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An investigative podcast hosted by world-renowned literary critic and publishing insider Bethanne Patrick. Book bans are on the rise across America. With the rise of social media, book publishers are losing their power as the industry gatekeepers. More and more celebrities and influencers are publishing books with ghostwriters. Writing communities are splintering because members are at cross purposes about their mission. Missing Pages is an investigative podcast about the book publishing ind ...
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#202. Student Spotlight: How Kara Kentley Turned a Messy Draft Into a Published Romance (and How You Can Too)
Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips
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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:
- [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 GUIDE: 5 Writing Roadblocks Keeping You Stuck (& How To Break Through)
👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.
Chapters
1. Brutal Rejection at Writers Conference (00:00:00)
2. Podcast Introduction with Savannah Gilbo (00:02:14)
3. Kara's Writing Journey Begins (00:05:46)
4. Restructuring the Novel's Timeline (00:09:07)
5. Learning Genre Expectations and Character Work (00:16:51)
6. Conference Trauma and Recovery (00:22:04)
7. Deciding to Self-Publish (00:27:56)
8. Editing Process and Publication (00:35:24)
9. Book Launch Success Without Marketing (00:40:39)
10. Lessons Learned and Book Two (00:46:20)
215 episodes
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