Mastering Your Novel: Evaluating Fiction Premises

Are you a writer whose mind is a whirlwind of creativity and distraction? Welcome to Writing While Distracted, the podcast that helps you transform your scattered thoughts into literary brilliance. I'm your host, Brenda Murphy, your NeuroSpicy writing coach. Join us as we kick off the first episode in the "Steps to Writing a Novel" series, focusing on how to evaluate a fiction premise.

In this episode, we delve into the importance of examining your novel's idea before you start writing, particularly for genre fiction. Discover how a strong premise can prevent the dreaded mid-manuscript slump and keep your story on track. Learn practical techniques like mind mapping and the "what if and then" method to expand your premise into a compelling narrative. Whether you're a discovery writer or a meticulous plotter, these strategies will help you plan and sustain a novel-length work.

Tune in for insightful advice, creative exercises, and tips on breaking down your writing tasks into manageable chunks. Embrace the chaos, harness your creativity, and find your story's beginning, middle, and end with confidence.

Free resources for writers:

https://brendalmurphy.com/resources-for-writers/

Expected lengths of fiction

• Mainstream women’s fiction: 90,000–100,000 words


• Thriller: 90,000–100,000 words


• Romance: 65,000–80,000 words


• Mystery: 80,000 words *cozy mystery is usually a bit shorter, 70-60,000 words


• Science fiction: 100,000–120,000 words


• True Crime: 90,000–100,000 words


• Historical fiction: 100,000–150,000 words


• Memoir/Bio: 70,000–90,000 words


• Literary fiction: 80,000–100,000 words


• Young Adult: 70,000–80,000 words


• Middle Grade: 40,000–50,000 words


• Novella 17,500-40,000 words


• Short story 1000-15,000 words

Link to the Mind Map Site for the app that I use  https://www.mindnode.com

This is a learning guide from the University of Adelaide on mind mapping. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/sites/default/files/docs/learningguide-mindmapping.pdf

Link to first podcast in the series: https://writingwhiledistracted.podbean.com/e/mastering-novel-writing-11-essential-steps-for-neurodivergent-writers/?token=72a0651efad2ce3ec216d8cf14b90496