Episode 87 Writing Tips for First Time Writers & StoryBilder with Tanya Gough
Tanya Gough, a multifaceted talent with experience in a range of fields, including ESL teaching, retail store ownership, and digital marketing, has now established herself as the founder of Story Builder, a creative writing platform designed for new and aspiring writers. With a passion for middle-grade fantasy fiction and science-infused fantasy short stories for adults, Tanya's diverse background showcases her expertise in various industries. As a guest on the PublishHer Podcast, she shares invaluable writing tips for first-time fiction writers, encouraging them to embrace the importance of play in the writing process and to accept that the first draft will not be perfect.
Through her journey with writing, Tanya Gough has not only developed a platform to help emerging writers, but has also uncovered a powerful approach to storytelling – one that encourages play, exploration, and breaking the rules. Little did she know, this new approach would revolutionize her writing process, transforming her stories and spurring her to inspire a new generation of authors.
Lean into your first draft not being great. Use it as an opportunity to play and experiment, and figure out what your story actually is. – Tanya Gough
This is Tanya Gough's story:
Tanya Gough's journey with storytelling began at a young age when she discovered her passion for writing. She quickly learned that the process of writing fiction was vastly different from nonfiction, and that it required a unique approach to structure and character development. Her determination to understand the art of storytelling led her to create StoryBilder, a platform designed to help emerging writers embark on their creative journey. By focusing on structure and embracing the freedom to break things and experiment, Tanya found a way to connect with her stories on a personal level, allowing her to enjoy the process and truly engage with her characters.
In this episode, you will learn how to:
1. Establish solid foundations by generating clear ideas and direction for your stories.
2. Infuse an element of playfulness into your creative writing process.
3. Tackle the anxiety of producing imperfect first drafts and focus on progress.
4. Optimize StoryBilder for a well-structured story development.
5. Leverage the power of short stories to sharpen your writing abilities.
Starting Your Novel
When beginning a novel, first-time writers should focus on having a clear vision of the story's main idea. This serves as a foundation for the plot, character development, and overall structure of the novel, helping the writer stay on track and avoid getting lost in the creative process. Knowing the direction of the story also allows the writer to maintain consistency and create a coherent narrative that engages readers. In the conversation with Tanya Gough, she emphasized that a strong concept is essential when starting to write a novel. Tanya suggested that writers should have a clear sense of the story's big picture, whether it's the plot, a character, or a particular theme. Having a guiding idea not only helps with story development but also keeps the writer focused and motivated during the writing process.
Key Takeaways
Check out StoryBilder, a creative writing platform for new and aspiring writers, founded by Tanya Gough.
Embrace the fact that your first draft will be terrible and use it as an opportunity to experiment and play with your story.
Use a working outline or structure to guide your writing process and keep you on track.
Be open to changing and breaking things in your story to see what happens and to find interesting narrative details.
Consider using specific software tools, such as Scrivener, to help you organize and manage your writing process.
Join writing groups or communities to connect with other writers and gain support and feedback on your writing.
Attend writing conferences or workshops to learn new skills and network with industry professionals.
Use social media and other online platforms to promote your writing and connect with readers.
Don't be afraid to ask for reviews, feedback, or support from friends, family, or other writers in your network.
Always include specific CTAs, such as links to your book, website, or social media profiles, in your writing and marketing materials.
Memorable Moments:
00:14:16 – About StoryBilder, Tanya Gough introduces StoryBilder, a writing platform she built for newer and emerging writers. It includes a story engine for world-building, character building, and a writing area for creating the story from start to finish. There's also a toolbox, education pieces, and a public library full of characters and maps from classic literature that writers can borrow and adapt.
00:19:03 – How Short Stories Help Writers, Tanya Gough discusses the importance of writing short stories for novelists. She explains that writing a tight short story helps writers hone their skills in story arc and language. Writing short stories also helps writers develop story ideas that they can expand into novels later.
00:22:51 – Short Story Contest, Tanya Gough announces a short story contest hosted by StoryBilder with over $4,000 in cash prizes. The theme is fear, and writers are encouraged to submit stories about spooky or scary experiences or stories about overcoming fear. There are three age groups and a grand prize of $1,000 for adult writers.
00:25:48 – Free Trial Offer, Tanya Gough offers a free one-month trial to writers who want to try out StoryBilder. Interested writers can go to Storybilder.com and use the coupon code WIP to start their free trial.
We're back! So the hiatus went a little longer than planned, but we're back in action again!
Check out the first episode of Season 2, Ep. 62, now!
Welcome to the 2nd Season of the PublishHer podcast! We've got some great content heading your way in our second season – book writing, publishing, and marketing tips from authors, coaches, publishers, service providers, and more!
In this episode, host Alexa Bigwarfe gives a run down of exciting events that have happened since the podcast went on hiatus in February, fun exciting programs happening in the upcoming weeks and months, and what is to come in Season 2!
I am thrilled to announce a new Silver Sponsor has joined the 2022 Women in Publishing Summit: please join me in welcoming the team at Your Book Is Your Hook to our community of writers!
Jennifer Wilcov founded the company because she loved the experience of writing and publishing her own international bestseller. When people approached her and asked how they could do what she did, she realized: each person needed thoughtful, customized advice that helped them rise and achieve their goals. She realized that writers need partners they could trust to walk them through the process, and she stepped up by sharing all she’d learned, empowering others to do it themselves.
One of our key missions is to empower authors, so we’re incredibly grateful to have a sponsor partner who shares our values in Your Book Is Your Hook!
What does Your Book Is Your Hook do?
Your Book Is Your Hook is a full service author consultancy. You can work directly with them to figure out ways to write better, smarter and more profitably. They’re a company that offers consulting on the full life-cycle of a book – from idea to the post-marketing process. They also specialize in working with writers who want to see their stories come to life on TV screens, in movie theaters and on stages everywhere.
One of their signature programs is The Make It Happen Room for Writers Only. This invaluable space creates a joyful, supportive environment for working writers every Thursday, with a focus on moving your book and your writing career forward. It’s a chance to practice your pitch, get feedback and, most importantly, GET IT DONE. The two hour work session has changed the lives of writers in all genres and at all levels, and it’s the hallmark of how Your Book Is Your Hook works: supporting and empowering authors to achieve results by fostering real connections and sharing knowledge.
What kind of author needs Your Book Is Your Hook?
Anyone who wants to build community, gather feedback or get one-on-one or community guidance through the process is a perfect client for Your Book Is Your Hook. If you’re open to being more productive, creating better work, connecting with other writers and growing your career, this is a great opportunity for you.
Your Book Is Your Hook is also ideal for people who want to explore the possibilities in film, television, theater and beyond. If you have a story that you want to see brought to life, the team at YBIYH can help you make it happen.
How can I learn more about Your Book Is Your Hook?
YBIYH founder Jennifer Wilcov will be speaking and doing a meet & greet Q&A session at the 2022 Women in Publishing Summit, so be sure to attend that! She'll be speaking about the 5 Ways to Publish & the 4 Ways to Market Your Book and answering any questions you have about their services.
You can also head over to their website to find out about all the ways you can partner with Your Book Is Your Hook – click here to check them out!
Plus, as part of the Women in Publishing Summit community, you can get a FREE SESSION in the Make It Happen Room. Make sure to register for the conference to claim this freebie!
It’s with great thanks that I introduce our friends at Pub Site, the premiere website solution for authors, are again joining us as a Gold Sponsor for the 20222 Women in Publishing Summit! Their support for a space of our own, as women in this industry, is a reflection of their commitment to an inclusive, accessible publishing industry.
I’m looking forward to welcoming my friend Fauzia Burke and her husband, John Burke, back to our conference this year. Since the day I saw Fauzia speak at BookExpo, I’ve been a huge fan of her transformative take on how authors can use their websites to grow their writing career. I’ve been privileged to see that happen in real time for my clients and friends using Pub Site in the intervening years.
The ease and elegance of Pub Site, quite simply, just works.
And in a world where so much doesn’t, I’m glad to share more about them with you!
What does Pub Site do?
In short, Pub Site works with authors to build functional, beautiful, smart websites that move their career forward.
That can happen several ways, depending on each author’s unique needs and wants. A variety of proven and specialized templates are available, or Pub Site offers custom design to create the website of your dreams, so you don’t have to worry about it.
Authors need different things on their websites than baseball leagues or jewelry stores or news sites. They need functional e-commerce, clear space to share creative content, places for landing pages and more. They need to have strong visual language and branding that tells potential readers what this writer is all about. They need to connect to all the important social sites, of course. And they definitely need clear, strong calls to action to get on the newsletter list.
Pub Site understands that. Fauzia has spent her whole career in book publicity and marketing – she’s built her company around knowing what authors need. Pub Site isn’t trying to sell you a template made for a realtor or a stone mason or a teacher. They’re giving you the opportunity to build a custom website for a working author that will attract ideal readers, aid in your marketing and become your digital home.
What kind of author needs Pub Site?
It’s long been my opinion – and my clients can confirm this! – that every author needs a website.
And I also think that there are very few folks who are better served by mucking around learning a new technical skill set when they could be perfecting their book. Every spare minute we have as authors should go first to making sure our book is everything it should be, so that every step we take in marketing is a step towards a successful book.
So unless you love web design or are truly committed to an ultra-low cost process, spending some money on your website is a very smart bet.
Pub Site offers both a semi-DIY option for those who want to flex their creative muscles and get involved in the hands-on work of the website, AND a done-for-you option. I’ve had clients successfully use both, because Pub Site’s team is supportive and helpful at every turn.
How can I learn more about Pub Site?
Head on over to their website to see if Pub Site is the right online home for your writing career!
I love Brené Brown. Like LOVE her. If you aren't familiar with her, google some of her TED talks on shame and vulnerability.
As writers, it feels there is really nothing more vulnerable than putting our words, our creations, out in to the world for others to consume. Sometimes they love it, sometimes they hate it.
Sometimes we are afraid to put our words out there because of shame we may have and certainly because of the fear of being so vulnerable.
I am reading her book Dare to Lead. I want to share a quote from Chapter 2, The Call to Courage.
To set the scene, she was talking about an interview with Admiral Jim Stockdale, a Prisoner of War in Vietnam. This interview is in Jim Collins' book, Good to Great. The question was asked about who didn't survive the POW camps, to which Stockdale replied it was the optimists. Because, “They died of a broken heart.”
Brené Brown continues:
“Stockdale told Collins, ‘This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.'”
At this point, you might be thinking, Alexa has gone off her rocker. She's now comparing authors to POWs!
But here's the deal.
A strategic plan for your book marketing can bring you closer to success.
As I was listening to this on Audible, the stark comparison came to me. So often, we as authors believe, I'm gonna make it! This book is going to be amazing! If I just throw more money here, or do this, or do that, I will sell more books!
Our FAITH in our book gives us the courage to continue… however, if we aren't doing the right things, if we aren't making the most strategic decisions, if we aren't powering forward in a way that puts us in a position to actually have that success, we can wind up completely exhausted, tired of saying, “it's gonna get there!” and our faith begins to dwindle if we don't see the results we were looking for.
We die a slow death of a broken heart from marketing fatigue and throw in the towel.
What if that didn't have to be the case? What if you could start with a better plan from earlier in your process, that wasn't based on guesswork, and actually led to results?
I fully believe that those authors who have a great book, have done the things to make sure they are positioned well and are taking the RIGHT steps to move their marketing forward, WILL get there.
It may take a few years. But following a plan that makes sense, you may achieve this faster than you thought. At a minimum, when you can track results, you won't be heartbroken, but encouraged to continue to see results.
I walk this journey every day with authors. Tweaking what they are doing, creating the strategy that works for them to build their audience, get their books into the hands of more people, and build incremental successes that WILL eventually pay off. (Disclaimer here – if your book is bad, you're going to have to start there first!)
Here's the deal. After launching book after book for new and unknown authors, the likelihood of New York Times Best Seller first foot out the door is rare. But not impossible. But even more important, you can still achieve a significant amount of success without that NYT BS accolade.
How do you know what to include in your book marketing plan?
There are things that we know work already. It starts with: figuring out your goals, your resources and your starting point, and, just like that, you can layout a path to success.
We are going to dig into how to develop your very own custom launch plan – something many indie authors pay thousands for, but that I know you can do yourself! All you need are the right tools! We’ll cover:
The key elements of your marketing plan to address both long- and short-term goals
How to develop a marketing and launch strategy that makes sense for YOUR book and YOUR budget
The ideal timeline for planning a launch
How to take small actions every single day to implement the plan
The best places to invest your time and money in your book
This will be an interactive workshop, but can still be watched after the fact if you aren't able to attend.
It's very important to me that by the time we are done with this training, you actually have some USEABLE information, and a plan for how to make some progress… IMMEDIATELY. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of getting training and then leaving feeling like I'm completely on my own. I don't want that for you.
I have done this work with clients over and over again in the last decade, and I’ve learned that every single book – no matter the genre, no matter when you’re publishing (or when you publishED – yes, this same strategy works for books that are already out there!) – needs a custom road map to success, based on BEST PRACTICES, not just hopes and wishes and FAITH.
I want you to have the foundational knowledge to identify your goals and to build a strategy to get there that works for your book and your LIFE, without all the noise. I want you to take the wheel.
If you’re ready – and I think you are – click here to get registered for the June 8 workshop – and if you can’t listen live, don’t worry – there will be a recording sent your way!
You'll leave this training with a plan of action and simple steps to start working on immediately.
I can’t wait to go on this journey with you to help you create a plan that won't leave you feeling hopeless, but encouraged to continue moving forward!
