Fiction Refinery

Jennifer Flodin
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Writing a book is exciting, messy, and sometimes overwhelming. I’m Jennifer, a writer and developmental editor, and on Fiction Refinery I’m pulling back the curtain on my own process as I work on my next story (romantic fantasy). I'm not here to tell you how to write a book. Instead, I'm sharing the false starts, the breakthroughs, and the lessons I’m learning along the way from books, movies, and other writers. If you’re on your own writing journey and want some company on the road, you’ll feel right at home here. Together we’ll trade ideas, share struggles, and make the creative process feel a little less lonely.

Episodes

  1. The Power of Writing Your Blurb Before Your Draft | Ep 6

    10/16/2025

    The Power of Writing Your Blurb Before Your Draft | Ep 6

    In this episode, we're delving into a common mistake many writers make: Writing the blurb after completing their story. I'll walk you through why creating your book's blurb before writing your draft can give you incredible clarity and direction for your story's outline. Using a structured approach, I'll share my own experience crafting a blurb for my upcoming book, the challenges I faced, and how it helped solidify my plotlines. Whether you're just starting your draft or mid-way through, this episode provides valuable insight into using your blurb as a powerful tool to enhance your writing process. Grab your favorite hot beverage and join me as we explore this crucial step in writing your novel! Resources: How to Write a Blurb/Back Cover Copy – Jeffe Kennedy

    22 min
  2. Why Your Fantasy Elements Feel Tacked On (and How to Fix It) | Ep 5

    10/08/2025

    Why Your Fantasy Elements Feel Tacked On (and How to Fix It) | Ep 5

    Do your fantasy elements ever feel like an afterthought? Like they exist in the world because they're cool or convenient? You're not alone. It's a struggle to weave a magic system, worldbuilding, and/or supernatural elements into the heart of the plot. In this episode of The Fiction Refinery Podcast, we'll explore the concept of a fantasy plot line. It's a layer of storytelling that makes your fantasy elements integral to your protagonist’s journey rather than decorative details. Drawing inspiration from Secrets to Writing a Fantasy by Stanley and Cook, I'm sharing how I'm applying this idea to my own work-in-progress. I walk through my external plot versus fantasy plot and break down an example from Fourth Wing. Whether your story features dragons, curses, or quiet elemental magic, you’ll come away with a clearer understanding of how to make the fantastical matter.

    12 min
  3. Creating the Foundation for a Compelling Antagonist | Ep 4

    10/01/2025

    Creating the Foundation for a Compelling Antagonist | Ep 4

    In this episode, I’m sharing how I started framing my antagonist and what I pulled from Rayne Hall’s book Writing About Villains. (It’s a quick, actionable read, and if you have Kindle Unlimited, it’s included there.) Here’s what you’ll hear in today’s episode: Why I chose the Evil Overlord archetype as the foundation for my primary antagonistHow a secondary antagonist (the fanatic) adds depth to the conflictWhy I’m considering a tertiary antagonist for the romantic subplotHow I’m thinking through goal, motivation, and stakes for my antagonist so he isn’t just evil for evil’s sake This episode is all about creating a clear foundation—archetype, goal,  motivation, and stakes—that I can build on once I move into the outlining stage. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode: Writing About Villains by Rayne Hall If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world if you subscribed, shared it with another writer, and joined my newsletter for more behind-the-scenes content and resources.

    14 min
  4. 3 MORE Things I do Before I Start Outlining | Ep 3

    09/24/2025

    3 MORE Things I do Before I Start Outlining | Ep 3

    In the last episode, I shared the first 3 things I do before I even consider outlining. In today's episode, I'm sharing the next 3 things that I do (plus a bonus one). These help me establish the foundation for my story, so that when I sit down to write, I know the essentials. This ensures I don't write an outline that I'm dissatisfied with 3 scenes into writing my first draft. Today, I'll be sharing how I... Choose the best answers to my many questionsEstablish character arcsPick a themeA fun bonus step that I've just started doing Want access to the topics that don't make it onto the podcast? Click here to join the newsletter so that you can get exclusive access.

    25 min
  5. 3 Things I Do BEFORE I Start Outlining | Ep 2

    09/24/2025

    3 Things I Do BEFORE I Start Outlining | Ep 2

    Today, I'm sharing 3 things that I do BEFORE I start outlining. This is the pre-work to the prep work. My story ideas are never fully fleshed out enough to begin immediately outlining, so here are 3 things I do to make decisions about the story I'm going to write so I can outline effectively: Write down my favorite ideasCraft the premiseMaking the tropes and other ideas work with the premise (and vice versa) Once I've done these three things, I'm closer to being able to outline. In next weeks episode, I'm sharing 3 more things that I do before outlining (plus a bonus item). Want access to the topics that don't make it onto the podcast? Click here to join the newsletter so that you can get exclusive access.

    20 min
  6. Why I Outline My Novels (And What Happened When I Didn’t) | Ep 1

    09/23/2025

    Why I Outline My Novels (And What Happened When I Didn’t) | Ep 1

    Outlining is a fundamental part of my writing process, and today I'm sharing why. Over the past 12 (probably more...) years, I've struggled to find a writing process that works for me, and now I finally feel like I'm honing in on what's working for me. Outlining is not for everyone, but if you're considering outlining for your first or next story, I'm sharing all of the reasons I have been loving it. This is the first episode in not only the podcast but also a series where I'm taking you along for the ride and sharing my entire writing and editing process (mistakes and all). It's going to get wild. I hope you'll stick around and join the journey. Whether you're working on your first story or are a novel-writing veteran, I'd love to learn about your process and story. I'm hopeful we can support each other on this journey. Want access to the topics that don't make it onto the podcast? Click here to join the newsletter so that you can get exclusive access.

    19 min
  7. Fiction Refinery Trailer

    09/23/2025

    Fiction Refinery Trailer

    Writing a book is one of the most exciting and most overwhelming things I've ever done. Some days the words flow and other days not so much. Maybe you know the feeling. I am Jennifer, a writer and developmental editor, and I'm inviting you to join me as I navigate the ups and downs of writing my next story. I'm not here to tell you how to write your book. Instead, on the Fiction Refinery podcast, I'm going to be sharing what I'm learning in real time: the false starts, breakthroughs, experiments with outlining and drafting, and the insights I'm picking up along the way from books, movies, and other writers. If you're on your own writing journey and want some company along the road, this podcast is for you. Together we'll swap ideas, share struggles, and hopefully make the process feel a little less lonely.

    1 min

Trailer

About

Writing a book is exciting, messy, and sometimes overwhelming. I’m Jennifer, a writer and developmental editor, and on Fiction Refinery I’m pulling back the curtain on my own process as I work on my next story (romantic fantasy). I'm not here to tell you how to write a book. Instead, I'm sharing the false starts, the breakthroughs, and the lessons I’m learning along the way from books, movies, and other writers. If you’re on your own writing journey and want some company on the road, you’ll feel right at home here. Together we’ll trade ideas, share struggles, and make the creative process feel a little less lonely.

Information

  • Creator
    Jennifer Flodin
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Fiction Refinery
  • Show Website
    Fiction Refinery