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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
#76: Student Spotlight: The Power of Outlining (and How He Finished a First Draft in 3 Months) With James Beswick
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 James Beswick to talk through his incredibly inspiring story of how he finished his first draft in three months. Here’s a preview of what’s included:
[03:30] An introduction to James Beswick and how he decided to write a book
[05:30] How James carved out writing time in his calendar, while working a full time job
[06:30] What James’s Notes to Novel experience was like—and why he decided to enroll in the course in the first place
[08:25] How James initially wanted to write a screenplay, but then decided to write a novel instead (Plus, our thoughts on writing a novel vs. writing a screenplay)
[11:00] How your genre framework removes the terror and overwhelm from the writing process (and pulls back the curtain on how to actually write a novel)
[13:30] A quick description of James’s story
[14:45] What is was like for James to create an outline—and the three things that helped him outline his story the most
[16:30] The secret to avoiding writing problematic scenes where nothing happens
[18:45] My feedback on James’s outline (the 3 main issues he had + what worked)
[21:45] James’s big a-ha moment re: writing the perfect first draft (and the mindset shift that got him through writing a messy first draft)
[24:30] Why James decided to get outside feedback from an editor once he had a finished draft (and what this process was like)
[27:00] Our thoughts on the hardest section of the story to write
[29:00] What it was like for James to get feedback on his first draft—and what some of the biggest issues were in terms of plot and character
[36:00] An update on how the second draft is going for James (and how he’s using his outline to help him navigate the revision process)
[46:00] Final words of wisdom and advice from James
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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:
- Follow James Beswick on Twitter!
- Interested in the Notes to Novel course? Click here to get on the waitlist. Doors will re-open in early January, and you'll be the first to know!
👋 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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