The Write It Scared Podcast

What does it really take to build a successful novel? 
Kate Broad discusses leaving her romance author career to write literary fiction and how her debut novel, Greenwich, required multiple drafts and rewrites. 
She shares what it's like to scrap early drafts, rebuild the story from the ground up, write complex characters that are hard to like, and what she tells herself when the writing feels hard. 
If you need a reminder that your first draft can become something magical, that struggling is just part of the work and process of bringing a novel to fruition, and that you’re not doing anything wrong, you’ll enjoy our conversation. 
Timestamps
 00:00 – Why Revision Is Where the Magic Happens
 00:19 – Welcome to Write It Scared
 01:29 – Meet Kate Road
 03:20 – Writing Greenwich and Starting Over
 05:03 – Themes of Wealth, Power, and Privilege
 07:34 – Crafting Complex, Unlikable Characters
 15:47 – How the Book Changed in Revision
 21:40 – Self-Doubt and Staying in the Work
 30:25 – Resilience and the Reality of the Writing Life
 39:43 – Final Reflections
Kate Broad holds a BA from Wellesley College and a PhD in English from the CUNY Graduate Center. She is a Bronx Council on the Arts award winner for fiction, and her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, No Tokens, Electric Literature, LitHub, The Baltimore Review, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, Greenwich, was released in 2025 from St. Martin's Press and was named one of People Magazine's Best New Books, a Vanity Fair Summer Read, and an Amazon Editor's Pick for Best New Literature and Fiction. Originally from Massachusetts, she lives in the Bronx.  
GREENWICH - Out now from St. Martin's Press / Macmillan!
https://katebroad.com
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To get in touch with Stacy:
Email: [email protected]

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis
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Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:
Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide
Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

How do you write a sex scene that readers actually read and not just skim? 
That’s what today’s episode is all about! 
Author Accelerator certified book coaches Stacy Frazer and Jennifer Larkin team up for an honest conversation about writing sex in fiction—without cringe.
Stacy and Jen discuss when sex scenes belong in a story, how explicit they need to be, and how to write intimacy that deepens character and advances the plot. 
You’ll learn how genre expectations (including YA vs. adult), consent, and emotional intent shape effective intimate scenes—and how to make intentional choices that serve your story.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
 01:50 Guest: Jennifer Larkin
 03:20 Do you need a sex scene in your novel?
 10:04 Sex scenes in YA vs. adult
 21:16 Purpose of sex scene and level of explicitness
 26:20 Common mistakes
 29:09 Consent on the page
 35:05 When to include a sex scene 
Jennifer Larkin helps romance writers turn good ideas into epic stories and jagged drafts into lovable novels. 
Grab her free guide to writing better romance scenes at https://jenniferlarkin.kit.com/scenes.
Connect on Social Media:
Instagram: @jenniferlarkinbookcoach
Substack: @jenniferlarkinbookcoach 
Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.
Support the show
To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:
Email: [email protected]

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis
https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/


Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:
Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide
Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Self-publishing isn’t a shortcut nor a consolation prize. It’s a publishing model that works well for some writers and not at all for others.
Today, I’m joined by Libby Waterford, a prolific romance author and self-publishing educator with more than twenty books published across pen names.
We break down what self-publishing actually involves: the costs writers don’t always anticipate, the level of control and responsibility it requires, and how marketing, timelines, and long-term goals factor into whether it’s a good fit for you.
This episode is about education and understanding your options, asking questions, and making intentional decisions about your writing career based on your long-term goals
Timestamps
01:43 Meet Libby Waterford
05:28 Why Libby chose self-publishing after being with a traditional publisher
08:47 Pros and cons of self-publishing
16:38 The advantages of being your own publisher
23:09 Budgeting and essential costs
27:09 Marketing, ROI, and sustainability
38:53 Advice for new authors
41:07 What Libby’s working on next and education resources
Guest Bio:
Libby Waterford is the author of Sawyer's Cove, the Reboot, and The Never A Bride Contemporary Romance Series, and under her other pen name, Elle Waters, writes steamy Small Town Gay Romance. A former president of the Connecticut Chapter of Romance Writers of America, Libby is also a self-publishing coach and instructor at the Westport Writers Workshop in Westport, Connecticut, where she teaches classes on genre fiction and self-publishing.
Links
https://libbywaterford.com/, 
https://www.instagram.com/libbywritesromance/, 
https://ellewatersbooks.substack.com/
https://westportwriters.org/

 
Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.
Support the show
To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:
Email: [email protected]

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis
https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/


Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:
Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide
Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

“What does my character want?” Sounds like a simple question—until it isn’t. 
If you’ve ever struggled to figure out the difference between your character's wants and needs, been confused by the language of conscious goals and unconscious goals or desires, this episode is for you! 
Today, we simplify things so you never get confused again!  
We look at how goals create momentum on the page to inform the plot, while desires drive the character's internal change.  
You’ll also get practical ways to diagnose what’s missing when a character feels stuck—and how to fix it.
Timestamps:
 01:32 Why “what does my character want?” is a loaded question
 03:14 Goals vs. desires: what’s the difference?
 04:53 Examples of clear external goals
 06:11 The messier truth of character desire
 11:08 Using goals and desires to drive transformation
 13:37 Practical tools for revision
 15:29 Closing thoughts + book coaching note
 16:37 Wrap-up
Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.
Support the show
To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:
Email: [email protected]

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis
https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/


Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:
Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide
Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

There’s a persistent myth that if writing feels hard, you’re doing it wrong. 
This conversation with debut novelist Charlene Wang gently dismantles that idea. We talk honestly about messy drafts, perfectionism, long revision timelines, and the quiet persistence it takes to keep going when doubt creeps in.
Charlene shares her path to publishing I'll Follow You, including years of revision, mindset shifts, and learning to trust the process even when progress felt slow. If you’ve ever wondered whether struggle means failure, this episode offers reassurance that struggle is often part of becoming the writer you’re meant to be.
Timestamps:

 01:27 Welcome + meet Charlene Wang
 02:47 Charlene’s path to becoming a writer
 05:11 Talking about I’ll Follow You
 08:22 The realities of drafting and revision
 14:43 Research and character development
 20:29 Plotting, pantsing, and everything in between
 21:38 Navigating self-doubt
 24:33 Tools for sticking with the work
 26:12 Productivity, perspective, and patience
 29:18 Becoming a writer over time
 36:26 Advice for writers in the thick of it
 38:03 What Charlene is working on now
Links mentioned
Leigh Bardugo’s Ted Talk: The Art of Discomfort
Ira Glass The Gap
Charlene’s debut novel, I’ll Follow You, is out now.
You can learn more and connect with her at charlenewangauthor.com or on Instagram @charleneshiyi
Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.
Support the show
To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:
Email: [email protected]

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis
https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/


Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:
Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide
Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears