Welcome to NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast aimed at helping you write the first draft of an 80,000 word novel in about a year. We’re reading THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron and THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter
Dear Novelists & Novelistas,
Dear Novelists & Novelistas,
Dear Novelists & Novelistas,
Welcome to episode #26 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll recap the following writing prompts designed to help you create an outline for your next book: #21: Who are the supporting characters in your book? Does each character in your book undergo a character arc of transformational change? #22: Picture yourself in the coming year… What's it going to be like to write your next novel? What will be the best thing and what will be the worst thing about it? #23: Write a concise summary of your book? Don't give it all away, but hint at some of the obstacles your protagonist will face and overcome or be defeated by. #24: In the summary you wrote, search for all the moments that challenged your main character and caused them to take action. Translate those moments into an idea list for future scenes. #25: Congratulations! You have a pretty good idea of what your next novel will be about. Want to write it? Sign up for the free newsletter
Welcome to episode #25 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll recap the following writing prompts designed to help you create an outline for your next book: #16: Fast forward: How will you end your book. Will your protagonist win? Will they lose? Will there be a partial victory, where they lose something but gain something else? #17: The conflict/obstacles you dreamt up for your MC — can it sustain the entire novel from the first page to the last? Does your conflict have the power to grow, intensify, and complicate? #18: Regardless of whether or not your protagonist achieves their goal, would the looming consequence cost them something big — emotionally speaking, that is? What's the cost of inaction? #19: Consider your plot so far. Does the conflict and situation you dreamt up force your protagonist to make the inner change that your book is actually about? #20: What's the opening scene of your novel? Newsletter
Welcome to episode #24 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll recap the following writing prompts designed to help you create an outline for your next book: #11: What secrets does your protagonist have, what lies have they told – to others, and more importantly, to themselves? #12: What is your MC's misbelief? What are they just totally wrong about? #13: What was the formative moment in your protagonist's life? What event shaped the trajectory they're currently on? #14: What are three moments in your protagonist's life that deepened their misbelief -- a misbelief that the events of your novel will help them address? (Misbelief = the thing your MC consistently gets wrong about the world) #15: After the midpoint of your novel when your MC doubles down and commit to a cause or fight, what might happen that send your story in a new direction? Brainstorm five possibilities. Newsletter
Welcome to episode #23 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll recap the following writing prompts designed to help you create an outline for your next book: #6: Write a paragraph about the moment you had the idea for your novel and what attracted you to it. Why do you care about this story? #7: What's the inciting incident in your story? The moment that gets the ball rolling on the plot? #8: What surprising thing could happen 25% into your book that send the story in a new direction? Brainstorm a few possibilities. #9: Half-way through the story, how might your protagonist double down, by committing to a cause, a fight, or a larger goal? #10: You've thought about the thing your main character wants. What do they actually need in order to grow (or change) as a person? Newsletter
Welcome to episode #22 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll recap the following writing prompts designed to help you create an outline for your next book: #1: Who is your main character? What do they want? Why do they want it? #2: This thing that your protagonist wants -- what makes it hard to achieve? Does your story have an antagonist or antagonistic force? #3: Brainstorm three overarching beliefs your main character has. What does your protagonist hold to be true about the world? #4: Does your antagonist (if you have one) stand for anything? What are their core beliefs? #5: Is the goal of the antagonist/antagonistic force directly opposed to your MC's goal? If not, what can you do to sharpen the conflict and create a formidable opponent or obstacle for your MC? Newsletter
Welcome to episode #21 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! Suggested readings for today were ch. 39 & 40 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 41 & 42 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also review ch. 10 of STORY GENIUS Newsletter
Welcome to episode #20 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! Suggested readings for today were ch. 37 & 38 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 39 & 40 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 98 - 99 of THIS YEAR YOUR WRITE YOUR NOVEL The Ugly Podcast interview with Lauren Alexander: https://scribeandsunshine.com/2022/11/21/writing-bad-books-w-alex-the-undercover-novelist/ Lauren's Scribe and Sunshine website: https://scribeandsunshine.com/ Novel Marathon Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #19 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 35 & 36 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 37 & 38 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 70-71 of THIS YEAR YOUR WRITE YOUR NOVEL Newsletter
Welcome to episode #18 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 33 & 34 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 35 & 36 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 70-71 of THIS YEAR YOUR WRITE YOUR NOVEL Newsletter
Welcome to episode #17 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 31 & 32 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 14 of STORY GENIUS. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 33 & 34 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 69 - 70 of THIS YEAR YOUR WRITE YOUR NOVEL Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #16 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 29 & 30 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 31 & 32 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 61 - 64 of THIS YEAR YOUR WRITE YOUR NOVEL and ch. 14 or STORY GENIUS Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #15 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 27 & 28 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 29 & 30 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 55 - 61 of THIS YEAR YOUR WRITE YOUR NOVEL Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #14 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 25 & 26 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 27 & 28 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 48 - 54 of THIS YEAR YOUR WRITE YOUR NOVEL Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #13 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 23 & 24 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 25 & 26 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read ch. 13 of STORY GENIUS Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #12 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 21 & 22 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 23 & 24 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read ch. 12 of STORY GENIUS Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #11 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 19 & 20 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and p. 17 - 40 of THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 21 & 22 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #10 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We're reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 17 & 18 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and p. 40-47 of THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL. For next time, the suggested reading is ch. 19 & 20 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 17-40 of THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL. Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #9 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 15 & 16 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 10, 11, and 15 in STORY GENIUS. For next time, the suggested reading is: Ch. 17 & 18 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 40 - 47 in THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL. Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter -> Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Bryan Cranston as Walter White in “Breaking Bad” aka ”I'm the one who knocks” https://youtu.be/wMEq1mGpP5A Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #8 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 13 & 14 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and p. 65-68 of THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL. For next time, the suggested reading is: Ch. 15 & 16 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also work through ch. 10, 11 and 15 of STORY GENIUS. Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter -> Sign up and get my downloadable scene card template Useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #7 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 11 & 12 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 9 of STORY GENIUS. For next time, the suggested reading is: Ch. 13 & 14 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, please also read p. 65 - 68 of THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL. Newsletter: https://www.novelmarathon.com/newsletter -> Sign up to get my downloadable scene card template NaNo Coffeehouse Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/Kvp3fH8QrG Instructions for joining the morning writing sprints channel (audio on): https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb02g6Hg9N-/ Forest app: https://www.forestapp.cc Other useful links: https://www.novelmarathon.com/links Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #6 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 9 & 10 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 6 of STORY GENIUS. For next time, the suggested reading is: Ch. 11 & 12 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, work through ch. 9 of STORY GENIUS. Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #5 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 7 & 8 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 8 of STORY GENIUS. For next time, please read and complete the writing prompts in ch. 9 & 10 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, read and work through ch. 6 of STORY GENIUS. Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #4 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today's episode we'll be recapping ch. 5 & 6 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 7 of STORY GENIUS. For next time, please read and complete the writing prompts in ch. 7 & 8 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST. For extra credit, read and work through ch. 8 of STORY GENIUS and p. 13-15 in THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL. Good luck & happy writing!
Welcome to episode #3 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast aimed at writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. In this episode we'll be recapping ch. 3 & 4 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and talk through the exercises in ch. 5 of STORY GENIUS. To join, get the books and complete the readings and exercises suggested in each chapter. Between now and the next show please work through the writing prompts in ch. 5 & 6 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and finish the exercises in ch. 5 of STORY GENIUS. For extra credit, go ahead and read ch. 7 of STORY GENIUS titled “What Next? The Beauty of Cause and Effect” — we'll be talking about that next time. Good luck, happy writing & let's check back in how it's going in episode #4!
Welcome to episode #2 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast aimed at writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. In this episode, we'll be reviewing ch. 1 & 2 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 1 through 4 of STORY GENIUS. To join, get the books and complete the readings and the exercises suggested in each chapter. Looking ahead, in advance of the next show, we'll be working through ch. 3 & 4 of THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST and ch. 5 of STORY GENIUS. Good luck, happy writing & let's check in how it's going in episode #3!
Welcome to episode #1 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast aimed at writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We'll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, chapters 1-2 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, chapters 1-4 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley, p. 3-13. To join, complete the readings and the exercises suggested in the chapters. Good luck, happy writing & let's check in again in two weeks!
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