Tell Me Your Ways....with Isabelle Engel

Debut Novelist and 2024 Smooch Pit Mentor

Isabelle Engel’s bachelor inspired debut novel, LOVE ON THE RECORD, will be published in 2026 by St. Matin’s Griffin. She is warm and funny, and has great taste in movies! (She also loved Twisters). Read on to learn about her writing process.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why do you find this the best way for you to write?

I like to say that I'm a plantser! Meaning that while I do plot a bit ahead of time, I generally 'pants' a good amount of a draft. My process has changed for each of the four books I have written, and as I work on the next one, I think I am becoming more of a plotter. Before I start, I like to know a bit about the characters, where I want them to end up, and then I'll brainstorm some scenes that happen along the way. I'll also write a brief pitch for the story (kind of like a query but less formal) so I have something to refer back to while writing. More recently, I've also started outlining the story 'beats' ahead of time, but I try not to get too mad at myself if they completely change when I'm drafting because the characters decided to surprise me and go in a different direction!

What does your drafting process look like? Do you write scenes in order?

I usually write roughly chronologically through the book. However, if a certain scene is really giving me trouble, I have no qualms about jotting down some notes and coming back to it later. After I've finished a draft, I usually reverse outline it and then move the scenes around like puzzle pieces, to make sure that each one leads into the next like dominoes.

Please walk us through a little of what your revision process looks like?

This process has also changed between books I've written! My two favorite tools in revising are: the reverse outline and the edit letter. I usually make a reverse outline (an outline made from a draft and not the other way around) after my first draft and then update it as I revise. I'll make a spreadsheet listing the chapter, scenes, characters involved, the main action in the scene, and any notes I have for revisions. I also like to write myself edit letters, outlining the big picture changes I want to make (and why) and the smaller details to fix. De Elizabeth has a great Substack post about revisions, in which she shares her incredibly helpful revision template!

How do you know when your story is done?

I think there are a few different ways to think about a story being 'done'--to me, a story is done when I stop having ideas for things to add. But deciding when a book is 'done' and doesn't need to be revised more is incredibly difficult! There will always be more things you might want to add and change, even when your book is on shelves. I sometimes ask myself if I'd be comfortable sending my project to bookstores right now to be put on shelves. If the answer is no, then there's probably more work to do!

How many beta readers do you typically have for a project? Does anyone read all the versions?

For my first two books, I didn't have any beta readers. After participating in the Deep Dive Workshop Series in 2023, I met some other romance writers who have become my friends and beta readers, and who have read my more recent books! For my Bachelor-inspired romcom novel (coming in 2026 from St. Martin's Griffin!) I had 5 beta readers who read the whole book and provided amazing feedback. I participated in the 2023 SmoochPit mentorship program and my mentor, Julie Cassidy, read my book a few times and provided feedback. I also had a few other people look over my query and first chapters to prepare for querying! I found this last step very helpful because query letters can be so difficult to write and having multiple people's help brainstorming was lovely!

What are you currently working on now?

I'm working on another romcom! I'm not sure if this one will ever see the light of day, but I've just been trying to have as much fun as possible with it. In some ways, it's reactionary from my previous book: in that one, the love interest was a bit grumpy and quiet and the main characters had to sneak around for any time together. In my current project, the love interest is a total golden retriever and not at all quiet--and I've stuck them together in the same tiny room for days on end. If you can't tell, I'm having a lot of fun with it, even if my characters just want to get the heck off the island!

Do you have a favorite book on the craft of writing?

My go-to's are Save the Cat by Jessica Brody and Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. I have a screenshot of the beat sheet from Romancing the Beat saved on my desktop for easy access! I also often think about the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) of my characters, something that my SmoochPit mentor Julie Cassidy first introduced me to. There are a ton of resources about this online, but here is a concise and helpful summary.

Anything else you’d like to share? Where can we find you?

My biggest piece of advice to any writer is to remember that your story is unique because you wrote it. It can be so easy to fall into a mindset of comparing your work to others (I do this all the time), but trying to remember that my work is unique and thinking about the aspects of it that I'm really proud of has been really helpful. And I'm excited to say that my debut romcom novel, LOVE ON THE RECORD, will be published in 2026 by St. Martin's Griffin. You can subscribe to my Substack newsletter or follow me on Instagram or Twitter at @isabellegwrites to get more updates!