EPISODE · Jul 15, 2025 · 52 MIN
#202. Student Spotlight: How Kara Kentley Turned a Messy Draft Into a Published Romance (and How You Can Too)
from Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice · host Savannah Gilbo
After years of rewriting the same sagging middle and juggling two confusing timelines, Kara Kentley discovered the romance structure secrets that transformed her messy draft into a published novel that sells daily. Today I'm chatting with Kara Kentley, contemporary romance author of Another Summer and a Notes to Novel graduate, about how learning genre expectations finally helped her finish the book she'd been struggling with for years. In this episode, you'll hear us talk about things like: [07:46] Why her 95,000-word draft had a "sagging middle" that lost readers halfway through (and the two-timeline problem making it worse) [11:55] How choosing one timeline and adding dual POV transformed her confused manuscript into a cohesive story [15:05] The relief she felt discovering romance novels have specific beats that happen in order—and how this became her roadmap [20”15] Kara’s nightmare writing conference experience (and what she learned about starting your book in the right place) [35:35] What happened when she launched without reviews or marketing—and still became #1 in her category for two weeks If you've been struggling to finish your romance novel or any manuscript with structural problems, Kara's journey from pantsed chaos to organized success proves that the right framework can set you free. Press play to discover how romance structure could be the missing piece you need to finally type "The End." 🔗 Links mentioned in this episode: Kara Kentley’s website Buy Another Summer by Kara Kentley Join the Notes to Novel waitlist The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, & Sue Viders Travis Baldree’s article I Need A Book Cover ⭐ Follow & Review If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast! See you next week! FREE QUIZ: Take this 30-second quiz to get a custom action plan that'll help you move from stuck writer to published author! Support the show
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After years of rewriting the same sagging middle and juggling two confusing timelines, Kara Kentley discovered the romance structure secrets that transformed her messy draft into a published novel that sells daily. Today I'm chatting with Kara Kentley, contemporary romance author of Another Summer and a Notes to Novel graduate, about how learning genre expectations finally helped her finish the book she'd been struggling with for years. In this episode, you'll hear us talk about things like: ...
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#202. Student Spotlight: How Kara Kentley Turned a Messy Draft Into a Published Romance (and How You Can Too)
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