How to Use Genre as a Revision Tool (with Savannah Gilbo)

Here’s what to DO with your genre once you know which one you’re writing.

So you know your story’s genre.

It’s an Action story with a Worldview internal genre. Or it’s a Love story with a Status internal genre. You’re, like, 32% sure of it.

Which is great, because you’ve studied story enough to know genre is important. You’ve heard that it shapes the foundations of your story, that it has conventions and obligatory scenes, reader expectations that you’ll need to deliver on.

Somehow, though, just knowing some words—Action, Worldview, Love, Status—hasn’t magically solved anything. And it’s not a great feeling to have studied story theory so much, and still be stuck on the application.

So what now? Now that you have some language for your story’s genre, what do you do with it? How do you actually use it as a revision tool?

That’s what I’m exploring in this episode with my friend and fellow writing coach Savannah Gilbo. Savannah is my go-to genre expert, and she shares exactly how to make genre work for you in revision.

You’ll hear:

• Why naming your genre earlier than you think can save you from endless rewrites
• The 3 genre mistakes that secretly stall drafts (and how to avoid them)
• How to turn genre from a rigid list of “must-haves” into a flexible writing tool
• How to blend multiple genres like a pro (and without getting lost)
• And more!

Identifying your genre is a great first step. In this episode, Savannah will show you what to actually do with it once you know which one you’re writing.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Get Savannah’s guidance on your story in Notes to Novel: alicesudlow.com/notestonovel 
• Get the Content Genre Overview: alicesudlow.com/90 
• Ep. 90: The 12 Core Genres That Power Every Great Story

The Notes to Novel link is an affiliate link. I wholeheartedly recommend Savannah’s coaching and am delighted to share her resources with you!

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