SPEAKER_03: 0:37

So starting with the outlining guidance in notes to novel and considering the critical elements of every scene have been not only helping me keep moving forward at a fast clip in my draft, but I actually look forward to my writing every day. I don't feel stuck, I'm excited about where I'm going, and there's still plenty of opportunity for twists or elements that weren't in the outline that work better once the writing's underway. So for me, an outline helps make sure the overall story has a solid structure with all the creative room to color in the details.

SPEAKER_00: 1:08

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 something that trips up so many writers, and that is the drafting process itself. Not the planning stage, not revisions, but that middle part where you're supposed to be writing pages, and instead you're staring at your manuscript, wondering why everything feels so slow and so hard. You're going to hear from three writers who were stuck in that exact place, but in very different ways. Lindsay, who had spent six months trying to draft her superhero fantasy on her own, constantly stopping to figure out what should happen next, and only managed to write 25,000 words that entire time. Alison, who had already put two draft novels in the drawer because she couldn't figure out how to move forward without writing herself into a dead end. And Sharon, who had never written a novel before and became so frustrated trying to go it alone that she almost gave up on her dream entirely. And here's what I love about these stories. Each one of these writers thought their problem was unique, and that maybe they just weren't cut out for this, or that novel writing was somehow harder for them than it was for everybody else. But they all discovered that they were missing the same thing. A clear understanding of what makes a story work and a simple roadmap to follow. Once they had that clarity, everything shifted. Writing became easier, faster, and maybe most importantly, it became actually enjoyable. So if you've been feeling like drafting is a slog, if you dread sitting down to write because you're not sure your pages are even going anywhere, then these stories will show you exactly what might be missing. Now, before we dive in, I just want to let you know that my Notes to Novel course is opening for enrollment on January 22nd. This is my signature eight-week program designed to help you confidently write a story you're proud of, without the self-doubt, frustration, or 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 to follow 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 snag a few extra goodies in the meantime, make sure you're on the wait list at savannagilbo.com forward slash wait list. Alright, now let's dive into the three stories I want to share with you, and here is the very first one.

SPEAKER_01: 3:55

Hey everyone, I'm Lindsay Sefera. I'm from Cleveland, Ohio, and my book is a superhero fantasy with the genres of action and worldview. So my writing journey started with an outline I thought had enough details, but surprise, surprise, it totally didn't. It lacked the details that mattered, and thus I had no direction on how to write this story. So I was forced to constantly stop and think about what would happen next, and that just kept me from writing in the end. So this was a massive struggle that I had for about six months of trying to draft on my own. And at the end of those six months, when I decided to sign up for Notes to Novel, that was just a massive, massive game changer. I cannot rave enough about how amazing the coaching calls and community are. But what really struck me in the course was the work behind discovering the why behind your writing and book, as well as the focus on your antagonists' development and their goals. So starting with the why, going through that work and discovering my why behind my book was the biggest aha moment in discovering not just the theme for that book, but the themes for my dual protagonists too. And that already was a huge boost in adding depth to my writing and the scenes on a smaller scale. On top of that, developing my antagonists and their goals was what helped push the story forward. If I didn't know what kind of event should happen next in the story or how my characters would want to move forward, I reminded myself of their goals, but especially what my antagonist wanted and what their goals were. What they wanted and their actions to getting what they wanted was what pushed my protagonists to react and then push the story on their end. So in the end, there was this really cool cause and effect cycle created by they did this, so now they react this way, etc. etc. And that just creates flow for your story versus dumping story events in an outline that don't relate to each other. You want the flow, and that the antagonist really helped me get to that. So with those key things of the why and antagonist, they made it so much easier to add more detail and direction to my outline as I revamped it throughout the course. I used those key things to fill out key scenes and character arcs, as well as on a smaller scale, the five commandments for each scene. And everything was just starting to fall into place after that. If I had questions, the weekly coaching calls were perfect. If I had new ideas to add for parts that I already drafted, the revision tracker was such a lifesaver so that I didn't have to go back and edit and could just keep writing forward. So um as I said, I tried to write a draft on my own for six months, and that process was difficult to say as an understatement. I only hit about 25,000 words during those first six months, and I also quote unquote failed that year's non-Orimo since it fell in that time frame. But the six months after that, when I signed up for Notes to Novel, not only did I go through the next six months with the course content and revamping my outline, but my draft also reached a hundred thousand words. And since Nano Rimo came back, I was able to knock it out of the park this time. That's more than doubling my original writing pace, but in the same time frame. So from 25k in the first six months to a hundred K in the second set of six months. And it's thanks to that course. I feel also way more confident and excited about my story. I'm way more organized with my details, despite all of the moving parts I have, from world building to subplots. And I now have a drafting routine that possesses an alive and organic flow for developing a story. And that's all from notes to novel. So for anyone who has the desire to become a published author, notes to novel is just a must-have investment, in my opinion, as the best way to get you started from zero to finishing your draft. I recommend this now to anyone who wants to write a novel because everyone's story is worth telling and deserves to be published out there to the world. And that includes your story. So thank you, Savannah and Notes Novel, for everything and for helping my desire and dream to start becoming a reality. And for you, here's to your story also getting out there.

SPEAKER_03: 8:45

Hi, this is Allison. I live in the San Francisco area. I love to read chunky historical fiction. I listen to tons of audiobooks of all genres when I'm doing the everyday life stuff. I write contemporary or women's fiction, including two draft novels that I've put in the drawer, and I'm currently working on a book that I outlined and started through the work with Notes to Novel. When I wrote drafts on my own before, I had only the briefest outline or a general idea of where I wanted to start and finish, thinking that an outline would inhibit my creativity. Both books felt very flat to me, and it's become clear to me that I've worked much better with an outline. So the big aha moment for me in Notes to Novel was the lesson on writing a well-structured scene, where everyone kind of knows that you need a story arc for the overall book. This lesson clarified so much for me that each individual scene is a mini-story that needs conflict, resolution, character shift, and for every scene to move the story forward. When I think about this now, I say, of course, but now I see that without putting this type of plan into every scene, it can lead to dull or flat scenes, which I've written, or scenes that might be fun, but don't really add to the overall story. So for me, this connected with the following lesson on mapping out plot points, starting with the key scenes and ensuring that the overall story connects all the dots from one scene to the next. So starting with the outlining guidance and notes to novel and considering the critical elements of every scene have been not only helping me keep moving forward at a fast clip in my draft, but I actually look forward to my writing every day. I don't feel stuck, I'm excited about where I'm going, and there's still plenty of opportunity for twists or elements that weren't in the outline that work better once the writing's underway. So for me, an outline helps make sure the overall story has a solid structure with all the creative room to color in the details. Oh, and I also look forward to going back to those earlier drafts and reverse outlining to create all the conflict and connections that they'll need.

SPEAKER_02: 10:40

Hello, my name is Sharon. I live near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I've never written a book. I have written curriculum and grant requests and technical items, but never a book. I've been trying to write a novel for many years, but never had the time or energy to dedicate to that task while I worked full-time. After I retired, I was determined to accomplish this goal. At first, I tried to go it on my own and soon became frustrated, recognizing that I didn't know the first thing about writing a work of fiction. I started listening to podcasts and came across Savannah's Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast, and what can I say, I appreciated the practical advice she provides for free in every session. I love her enthusiasm and encouragement that she delivers. I thought about taking other online courses, but the notes to novel course appealed to me the most, so I'd have decided to invest in my goal and sign up for the course. I was not disappointed. It's hard to identify a single favorite takeaway from my experience in Notes to Novel, but I think the most significant was Module 4 on how to write a well-structured scene by using the five elements. When writing my discovery draft, I actually kept a hard copy of this lesson by my computer and referred to it before I started each scene to make sure I was including an exciting incident, turning point, crisis, climax, and resolution in each scene. Prior to Notes to Novel, I participated in a critique group and had been sharing chapters for feedback. Once I implemented the scene writing techniques, my partners noted a distinct difference in the quality of my scene writing, saying they were much more focused. Savannah's steps for outlining a novel were another significant breakthrough for me. Before I took notes to novel, I told people I had a complete outline for my novel, but I learned from this class I was missing essential conventions for my genre. Once I learned those components, I re-outlined my entire novel and came up with a more constructive and effective outline. After that, I instituted a reasonable time frame for drafting with a goal of completing 6,000 words or three scenes each week. Of course, there were many more lessons I learned in this course that I applied, which all together helped me achieve my goal of completing my first draft two days prior to my deadline. I can't say it was easy, but it definitely was easier and very nearly stress-free. After taking a few weeks off from writing, I plan to start editing my novel using the editing strategies I learned from Savannah's Notes to Novel course. I am counting on the support of two accountability groups I have joined, where I meet weekly with writers I have met through Notes to Novel. To further increase my skills, I also joined Story Lab, led by Savannah, with other aspiring writers who have completed the Notes to Novel course.

SPEAKER_00: 13:19

Alright, so I hope hearing from Lindsay, Allison, and Sharon gave you a new perspective on what it actually takes to draft with momentum. Whether it was Lindsay going from 25,000 words in six months to 100,000 words in the next six months, more than doubling her pace once she understood her antagonist goals and how her scenes could connect through cause and effect. Or maybe it was Alison's realization that every single scene needs its own mini arc, and how that one insight transformed her from someone who dreaded writing into someone who looked forward to it every single day. Or maybe it was Sharon who set a goal of 6,000 words per week and finished her entire first draft two days ahead of her deadline and described the whole process as easier and very nearly stress-free. All three of these stories prove that drafting doesn't have to feel like pulling teeth. And when you have clarity on what your scenes need to do and you have a roadmap to follow, you're able to write faster and more efficiently. And remember, writing faster isn't about rushing or sacrificing quality. It's kind of just what happens naturally once you have that roadmap and that process in place. Now, if these breakthroughs inspired you to find your own drafting rhythm, I would love for you to come check out my notes to novel course. This is my signature eight-week live program, and it's opening for enrollment on January 22nd. This is the same program that gave Lindsay, Allison, Sharon, and hundreds of other writers the framework and clarity they needed to finally draft with confidence and find that momentum. But here's the thing, I want you to be prepared when doors open because this live round always fills up fast. And so that's why I've created a VIP wait list that gives you early access before the public launch, plus some really fun and incredible goodies while you wait. I won't spoil the surprise, but you can head over to savannagilbo.com forward slash wait list to get on the VIP wait list, get those extra special bonus goodies, and get early access to Notes to Novel when doors open 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 for enrollment again. 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 savannagilbo.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.