#119: Student Spotlight: How Fern Bernstein Wrote A Dual Timeline Novel Based On The Edies of Grey Gardens

“It's the inciting incident, the turning point, the crisis moment, the climax, and the resolution, and each scene really needs to have that to move the story forward.” - Fern Bernstein

In today's episode, I’m sitting down for a conversation with Fern Bernstein to talk about her debut novel, Staunch: The Edie's of Grey Gardens.  Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[01:44] Savannah reads the back cover of Staunch: The Edie's of Grey Gardens to get context for today’s discussion.

[12:14] The history and unanswered questions around the Edie’s, how they inspired Fern’s book, and the character work and story structure Fern worked through with Savannah about these wonderful women of Grey Gardens, East Hampton, New York.

[21:11] Going through the outline, having consecutive drafts, and the balancing act of taking the reader through a particular emotional journey through two different timelines.

[32:37] How beta readers impacted Fern’s opinion of her writing and being open to feedback and constructive criticism as a writer.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Fern Bernstein's Website
• Fern Bernstein's Amazon Page
• Fern Bernstein on Instagram
• Fern Bernstein on Facebook
• Grey Gardens Podcast With Fern Bernstein
• Mah Jongg Mondays Podcast
• Fern Bernstein on X
• Grey Gardens (movie)
• The Spun Yarn

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👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.