Congratulations! You've finished writing your first draft—an achievement that puts you ahead of countless aspiring writers who never make it past the dreaming stage.  But now you're staring at your manuscript, wondering, "What next?"  Maybe you've tried jumping straight into revisions ...

  So you want to write a novel. Maybe this dream has been with you since childhood, a story idea that's been growing in your imagination for years. Perhaps it's a newer ambition sparked by a book that made you think, "I could write something like this!" Or maybe you woke up this morning w...

Curious about writing books in more than one genre? Angela Haas shares a behind-the-scenes look at writing science fiction and romantic comedy! In today’s episode, we’re going behind the scenes of Angela Haas’s journey to hear how she self-published not one but two books in the last six months—o...

Are you struggling to weave together multiple storylines across different time periods? Dual timeline novels have captivated readers in bestsellers like The Nightengale, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and All the Light We Cannot See, but crafting these intricate narratives requires specific t...

If you’re an aspiring author who is struggling to finish writing a first draft, I want you to know you’re not alone. So many talented first-time writers get stuck (and fail to finish their drafts) not because they lack good ideas or creativity but because they’re only focusing on one piece of the...

See how Notes to Novel™ helped these five writers go from a blank page to a story that works (without the overwhelm). With Notes to Novel™ (season 6) right around the corner, I'm bringing you something incredibly special today. I'm chatting with five amazing writers from season 5 about their exp...

It's no secret that finding time to write a novel is one of the biggest challenges writers face. But how do you actually solve this problem? What separates writers who make consistent progress from those who stay stuck? When I surveyed my amazing audience (that's you) in November, the message wa...

Want a sneak peek into my life as a developmental editor and book coach? Listen in and find out what I do in my work week to help authors transform their story ideas into fully realized novels.  I'll walk you through what I'm learning, how I support fiction writers in finishing their novels, and...

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 “somerhwere between 40 and 60 scenes.” Easy enough, in theory…But if you’re like most of the writers I’ve worked with, ...

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 4 students and asked them to share the number one thing they learned about outlining and writing a first draft, while actua...

How soon is too soon to start marketing your book? Is podcast pitching a good strategy to help you get your book in the hands of your target reader? Tune into this episode of the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast to hear my conversation with Michelle Glogovac—THE Podcast Matchmaker™. She works w...

Telling a story through multiple viewpoints can be a great way to create a more expansive (and objective) look at your characters, world, plot, or theme. But, with each additional viewpoint character you add, the more room there is for story-ruining mistakes. However, if you know that writing a ...