Amazon

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

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 placeholders for pending details helped Poornika finish a 114,000-word draft in only 88 days
• [04:50] How Alison learned to embrace scene structure (and what this did in terms of her ability to write a first draft)
• [07:40] How a small mindset shift around outlining gave Mark a framework to develop his ideas (without stifling his creativity or ability to have fun)
• [12:10] How Sharon’s critique group noticed an improvement in her writing after she learned how to write a well-structured scene
• [16:30] How Rhonda defeated her inner critic that used to tell her she was too old to write—and how she finished an 80,000-word first draft

Trust me when I say that you will find these writers’ stories so inspirational! I had so much fun putting together this episode and can’t wait to share their insights with you!

⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Poornika Kakkanaiah’s website and Instagram
• Alison Ten Cate’s Instagram
• Sharon England’s Instagram
• Mark Mrozinski’s website and Instagram

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

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 never feel ready!)
• [06:18] Why most writing groups don’t work (even if they’re full of well-meaning members)—and how to find the right writing group for you
• [09:16] Why writing and revising at the same time is not the best thing to do (and what you should start doing instead to make progress on your book)
• [20:30] The problem with popular writing methods—and why they can do more harm than good, especially if you’re brand new to writing
• [24:59] My thoughts on investing in your craft, including when (and how) you should invest both your time and money based on where you’re at in the process
• [28:26] Episode recap and final thoughts

So, tune in and let me help you avoid making some of the most common mistakes writers make—and let’s make this the year you finish (or publish!) your book.

⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Notes to Novel
• The Spun Yarn

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

“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 with a book coach!

In the episode, you’ll hear us talk about things like:

• [04:59] Jac’s thoughts about what it was like to get feedback from a book coach—and how it was different than getting feedback when she was taking creative writing courses in college
• [08:32] My process for analyzing Jac’s query and first five pages, including where I start and what literary agents are looking for in a query package
• [15:41] The difference between writing women’s fiction and romance—and why this matters both when writing a draft and querying agents
• [31:25] Jac’s big a-ha moments about which genre she wants her story to fit into (and spoiler alert: she followed her gut and chose romance!
• [01:03] Episode recap and final thoughts

If you want my help with your story, the doors to my Notes to Novel group coaching program are opening soon! Click here to get on the waitlist.

Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Book Talk for BookTok podcast
• Book Talk for BookTok on Instagram

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

“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 answer for you! Tune into this week’s episode to hear us take a deep dive into the structure of Chapter 5, “Diagon Alley,”—including how many scenes we see in this chapter.

In the episode, you’ll hear us talk about things like:

• [04:21] How to analyze your scenes from three different perspectives—the reader’s perspective, the character’s perspective, and the author’s perspective
• [11:33] A quick trick for determining if your scenes work (and how to identify which areas of your scenes need work once you’ve written them)
• [20:12] Why we chose to analyze this chapter as one 6,500-word-long scene versus a bunch of smaller scenes (and how the structure of this scene works)
• [23:12] The purpose of the smaller moments within the scene that are arguably significant (and move the scene) forward but aren’t technically “scenes”
• [41:14] Our final thoughts on writing a scene like Diagon Alley

If you like this episode, you’ll LOVE my book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: A Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide. Click here to pre-order a copy and get access to a collection of bonuses in addition to a copy of the book.

Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Pre-order my new book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: A Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide, and get a handful of special bonuses!
• Watch the video interview on Story Grid’s YouTube channel

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

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 Harry Potter book so you don’t have to. Cool, right?

You’ll hear us talk about things like:

• 02:26] The structure of the beginning hook—aka how Rowling introduced us to Harry and immersed us in his world before sending him to Hogwarts.
• [10:08] How the middle build-up leads to the all-important midpoint moment. What will Harry do now that his life’s been threatened by a teacher?
• [22:56] How the middle breakdown brings Harry to an all-time low—and why this is critical in terms of Harry’s growth and ability to defeat Voldemort
• [27:57] The structure of the ending payoff—aka how Rowling continued to raise the stakes and delivered an awesome Hero At The Mercy Of The Villain scene
• [32:25] And so much more…

If you like this episode, you’ll LOVE my book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: A Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide. Click here to pre-order a copy and get access to a collection of bonuses in addition to a copy of the book.

⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know your favorite episodes, too!

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Pre-order my new book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: A Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide, and get a handful of special bonuses!
• Watch the video interview on Story Grid’s YouTube channel

Click here to learn more about my book, The Story Grid Masterwork Analysis Guide to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and claim your gifts with purchase!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.