This mini episode offers 10 tips for writers working on their first novels. Host Laura Maylene Walter draws on her experience as a novelist to discuss idea generation, outlines, structure, word-count goals, persistence, the constant battle against self-doubt, and more.

The advice Walter shares in this episode was originally recorded during a workshop she led at the Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. This episode may be especially helpful for writers participating in NaNoWriMo, the annual challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November.

The cold open is an outtake “Escaping the Drawer with Sammy and Annisha.” And for another episode related to the novel-writing process, listen to “Novel Revision with Matt Bell.”

Finally, as Thanksgiving approaches, learn about National Native American Heritage Month by accessing resources from the National Park Service, the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and more.

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.