If you're experiencing writer's block, it has nothing to do with your capabilities or the quality of your ideas. It all boils down to trying to write a book with an imbalance of those three things process, mindset and craft. You need these three things working together in tandem, to be the kind of writer that finishes and publishes their book. Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo and I'm here to help you write a story that works. I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming, so each week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away. So, whether you're brand new to writing or more of a seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get started. In today's episode, I'm going to share the three things you need to write your book in 2025. But really, this episode is not time dependent. These three things are timeless, in my opinion, and they're the key to finishing your draft and having the kind of writing life you want. So what are these three things? Well, I'll tell you in a second, but first let me tell you something I've noticed after years and years of working with first-time novelists so many talented first-time writers get stuck and fail to finish their drafts, not because they lack good ideas or creativity, but because they're focusing on the wrong things at the wrong time. They're trying to perfect their prose before they have a solid story structure, they're battling self-doubt when they should be building momentum, they're searching for the perfect writing routine when what they really need is a clear roadmap, and so on and so on. So I want to reiterate this point because it's really important. Many first-time writers fail to finish their books or get to the end of their drafts simply because they lack clarity on their ideas and because they don't have the right steps to take to turn their ideas into a story that works. So that is exactly why I wanted to talk about this topic today.

Like I said earlier, I'm going to share the three things you need to write your novel in 2025 or any year really and we're not talking about just starting your novel, but finishing it as well. So let's talk about those three things really quick. The three things you need to write your novel in 2025 are process, mindset and craft, and we're going to dig into each one of those, starting with process. So I want you to think of this like your roadmap it's what you need to do and when you need to do it. And just like you wouldn't set out on a cross-country road trip without some kind of navigation, you shouldn't start writing your novel without knowing the major milestones ahead either. So you need a process, and the process doesn't need to be something super complicated In fact, I think simpler is better but you do need a process, because without some kind of clear process, you're likely going to find yourself stuck in what I call the endless brainstorming loop or the revision spiral.

I've seen many writers spend months and months, or even sometimes years and years, brainstorming and planning their stories, thinking they have to get everything perfect or figured. Many writers spend months and months, or even sometimes years and years, brainstorming and planning their stories, thinking they have to get everything perfect or figured out right out the gate or, even worse, writing and rewriting the first three chapters instead of moving forward with their story. And these behaviors are all rooted in two things One of them is a lack of process to follow, and the second is mindset, which we're going to talk about in a few minutes. So let me share a quick story about a writer I worked with in my Notes to Novel program. Her name is Jenny, and before I met Jenny, she had been working on her story on and off for about 12 years, and she could never get to the end of a draft for various reasons, but the biggest one was due to a lack of time. So Jenny is still, to this day, a very, very busy person. She has a day job, she has children, she volunteers in her community and she's caring for one of her elderly parents. So you can easily imagine just how busy Jenny is. On top of that, jenny also struggles with imposter syndrome because she never went to college. So every time Jenny does find pockets of time to write, her inner critic rears its ugly head and then causes her to either abandon her writing for the time being or procrastinate. And so you can probably also imagine how fast those 12 years zoomed by for Jenny having kids, working a full-time job, volunteering and things like that, all while trying to write a novel in small pockets of time.

Now here's the thing Jenny didn't lack talent or imagination or dedication. She simply didn't have a roadmap to follow that would help her turn all of her ideas into a story that worked in the pockets of time she had available. And this is what I see with a lot of writers. So it's not about their ideas or their education level or how dedicated they are yes, of course those things will factor into it but it's more about having a process to follow that helps you make the most of the time you set aside to write.

So, going back to Jenny, she was really struggling to find the time to write. She hadn't made that much progress on her story over those 12 years, and when I met Jenny we talked about all of this. So I said in reality, the amount of time you have to write is not going to change. You might have a season or two where you're less busy, but in general you're not magically going to find more time to write, and I think that's true for a lot of us. So what Jenny and I did, what we talked about, was we needed to get her some kind of process to follow so she knew what to work on when she did have those limited pockets of time to work on her book. So fast forward, jenny learned the step-by-step process that I teach in my notes to novel course, and she went from hardly any progress over a 12-year period to writing the first draft of her novel in six months. And that's amazing, right, her writing time more efficiently, and this is what I want for you, too.

Whether the process that you find and follow is in my Notes to Novel course or somewhere else, or delivered from someone else, it doesn't matter. What's important is having a clear process to follow and understanding that it's not just about organization, it's about making every minute of your writing time count and then building your story intentionally, layer by layer. So I like to think of it as having a GPS, versus wandering around and just kind of hoping you find your destination. Yes, in theory, you might still get there, but I think we could all agree that one path is significantly more efficient, and this is really where having a process can become your secret weapon. When you know the exact steps to take to write a novel from start to finish, from initial idea through final draft, you'll never have to worry about what to work on next. You can sit down and immediately start making progress because you have that roadmap or that process.

So this is super important, and I think it's something that not enough writers pay attention to, or they think they are following a roadmap, so something like the hero's journey or save the cat or whatever it is, but really all that is is a way to plot or structure your story, so it's not a process that you can follow to help you write your book from start to finish. So just something to keep in mind, and this was something that really helped Jenny, the writer I was talking about earlier. One of the biggest revelations for her was realizing that she didn't need to spend the time figuring out how to do everything from scratch, or spending hours and hours on Pinterest or the internet or whatever, piecing together the process of how to write a novel from start to finish. So, for her, following a proven process meant she could focus on telling her story instead of constantly wondering if she was doing things in the right order or if she was veering too far off course. So, again, this is why I'm a firm believer in having a clear process or a roadmap.

Yes, every writer's journey is going to be unique and everyone's going to approach things in their own way, but that doesn't mean you have to navigate it by yourself or reinvent the wheel. There really is a method to the madness when it comes to writing a novel, and I think it's important to know that just because you follow a process, that doesn't mean you're going to stifle your creativity or anything like that. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that. I think the opposite is true Having a process to follow gives you that structure that really allows your creativity to bloom and flourish. So that's the first thing you need to write your novel in 2025, or really any year. You need a process to follow.

The second thing you need to write your book is the right mindset, and this is probably the most overlooked aspect of writing a novel, but it's absolutely crucial, and that's because your mindset determines whether you'll push through when writing gets tough or give up at the first sign of resistance. It affects whether you'll get stuck in the planning stage or writing and rewriting those first three chapters over and over, or whether you're going to trust yourself enough to move forward even when things are still unknown. It also influences how you'll handle feedback too, how you'll approach revisions, how you'll approach getting feedback, and whether or not you'll actually take that book to the finish line. Now, the good news here is that mindset is something you can actively work on and improve. I have episodes of this podcast that will help you make some pretty key mindset shifts, depending on what mindset gremlin is plaguing you at the moment. So a few listener favorites if you need some help with mindset is episode number 88. That one's called Perfectionism vs Procrastination what's Really Going On? Another one that might help you is episode number 123, which is called how to Overcome the Five Types of Imposter Syndrome. And lastly, if you're struggling with managing your time, check out episode number 175, called Five Easy Time Management Strategies to Write your Novel in Less Time. We will link to those three episodes in the show notes for easy access. Now to bring this mindset element to life.

I want to talk about a writer I worked with whose name is Laura. So Laura had been dreaming about writing a fantasy novel for years and years and she was a very big reader. So she would read like 50 to 75 books in a year and you know she instinctually understood the shape of stories because she was such an avid reader. She had a really great imagination. She had notebooks filled with all these like world building details and character profiles and things like that, but every time she sat down to work on her novel, she would freeze. And this would happen mostly because she was comparing what she would try to write, or that like first draft of an idea, to her favorite published novels and she would think, oh my gosh, I'm so far away from writing a book like that. Who am I even kidding, trying to become an author? Maybe I shouldn't even bother, maybe I should wait a little bit longer before I try to write things like that. If any of that sounds familiar, you are so not alone.

So when I met Laura, she was really struggling with this mindset element. Like I said, she had great ideas, she had an instinctual knowledge of what it means to write a story and how stories work and things like that. But she couldn't get past that inner critic. We decided to give her inner critic a name and she decided to call her inner critic the professor and she had this whole vibe for what the professor's personality was like. And it was so interesting because once she separated this inner critic kind of outside of herself and gave it a name, it became a lot easier for her to say you know what Thank you for your input, professor. I hear you, but I'm going to write today anyway.

So it was just this little mindset shift of, like I said, separating that inner critic, just getting a little distance between her and that voice, that inner critic voice in her head, that really allowed her to start making progress. Now, if you're someone who hasn't dealt with this kind of mindset, gremlin, that might sound a little simple like, oh, all she did was think about this in a different way. But that's the power of mindset, right? Sometimes it's all about just taking something, flipping it on its head and you're all of a sudden unlocked and able to make progress. So let's go back to Laura.

Laura did start writing her book. She felt nervous about writing still and she still had moments of self-doubt, and that inner critic did still exist. But she stopped letting all of that stop her and control how she showed up to her writing desk. So, instead of endlessly getting stuck at that first chapter or thinking over the same world, building details again and again, she was finally able to give herself permission to write something that was messy. And then, six months later, laura finished that draft. So it was an 83,000 word first draft. It wasn't perfect, Of course. It wasn't right. No first draft is ever going to be perfect, but here's what Laura told me when she typed the end on that draft. She said for the first time ever, I feel like a real writer, not because the draft is perfect I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me but because I finally proved to myself that I could do it. I wrote a freaking book and this is exactly what I want for you too.

So, regardless of what kind of mindset, gremlin, you're dealing with, there's power in actively working on it and trying to just flip that switch or trying to make it feel less impactful. I do think it's unrealistic for us to think that our perfectionism or imposter syndrome or inner critic whatever it is they're not going to totally go away, but there are ways to deal with them and kind of accept them as part of the process. Right For me. I'm a perfectionist, so that's my little mindset, gremlin that I have to deal with a lot and it hasn't gone away, but I have gotten way better at dealing with it. So again, whatever your mindset, gremlin, is, there is hope, and this is the second thing that it takes to write a novel in 2025 or again any year. Really, it takes keeping up on our mindset and addressing some of those mindset gremlins so that we can write and finish our books All right now.

The third thing you need to write your novel in 2025, or any year really is craft, and this is what most writers focus on exclusively. So the actual writing techniques and storytelling skills needed to write a story that works. And while, of course, craft is really important, it's not everything If you don't have a process to follow to help you turn your ideas into an actual full-length story. It doesn't matter if you know how to write technically good sentences or the most beautiful prose If you don't have the right mindset to stay in the game when things get tough. It doesn't matter if you know how to develop your character's backstory or build a story world from scratch, or if you know how to develop your character's backstory or build a story world from scratch. Now, I'm not going to go too deep into this one, because this podcast is full of craft tips, but here's what all of this boils down to.

I see way too many writers focus on just learning the craft of writing, and what this leads to is perfectionism and, oftentimes, procrastination. We know what we need to do in theory, we see examples of stories that work and then we try to write our own stories, only to feel disappointed that the stories we write don't live up to the examples we see or to our expectations, which are usually pretty high. I also see too many writers discount the importance of mindset. And when you're not in the right mindset to write a book and deal with the ups and downs that happen to everybody, not just first-time writers, this is what makes us spiral into self-doubt and have those feelings of imposter syndrome pop up. And then I also see too many writers without a process to follow which leads to overwhelm and trying to do too many things at once. So here's the thing All of these things, these feelings I just mentioned self-doubt, overwhelm, perfectionism and procrastination all of that's writer's block.

And writer's block has nothing to do with your capabilities or the quality of your ideas. Okay, I'm going to say that one more time because it's very important. If you're experiencing writer's block, it has nothing to do with your capabilities or the quality of your ideas. It all boils down to trying to write a book with an imbalance of those three things process, mindset and craft. You need these three things working together in tandem to be the kind of writer that finishes and publishes their book, and when these three things work together, that's when the magic happens.

But when they're out of balance, that's when writers typically struggle. This is why I get a little frustrated when I see advice that's telling aspiring authors that you just need to write every day or you just need to learn proper story structure. Yes, those things matter, but they're not the whole picture. Writing a novel is a journey that requires all three of those elements mindset, process and craft working together in harmony. So for now, before I let you go, I want you to know something really important If you've been struggling to write your novel, it's not because you're not cut out to be a writer. It's likely because you've been trying to build a three-legged stool with only one or two legs. And you can't sit on a stool with one or two legs right, it's just not going to work. So once you have all three elements mindset, process and craft working together, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Now, if you want my help writing your book this year, I want to let you know that, at the time of this, recording my Notes to Novel course is officially open for enrollment. Notes to Novel is a live eight-week group coaching experience in which I teach you my proven step-by-step process for turning your ideas into a finished draft, and you'll get real-time guidance, feedback and support every step of the way. This is one of the few times a year when you'll get a lot of attention and mentorship from me so that you can brainstorm, outline and write a story you're proud of. And you guessed it, in the course, there is a big emphasis on balancing the three things we talked about today mindset, process and craft. If you want to learn more about the Notes to Novel course, go to savannahgilbocom forward slash yes, and join us before enrollment closes on January 30th 2025. If you're listening to this episode after enrollment has closed, get on the waitlist and you'll be the first to hear about the next time we open doors to the live Notes to Novel experience.

So that's it for today's episode. As always, thank you so much for tuning in and for showing your support. If you want to check out any of the links I mentioned in this episode, you can find them in the show notes listed in the description of each episode inside your podcast player or at savannahgilbocom forward slash podcast. If you're an Apple user, I'd really appreciate it if you took a few seconds to leave a rating and a review. Your ratings and reviews tell Apple that this is a podcast that's worth listening to and, in turn, your reviews will help this podcast get in front of more fiction writers just like you. And while you're there, go ahead and hit that follow button, because there's going to be another brand new episode next week, full of actionable tips, tools and strategies to help you become a better writer. So I'll see you next week and until then, happy writing.