SPEAKER_00: 1:20

Within four weeks, I had a complete outline. Not just vague ideas, but a real roadmap all the way to the end. I started writing and I didn't stop until I was done. And in about 90 days, I had a complete first draft. Was it perfect? God no. I changed my villain's name three times. I had some timeline issues, and don't even get me started on all the tiny details I still need to figure out. But it was done. And that was literally the best feeling.

SPEAKER_01: 1:48

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, we're talking about one of the most common and most frustrating obstacles that new writers face. And that is how to know when you're ready to start writing or waiting too long to start writing. So let me paint a picture of what this looks like. You have a story idea you love, you know you want to write it, but every time you sit down to actually begin, something stops you. Maybe it's the fear that you don't know enough yet, whether that's not knowing enough about your plot or your characters or your setting, or maybe it's not knowing enough about the craft of writing, like how to put together a book from start to finish. Or maybe it's the overwhelm of trying to hold all the pieces of your story in your head at one time. Or maybe it's because there's a nagging voice in your head telling you that you're not qualified to do this. And so whatever it is, it stops you from getting started. Well, today you're going to hear from three writers who were stuck in that exact same place, but in very different ways. Sheila, who had read all the craft books, took a college course, got a masterclass subscription, watched YouTube videos, and listened to podcasts for years, but still had no idea how to actually put her story together. Jennifer, who had been dreaming about her young adult fantasy story for years but couldn't get past the first one or two chapters. Every time she'd sit down to write, she'd freeze up thinking about all the different plot threads, the world-building details, and the character arcs she'd need to juggle, and without an MFA or any formal training, she didn't feel qualified to figure it out. And lastly, Tiara, who was comfortable writing short stories but felt completely overwhelmed the moment she tried to write a novel. She had no idea where to start, and the sheer length of planning and structuring a full book felt impossible. Now, what I love about these stories is that each one of these writers thought their problem was unique. Sheila thought she just needed more information, Jennifer thought she needed more credentials, and Tiara thought that maybe novels just weren't for her. But they all discovered that they were missing the same thing, a clear step-by-step framework that made starting feel doable instead of terrifying. And then once they had that framework, everything shifted. The overwhelm lifted, the path forward became clear, and they finally gave themselves permission to begin. So if you've been telling yourself you're not ready yet, if you've been stuck in research mode or frozen by self-doubt, or overwhelmed by the scope of what you're trying to do, these stories will show you exactly what you might be missing. But before we dive in, I have something super exciting to share. My Notes to Novel course is opening for enrollment on January 22nd, and this is my signature eight-week program designed to help you confidently write a story you're proud of, without the self-doubt, frustration, and overwhelm that stops most writers in their tracks. So if you've been wanting to work with me on your novel and if you want a step-by-step framework to turn your ideas into a finished draft, then this is your chance. I'll be sharing more details soon, but if you want to be the first to know when doors open, and if you want to snag a few extra goodies in the meantime, make sure you're on the wait list at savannagilbo.com forward slash waitlist. All right, now without further ado, let's dive into our first clip from Tiara.

SPEAKER_03: 5:23

Hi, I'm Tiara Ito, a writer from Bourbon, California, and I like to write action, magical realism, and family-based stories. Before I joined Notes to Novel, I mainly wrote short stories, so I was comfortable writing in that format. But when I tried to write a novel, it felt completely overwhelming and I had no idea where to start. For me, I really struggled with the length of planning and structuring a novel. And since there was a lot more ground that I needed to cover in 80,000 words versus the 2,000 words that I was used to, I struggled a lot with how to plan and structure my story so that I could get started. And the biggest breakthrough for me in the course happened on two levels. The first was on the mindset of writing a novel and getting more comfortable with the idea of iterating, and the second was in the planning and structuring of it. Since this was a new format for me, I found it incredibly helpful to have a clear framework to use that was also broken down into easy to follow steps. So with those two things combined, it helped me overcome my biggest obstacle, which was perfectionism, because it allowed me to focus on just moving through the framework while reminding myself that I just needed to get something down onto the page and then I could always come back later and refine it. Now that the course is done, I feel a lot more comfortable writing and trusting myself with the process. I also noticed I'm more confident with my storytelling choices, and I definitely don't overthink as much as I did before. Although it still comes up every now and then, but the best part is I don't feel completely lost when I'm sitting down to work on my story. I feel like I'm actually enjoying the process of writing more than I did before, which is a great feeling to have, especially as I'm working on my first novel. So this course has definitely changed the way I think about writing and how I approach the process. And now I'm excited to finish my first draft and get started on the next one. Overall, it was a great experience, and I love that I got to do this course with other writers going through a similar struggle as me. So the sense of community that was built from the course was great, and there are even a few of us who still meet up to check in and make sure we're still making progress on our projects. So I'm glad that I took that first step and signed up for the course because I'd probably still be thinking about writing a novel instead of actually working on one right now. So I'm just really grateful that I had the opportunity to do this and to learn so much from it.

SPEAKER_00: 7:38

Hi, I'm Jennifer Wagner and I write YA Fantasy. I'm from Portland, Oregon, and I had this fantasy story with a strong female lead that I'd been dreaming about for years, but for some reason, I could never write more than the first chapter or two without getting stuck. Every time I sat down to write, I'd think about all the plot threads, all the world building, all the character arcs I needed to juggle, and I'd freeze up. Then I'd go back and polish that first chapter again because I didn't really know what else to do. I didn't have an MFA, I'd never taken a creative writing class, so I also had the whole self-doubt thing going on too. I found the fiction writing made easy podcast, and I had heard about the notes to novel course, but I wasn't sure it would work for me because I am more of a discovery writer. But I'm so glad I signed up because the course taught me how to break things down into smaller pieces instead of focusing on everything all at once. The scene-by-scadmap, especially, was a game changer for me because for the first time, I wasn't staring at this mountain of a story. I was looking at one scene at a time, and that felt doable. I felt like I finally had a strategy for tackling this thing that felt really big and unwieldy. Once I had my outline done and once I could see the path from beginning to end, I remember telling my husband, I actually think I can finish this thing now. And so within four weeks, I had a complete outline, not just vague ideas, but a real roadmap all the way to the end. I started writing and I didn't stop until I was done. And in about 90 days, I had a complete first draft. Was it perfect? God no. I changed my villain's name three times. I had some timeline issues, and don't even get me started on all the tiny details I still need to figure out. But it was done. And that was literally the best feeling. So if you're stuck like I was, rewriting the same chapters over and over, feeling like you might not be cut out to be a writer, I hear you, you just need a clear plan and someone to show you the way. And that's what this course gave me. And it's why I finally have a complete novel instead of just a perfectly polished first chapter. So yeah, thanks for that, Savannah, and thanks for having me on the podcast.

SPEAKER_02: 9:50

Hello, I'm Sheila Holmes and I'm from Toronto, Canada. By day, I'm a doctor and a teacher, and by early morning, I'm a writer. I'm currently working on a dystopian society/slash worldview novel and a medical thriller series. My stories explore the intersection of medicine, ethics, and feminism. I wanted to share my writing journey over the past year through the lens of the five commandments of storytelling, because what better way to tell a writer's story than as a story? Munster novel led to the turning point that changed everything. A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to write novels. I had a few ideas per bleeding, and being a nerd by nature, I dove all in to learn about story craft. I read several books, including Save the Cat, Story Grit, Writing Down the Bones, on writing. I got a masterplot subscription, I took a college course, I watched YouTube videos, and listened to several podcasts, including my favorite one, Savannah's. It was fascinating to see how stories are constructed, but also overwhelming. I had so much information, yet no idea how to actually put things together. I kept rewriting the same scenes and getting stuck. My true inciting incident came last fall when I made a promise to myself. If I didn't finish a draft by the time Notes to Novel Enrollment opened again, then I had to sign up. Part of me wondered if the course would be a more organized version of what I had heard on the podcast or what I had already learned in books. But I knew I couldn't keep spinning my wheels. I needed more than information. I needed a framework and support. Investing my time, money, and energy meant treating a personal passion and myself as a priority, even with many competing demands. The months leading up to the course were tough. Life threw a slew of challenges my way, and writing time was scarce. Even when I carved it out, I bounced between overplanning, procrastinating, or underplanning and getting lost. I knew I was a good student. I had done a million years of school, but could I actually be a good writer? Everything changed during Notes to Novel when I learned how to use genre to plan out the key scenes of my story and of my subplots. I already knew what was expected of the different genres, but I didn't know how to integrate those elements into my own story. I learned how to merge what was expected for both the external and the internal genres into the key scenes of the story, and how to use genre to plan out my subplots. I discovered what my midpoint scene needed from both the society and the worldview perspective, and how to map out my romance and performance subplots within the larger story. This revelation gave me the scaffolding to build a story that actually worked. After notes to novel, armed with my refined story plan, I came to a decision point. Do I start drafting now, or should I outline every scene in detail first? Both paths had failed me before. Do I risk drafting into a dead end or getting bogged down in the planning and never actually writing my story? I chose to draft, but this time there was a difference. I had the solid frame to build on, the key scenes, the genre, and the character. Instead of needing a finished house before writing, I could trust scaffolding, building floor by floor and room by room. This gave me the direction and the flexibility to move forward. I outlined my entire force of medical thriller series and my dystopian standalone story. Now I'm drafting the dystopian book and it's coming along great. It's The Little Mermaid Meets Handmaid's Tale, a feminist speculative story set in a future oceanic society. For me, a planther, knowing the key scenes and art is enough structure to begin while still leaving space for discovery. Thanks to Savannah and Notes to Novel, I feel like I can write the stories that I've always wanted to tell. And just like in fiction, my decisions reveal who I am and how I'm growing. Choosing to write, but now armed with a solid plan helps me to see myself differently. Not just as a good student of writing craft, but actually as a writer.

SPEAKER_01: 13:33

Alright, so I hope hearing from Sheila, Jennifer, and Tiara gave you the permission slip you've been waiting for. Whether it was Sheila's realization that years of consuming information couldn't replace a clear framework and how learning how to use genre to map out her key scenes finally made everything click after all that time. Or Jennifer going from frozen and repolishing chapter one over and over to having a complete outline in four weeks and a finished draft in 90 days, all because she finally had that scene-by-scadmap that made the story feel manageable instead of overwhelming. Or Tiara discovering that the secret to overcoming her perfectionism wasn't trying harder. It was having a framework that let her focus on one step at a time and trust the process. No matter which one of these stories resonated with you, they all three prove that not feeling ready isn't a permanent state. It's just a sign that you're missing a piece of the puzzle. And the moment you get that piece, everything changes. Now, if these breakthroughs inspired you to finally give yourself permission to start, I want to let you know that Notes to Novel, my signature eight-week live program, is opening for enrollment on January 22nd. This is the same program that gave Sheila, Jennifer, Tiara, and hundreds of other overwhelmed writers the frameworks and clarities they need to finally move from thinking about writing a novel to actually doing it. But here's the thing, I want you to be prepared when doors open because the live round always fills up fast. And that's why I've created a VIP waitlist that gives you early access before the public launch, plus some really fun and incredible bonuses while you wait. When you join the wait list, you'll get my novel writing roadblocks guide with real stories like the ones you heard today. You'll get early access to Notes to Novel the day before we open the course to the public, a few free live QA sessions with me while you wait for doors to open, some quick and straightforward mindset videos to help you break through your creative blocks, and you'll also hear inspiring stories from writers who've made the journey from overwhelmed to outlining and eventually finishing their drafts. So head over to SavannahGilbo.com forward slash waitlist to get on the VIP wait list and get early access when doors to notes to novel open up on January 22nd. And if you're listening to this after January 22nd, don't worry, you can still join the wait list to be the first to know when Notes to Novel opens up for enrollment again. So one more time, that's SavannahGilbo.com forward slash waitlist. Alright, so that's it for this episode of the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast. Head over to SavannahGilbo.com forward slash podcast for the complete show notes, including the resources I mentioned today, as well as bonus materials to help you implement what you've learned. And if you're ready to get more personalized guidance for your specific writing stage, whether you're just starting out, stuck somewhere in the middle of a draft, drowning in revisions, or getting ready to publish, take my free 30-second quiz at savanagilbo.com forward slash quiz. You'll get a customized podcast playlist that'll meet you right where you're at and help you get to your next big milestone. Last but not least, make sure to follow this podcast in your podcast player of choice because I'll be back next week with another episode full of actionable tips, tools, and strategies to help you become a better writer. Until then, happy writing.