If you want to write a novel that hooks a reader’s interest, you had better write an engaging first chapter. But how exactly do you do that? Since I’ve already provided resources on how to write a solid set of opening pages and the big mistakes to avoid when writing your opening pages, I thought...

A good book series allows readers to immerse themselves in a world and stay there. But how do you write a book series that works? How do you keep conflicts and character arcs going over such a long time span? How do you create a sense of resolution at the end of each book but still allow the plot...

When should you start marketing your book? Is there anything you can do to market your book while writing and editing it? What should you do if you’re afraid of marketing or sounding too salesy when your book comes out?  These are questions I get asked all the time.  In this podcast episode, I’...

Let’s pretend you’re in a bookstore, and you walk over to the romance section. And let’s say you grab a random book off the shelf full of romance novels. What would you expect from the book in your hands before you even read the first page? Maybe things like—a scene where the couple meets, a bud...

If you want to write a novel that hooks a reader’s interest, you had better write an engaging first chapter. But how exactly do you do that? Since I’ve already provided resources on how to write a solid set of opening pages and the big mistakes to avoid when writing your opening pages, I thought...

What’s the difference between the All Is Lost beat and the Dark Night Of The Soul Beat? Does it matter if my Catalyst comes earlier than 12%? How do I know which beats are single-scene beats vs. multi-scene beats? If you’ve had any of these questions about the Save The Cat! plotting method, you’r...

Do you ever wish you could take a peek behind the scenes of other people's writing process? If so, you’re in for a treat!  I reached out to some of my Notes to Novel Season 3 students and asked them to share the number one thing they learned about outlining and writing a first draft, while actua...

Over 80% of the population experiences imposter syndrome at some point in their life.  It not only fills you with dread, but feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and skepticism about your talents, skills, and capabilities, too. And if left unchecked, it may even lead to you sabotaging your ...

In today’s episode, we’re going to do something fun and a little different. Since we’re nearing the end of 2023, I thought it would be fun to continue with last week’s theme of lessons learned over the last twelve months. I hope some of the lessons you’ve learned this year came from this podcast,...

Do you ever wonder what the writing process is like for other writers? Or if they run into some of the same challenges or traps as you do? In this post, I'm giving you a glimpse behind the scenes and sharing some of the key takeaways I learned from coaching writers this year. And although there'...

If you want to write a novel that hooks a reader’s interest, you had better write an engaging first chapter. But how exactly do you do that? Since I’ve already provided resources on how to write a solid set of opening pages and the big mistakes to avoid when writing your opening pages, I thought...

I recently sat down for a conversation with Fern Bernstein about her debut novel, Staunch: The Edies of Grey Gardens.  In our conversation, we talked about her writing, editing, and publishing journey, including things like where the idea to write a fictionalized story about The Edies came from,...