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Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
Do you have a story you can't stop thinking about? Maybe it's still just an idea. Maybe it's half a draft you haven't opened in months, or a finished manuscript that doesn't quite work yet. Wherever you are, it can be hard to know what your story needs next.
Fiction Writing Made Easy is a podcast for aspiring fiction authors who want clear, practical guidance on what to do next with their novels. Hosted by developmental editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo, the show breaks down complicated writing concepts into simple, actionable lessons. Savannah explains why storytelling techniques work, how the different elements of a story fit together, and what that means for your own writing—often using examples from familiar books and movies.
Topics include developing your story idea, outlining a novel, creating characters readers care about, writing scenes that move your story forward, and figuring out what to fix when your draft isn't working. You'll also find genre deep dives on romance, fantasy, thrillers, and horror, mindset tips for difficult writing days, and advice on querying agents and self-publishing.
You'll also hear from editors and industry experts, as well as writers Savannah has taught who share how they finished—and often published—their books. With hundreds of episodes and over 3.8 million downloads, there's plenty to explore wherever you are with your book.
Hit follow for new episodes every week—and take the next step toward a novel you're proud of.
Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
#71: Student Spotlight: How She Wrote a Novel in 6 Months (and Landed an Agent 10 Months Later) with Stefanie Medrek
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In today's episode, I’m sitting down with Stefanie Medrek to talk through her incredibly inspiring story of how she went from having an idea for a story to landing an agent. Here’s a preview of what’s included:
[05:00] The exact moment Stefanie had the idea for her story—and how she just knew it wouldn’t let her go until she put pen to paper
[08:00] A quick description of Stefanie’s story
[09:35] Stefanie’s initial reaction to my advice to throw out all 40,000 of the words she had written, and what happened when she did
[12:00] A few of the key takeaways Stefanie learned from re-writing her first draft
[15:00] What the editing process was like (and how long it took)
[17:35] How and when Stefanie knew she was ready to start querying
[19:00] Stefanie’s reaction to getting a heart on her #PitMad pitch (IYKYK)
[22:30] The moment Stefanie almost gave up on writing… and then got a call from her (now) agent an hour later
[25:00] How having a fleshed out outline helped Stefanie avoid spiraling into overwhelm
[27:00] What happened when Stefanie got the offer of representation
[28:00] What it was like to get feedback (and suggested changes) from her agent
[30:00] A quick look into what writing book two looks like
[34:00] Stefanie’s thoughts on 1:1 coaching vs. the Notes to Novel course
[38:00] Final words of wisdom and advice from Stefanie
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Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you're following the podcast! I'll be adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed, and if you're not following the show, there's a good chance you'll miss them. Click here to follow now!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Stefanie Medrek’s website
- Follow Stefanie on Instagram
- The doors to my Notes to Novel course are closing for the rest of 2022 very soon! If you want my proven roadmap for writing a first draft that works, click here to enroll so that you can get started today!
- Click here to sign up for my FREE TRAINING: The 5 Little-Known Mistakes Most Writers Make (& What to Do Instead)
👋 FREE TRAINING: Why You Keep Getting Stuck & How to Finally Finish Your Novel - Give me 60 minutes and I'll show you how to turn your ideas into a complete first draft—without getting stuck in the middle, constantly second-guessing, or spending years rewriting instead of finishing. Click here to save your seat!
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