Unpublished Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:11:11 -0400 https://unpublished.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 Unpublished yes 9741d6d6-ad6d-5383-aeec-a4a4ce11cfcf Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens episodic true Follow aspiring author Angela Mattes as she drags her fictionally illiterate friend and cohost Daniel Stevens along on the long, bewildering, and occasionally tear-soaked journey of writing a book on the podcast Unpublished.


Angela may be unpublished, but she is not beginning from a blank page. She has already completed one original manuscript and written hundreds of thousands of words of fiction read by hundreds of thousands of people online. Along the way, she has developed a process for getting past the obstacles that keep so many aspiring writers from ever beginning: writer’s block, disorganization, self-doubt, too many competing ideas, and the overwhelming question of where to start.


As she writes her next manuscript, Angela will break down how she turns the fragments floating around in her head into characters, story arcs, outlines, scenes, chapters, and eventually a finished book. Daniel brings an outsider’s perspective, an addiction to Wikipedia, and the questions of someone who has never understood what writers are actually doing behind their laptops.


The journey begins with Eros et Flamingo, Angela’s literary novel about a heartsick assassin who has fallen for one too many of her marks and devises a slightly unhinged plan to find someone capable of loving her back.


Part writing diary, part practical guide, part behind-the-scenes look at the publishing process, and part conversation between two friends, Unpublished follows the creativity, uncertainty, obsession, rejection, breakthroughs, and inevitable sobbing involved in turning a flurry of ideas into a fully realized manuscript.



The book has not been written yet.

There is no literary agent. 

Publication is far from guaranteed.


For now, it's Unpublished.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) book, writing, author, publishing, fiction, novel, manuscript, fanfic, aspiring author Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens https://storage.buzzsprout.com/lgh444e2w5oqfd7d0vktf57j0952?.jpg Unpublished https://unpublished.buzzsprout.com Episode 3: How Angela Outlines Episode 3: How Angela Outlines In this episode of Unpublished, Angela and Daniel get into the messy, magical, occasionally panic-inducing process of outlining a novel.

Angela gives an update on writing the first chapter of Eros et Flamingo, including the particular terror of turning a book idea into an actual manuscript. From introducing a main character to building an original world from scratch, this episode digs into why starting a novel can feel so different from writing fan fiction, where the characters, settings, and emotional architecture already exist.

Along the way, Angela talks about worldbuilding, imposter syndrome, fan fiction as a stepping stone to original fiction, the difference between drafting and polishing, and why reading widely is one of the most important tools a writer has. She also breaks down her own outlining process, from Google Docs and timelines to color coding, chapter notes, shower thoughts, and the very real magic of discovering a story as you write it.

Whether you are writing your first novel, outlining a romance, trying to move from fan fiction to original fiction, or just curious about how a book gets built one messy draft at a time, this episode is all about finding the path through the creative chaos.

Plus, we discuss literary romance, comps, character development, why first chapters are so hard, and why using AI to shortcut the actual craft of writing misses the best part.

]]> In this episode of Unpublished, Angela and Daniel get into the messy, magical, occasionally panic-inducing process of outlining a novel.

Angela gives an update on writing the first chapter of Eros et Flamingo, including the particular terror of turning a book idea into an actual manuscript. From introducing a main character to building an original world from scratch, this episode digs into why starting a novel can feel so different from writing fan fiction, where the characters, settings, and emotional architecture already exist.

Along the way, Angela talks about worldbuilding, imposter syndrome, fan fiction as a stepping stone to original fiction, the difference between drafting and polishing, and why reading widely is one of the most important tools a writer has. She also breaks down her own outlining process, from Google Docs and timelines to color coding, chapter notes, shower thoughts, and the very real magic of discovering a story as you write it.

Whether you are writing your first novel, outlining a romance, trying to move from fan fiction to original fiction, or just curious about how a book gets built one messy draft at a time, this episode is all about finding the path through the creative chaos.

Plus, we discuss literary romance, comps, character development, why first chapters are so hard, and why using AI to shortcut the actual craft of writing misses the best part.

]]> Buzzsprout-19565702 Wed, 29 Jul 2026 05:00:00 -0400 3320 1 3 full true Episode 2: Before the First Word is Written Episode 2: Before the First Word is Written Where do book ideas actually come from?

In episode two of Unpublished, Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens dig into the strange, messy, magical, and occasionally inconvenient process of turning a tiny spark of an idea into a full novel. Angela talks through how plot bunnies appear, how music helps shape scenes, how playlists become emotional roadmaps, and how a random hotel TV turning on at 4 a.m. can suddenly feel like the beginning of a book.

Angela also shares how her upcoming manuscript, Eros et Flamingo, evolved from early character names and half-formed concepts into the story of a heartsick assassin searching for love after falling for one too many of her marks. Along the way, she breaks down how she develops themes, reverse-engineers plot from the ending, builds characters over time, and avoids writer’s block by thinking deeply before writing the first line.

If you’ve ever wondered how to start writing a book, how authors develop novel ideas, how to outline fiction, or how a story changes between the first note and the final draft, this episode pulls back the curtain on the creative writing process before the writing even begins.

Unpublished is a podcast about writing a book, chasing publication, surviving the drafting process, and figuring out what it really takes to turn an idea into a manuscript.

]]> Where do book ideas actually come from?

In episode two of Unpublished, Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens dig into the strange, messy, magical, and occasionally inconvenient process of turning a tiny spark of an idea into a full novel. Angela talks through how plot bunnies appear, how music helps shape scenes, how playlists become emotional roadmaps, and how a random hotel TV turning on at 4 a.m. can suddenly feel like the beginning of a book.

Angela also shares how her upcoming manuscript, Eros et Flamingo, evolved from early character names and half-formed concepts into the story of a heartsick assassin searching for love after falling for one too many of her marks. Along the way, she breaks down how she develops themes, reverse-engineers plot from the ending, builds characters over time, and avoids writer’s block by thinking deeply before writing the first line.

If you’ve ever wondered how to start writing a book, how authors develop novel ideas, how to outline fiction, or how a story changes between the first note and the final draft, this episode pulls back the curtain on the creative writing process before the writing even begins.

Unpublished is a podcast about writing a book, chasing publication, surviving the drafting process, and figuring out what it really takes to turn an idea into a manuscript.

]]> Buzzsprout-19404667 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400 2333 1 2 full false Episode 1: Angela Becomes an Author Episode 1: Angela Becomes an Author What does it actually take to turn an idea into a finished book?

In the first episode of Unpublished, aspiring author Angela Mattes introduces cohost Daniel Stevens to the strange, solitary, exhilarating, and occasionally tear-soaked world of writing fiction. Angela traces her path from childhood bookworm and journalism student to fan-fiction writer, manuscript author, and proud creator of hundreds of thousands of words read by hundreds of thousands of people online.

She also opens up about the heartbreak, grief, career detours, creative communities, and hard-earned confidence that helped her finally see herself as a writer. Along the way, Daniel learns the language of AO3, works in progress, beta readers, query packages, and several other concepts previously unavailable through doomscrolling and Wikipedia.

Then Angela unveils the story at the center of this podcast: Eros et Flamingo, a literary novel about a heartsick assassin who has fallen for one too many of her marks and devises a slightly unhinged plan to find someone capable of loving her back.

The manuscript has not been written. There is no literary agent. Nothing is guaranteed. But the idea is ready, the characters are waiting, and it is finally time to begin.

]]> What does it actually take to turn an idea into a finished book?

In the first episode of Unpublished, aspiring author Angela Mattes introduces cohost Daniel Stevens to the strange, solitary, exhilarating, and occasionally tear-soaked world of writing fiction. Angela traces her path from childhood bookworm and journalism student to fan-fiction writer, manuscript author, and proud creator of hundreds of thousands of words read by hundreds of thousands of people online.

She also opens up about the heartbreak, grief, career detours, creative communities, and hard-earned confidence that helped her finally see herself as a writer. Along the way, Daniel learns the language of AO3, works in progress, beta readers, query packages, and several other concepts previously unavailable through doomscrolling and Wikipedia.

Then Angela unveils the story at the center of this podcast: Eros et Flamingo, a literary novel about a heartsick assassin who has fallen for one too many of her marks and devises a slightly unhinged plan to find someone capable of loving her back.

The manuscript has not been written. There is no literary agent. Nothing is guaranteed. But the idea is ready, the characters are waiting, and it is finally time to begin.

]]> Buzzsprout-19402946 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400 3691 1 1 full true