
#68: First Chapter Analysis: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the sixth book in the Harry Potter series–here’s a preview of what we talk about: [05:45] A very quick summary of the first chapter [07:15] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings [13:45] A micro analysis of the two sc...
18 Okt 20221h 3min

#67: The Pros And Cons Of Independent Publishing
In today’s episode, I’m going to walk you through the pros and cons of indie publishing. Here’s a preview of what you’ll hear in the episode: [01:30] Indie publishing is the pure do-it-yourself publishing path. It's where you, the author, take on ALL the roles of and basically become the publisher of your own book. [02:30] The pros of indie publishing [08:20] The cons of indie publishing [13:20] Final thoughts and episode recap Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love the Fiction Wri...
11 Okt 202217min

#66: The Pros And Cons Of Traditional Publishing
In today’s episode, I’m going to walk you through the pros and cons of traditional publishing. Here’s a preview of what you’ll hear in the episode: [01:35] Traditional publishing refers to the established system of submitting a finished manuscript to agents with the goal of getting a book deal with one of the Big Five publishers. [03:00] The pros of traditional publishing [08:45] The cons of traditional publishing [15:20] Final thoughts and episode recap Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podc...
4 Okt 202218min

#65: First Chapter Analysis: Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix with Abigail Perry
In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the fifth book in the Harry Potter series! [03:40] A very quick summary of the first chapter [06:25] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings [25:00] A micro analysis of the two scenes within the chapter using the "5...
20 Sep 20221h 2min

#64: First Chapter Analysis: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire with Abigail Perry
In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the fourth book in the Harry Potter series: [03:05] A very quick summary of the first chapter [05:50] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings [20:30] A micro analysis of the two scenes within the chapter using the "5 Comm...
6 Sep 202259min

#63: Don't Start a Scene Without These 3 Things
In this episode, I'm sharing the three contextual elements you'll want to include at the beginning of each one of your scenes. We'll also look at how these three elements show up in the opening of a scene from the novel An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. Here's a preview of the key points: [03:10] Key element #1: Where and when is this scene taking place? [04:35] Key element #2: What is your POV character's mental and emotional state? [08:55] Key element #3: What is your POV character's go...
23 Aug 202221min

#62: The 6 Key Scenes Every Crime Novel Needs
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every crime story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] Crime stories are all about the quest to either solve or commit a crime. So, these stories start with a crime, build with an investigation (or a completion of the crime), and end with identifying and bringing the criminal to justice (or not). [02:15] Readers choose crime fiction because they want to f...
11 Aug 202215min

#61: First Chapter Analysis: Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban with Abigail Perry
In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. Join me and fellow developmental editor, Abigail Perry, as we nerd out about the third book in the Harry Potter series: [03:00] A very quick summary of the first chapter [04:50] A macro analysis of the first chapter using 7 key questions from Paula Munier's book The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings [21:00] A micro analysis of the two scenes within the chapter using the "...
19 Juli 202248min