SPEAKER_03: 0:42

Now I know exactly how to reach the deadlines I set for myself. I have clarity on the entire shape of my story, not just the beginning and ending, but the whole middle that used to feel impossibly murky to me. I know how to build conflict, create that narrative drive, write scenes that leave the reader wanting more, and I know how to get from A to Z without getting lost in the weeds. And with my full outline done, I know I will be able to write much faster than I was before.

SPEAKER_05: 1:13

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. 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 sharing real stories from writers who have gone through my notes to novel course, who were all stuck in different ways but found their breakthrough moments. You're going to hear from someone who never thought of herself as a real writer, a self-described chronic overlearner who spent months spinning their wheels, a writer who kept getting stuck in the messy middle, someone who had been stubbornly trying to figure it all out on her own, and a writer who had that one lightning bolt moment that changed everything about how she understood her genre. And what I love most about these stories is that each writer faced a different challenge. But by the end of the course, they had all discovered the same thing. The solution wasn't about working harder or being more talented. It really just came down to having the right framework and the right tools to finally see their stories clearly. So whether you've been dreaming about writing a novel but haven't started, or if you're stuck somewhere in the messy middle, or if you just can't figure out what's missing from your story, you're going to hear from someone today who's been exactly where you are and found their way through. Now, before we dive into the first clip, I just want to let you know that the doors to my Notes to Novel course are opening for enrollment this week. Notes to Novel is my signature eight-week live program where I walk you through everything you need to build out a strong foundation for your story. So developing your characters, identifying your genre, uncovering your theme, mapping out your plot scene by scene, and so much more. You'll learn how to brainstorm, outline, and start writing your draft with confidence alongside other writers just like you. And the best part is that I'll be there with you for eight weeks holding your hand through the entire process. Now, as I said, doors are opening soon, like this week soon. And if you want to be the first to know when they open and get early access, then make sure you're on the wait list at savanagilbo.com forward slash wait list, and you can dive in and get started right away. All right, so one more time, that's savanna gilbo.com forward slash waitlist. All right, so let's dive into the first clip. And the first writer we're going to hear from today is Maggie. So here's what Maggie had to say.

SPEAKER_04: 3:50

Hi, it's Maggie Rays here, right down near the bottom of the world in Tasmania, Australia. And before you ask, yes, I have seen a Tessie Devil in the Wild, and I try and write them into as many stories as I can. I write high fantasy novels with rich natural settings, flavours of modern politics, and a touch of romance, but I can only confidently say that after finishing Savannah's Notes to Novel course. Before this course, I was just thinking about writing a novel or dreaming of one day writing a novel. I hadn't ever thought of myself as a writer, even though I was actively writing. And there are really two key reasons why that isn't the case anymore. The first being before Notes to Novel, I had no formal writing training outside of my high school creative fiction class. And that was a very long time ago now. I now work in a day job which is the exact opposite of creative writing with lots of math and reading very dry reports. And I really underestimated how much this was making me doubt myself. I believed I wasn't qualified enough or good enough to earnestly be able to say I'm writing a novel. Through the course, Savannah taught me a lot about mindset. The first step being to proudly say I am a writer, and she helped me get over those mindset doubts with genuine encouragement and support. The second reason I can now confidently say I'm writing a novel is because Savannah has taught me how. I knew from doing my own research that I needed, you know, a certain number of scenes which hit the important milestones like the inciting incident or the climax. But Savannah so brilliantly showed us how a story is so much more than this. Specifically, the lesson on antagonist really made me dive deeper into the world of my story. And even if the details I discovered won't end up on the page, my story is so much richer because of it. But overall, every single module helped me understand storytelling in a way that I hadn't been able to grasp with my own research. I came out of the course with a pressure-tested outline and a real novel in the works. Now, I say real in quotation marks because writing anything, no matter how rough, is very real writing. But between the mindset shift that I touched on earlier and the new knowledge of what makes a story work, I now feel like I'm finally writing a story and not just a bunch of things that don't really add up to the image I have in my mind. Sometimes faking it until you make it works. And I'm certainly still practicing that in so many aspects of my writing. But the confidence and momentum this course has given me is nothing short of life-changing. For the first time since I read Aragon at maybe 11 years old and decided I want to write a book one day, I can finally say that I'm actually doing that. I find now that writing is so much easier, knowing that I'm writing towards a complete story and not writing myself into a dead end with no escape. There are still plotholes and things to figure out, of course, but I now have all of the tools and knowledge that I need to solve and overcome those hurdles as they arrive. And I really have Savannah, her team, and the whole Notes to Novel community to thank for that. So thank you, Savannah, and good luck to everyone, no matter where you're at in your writing journey.

SPEAKER_05: 6:56

I love that Maggie talked about the mindset piece and how before Notes to Novel, she didn't feel qualified to call herself a writer, even though she was actively writing. I think so many of us can relate to that imposter syndrome, especially if we don't have any formal training, or if our day job is just completely unrelated to creative work. And what Maggie discovered is that confidence doesn't come from credentials. It comes from having a process you trust and a community that supports you. I also love what Maggie said about writing toward a complete story instead of writing herself into dead ends. And that is the difference that having a solid outline can make. So thank you so much, Maggie, for sharing your experience with us. And I will link to where everyone can find Maggie around the internet if you would like to get in touch with her. Alright, now next up we're gonna hear from John, so I won't spoil his clip. Let's just dive right in and hear what he had to say.

SPEAKER_02: 7:54

Hello, I'm John, and I'm from South Carolina. I'm currently writing a Southern Gothic romantic. But I've also written gasland, steam punk, western, and historical fiction. But I really am loving romanticity right now. I have a fun fact that for two weeks I was a Southern gospel disc jockey on a small AM radio station. The truth is, I knew nothing about Southern gospel. I would just grab an album and start playing it with no clue as to who I was playing. I had to read the label. Anyway, that only lasted two weeks. Now, when I came to notice the novel, I had a lot of concerns about this blue guy idea I had. I didn't think I had enough scenes. I didn't think I had enough material. But going through the modules, working with other writers, making new friends, being part of a community, and the support from Savannah, her staff, the other students, I was able to create more than enough things. I now have too much material to be honest. I have enough material for another book. I didn't know how I was gonna write it. I didn't know how I was gonna open it. But with Savannah's help, I created a great opening line. I also found out that the reason my books got boring in the middle was I didn't have enough stakes also my characters, my my side characters were flat as a pancake. But with this class, I created three-dimensional side characters, a better thing, I now have a clear central conflict, and I learned how to make a tighter plot with no holes, a plot that had been pressure tested and didn't bring any leaks. And thanks to Savannah, I used to go by the rule never write a prologue. But after listening to her podcast and taking this class, I read a prologue and my beta readers love it. What I learned is this outline that I now have is a living document. I'm not handcuffed into this thing, and I have to be improved by it. No, it is a living document and it's going to grow and it's going to change and get better. And because of this process that Savannah told me, I am going to save so much time over evasions. I don't know about you, but I I have a tendency to edit as I write. I'm reforming, I'm getting over it, I'm recovering, and Savannah's process is helping me not go back and rewrite something ten times. Not that anybody's ever done that. Rewrote the same chapter ten times? Anyway, what I gotta say is thanks to notes to novel, I now have a great story, and I feel more confident and prepared to write this story and present it to the world. So thank you, Savannah, for everything.

SPEAKER_05: 11:21

What really stood out to me was when John said that he came into the course worried that he didn't have enough material, and then he left with too much. And that is such a common fear that maybe we don't talk about enough, right? We worry that our idea isn't big enough for a whole novel. And in a lot of cases, that actually turns out to be true. Again, not because the writers who feel this way aren't talented or don't have good ideas or anything like that. It's just that usually we'll have an idea for a piece of a story. So a character, a setting, whatever it is. And then we need to do the development work to turn our ideas into something that can support a full-length novel. So I'm really glad that John brought this up. And once you understand how to layer your plot with subplots, how to create those three-dimensional side characters, how to build in enough stakes to carry the middle of your story and things like that, then suddenly you have more material than you know what to do with, which sounds like it could be a problem, but I think it's actually a really good place to be. I also appreciated John's reminder that your outline is a living, breathing document and that you're not handcuffed to it. So I'm a big advocate that your outline should grow and change with your story. We don't want you locked into something that doesn't work with where your story's headed, right? So thank you so much, John, for sharing your experience. And as always, we will link to where everyone can find John around the internet if you would like to get in touch with him. All right, now next up we're gonna hear from Insa. So let's dive into her clip to hear what she had to say.

SPEAKER_01: 12:52

Hi, my name is Insa Duvos, and I completed the Nordstrom novel course this fall. I would actually recommend the course to everyone because the course has helped me so much with my own story. And I remember thinking about the course for a while and always wondering if it would really um be worth it because I have listened so many years to Savannah's podcast, and I felt like I already knew a lot of her tips and content, but actually the course um is on a whole other level, and it has helped me so much to have all the lessons bundled up, to have Savannah's support during the Q ⁇ A calls, but to also have the community and to really dive deep on all the different um aspects of creating a story. Um, and yeah, one thing that especially helped me was the outline that we created over the course of this course, um, and to know my key scenes for my genres, um, because I'm writing women's fiction, which can have different content genres, as you might be aware of, and really nailing down that my genres are um romance for external and worldview for internal, really helped me to build a story around these key scenes and to also be aware of the genre's convention and to still make it very much my own as well. However, yeah, it helped me to really put layers into the story, which makes it way more interesting and to really see how things can kind of grow together and how I can create enough conflict um in my story as well to make it interesting. Because now after I took the course, I really realized that that is what I was missing often in the past, because I've been working on the story for a while, for about one and a half years, and um usually it would become difficult in the middle, and um, now just reading through some old drafts, I just notice that there just wasn't enough conflict in my story. Um, and yeah, through this course, I've now created an outline that really helps me a lot while I'm drafting now because I know that every scene has conflict, um, there is enough change in every scene, and everything fits together, and my whole outline um has been pressure tested in this course as well. That just gives me a lot of confidence, actually, when I'm now writing my draft. And actually, I've already gotten quite far. So I have completed the course now about 12 days ago, and I've already written 15,000 words, and it's really flowing because when I sit down, I can look at my outline and I know what the next um scene will be, and I know that it will make sense. And of course, sometimes my characters surprise me, um, and that is completely fine. I know that I'm also flexible with my outline, however, just having this as a basis helps me so much to really um yeah, focus on writing. And one last aspect that I really enjoyed in this course was the community. Everyone was so nice, and um I'm still in touch with uh people from the course, and I have Zoom calls regularly, uh, which really helps me as well because I didn't really have any writing community before this course. And as you might be able to tell from my voice, I'm actually German. I'm not a native English speaker, and I was also at first doubting whether the program would be for me in this case, but actually I would um really recommend it to anyone because it's so nice to be connected with other writers from all over the world. And uh coincidentally, I actually also met another woman uh during this course who's also writing in German, and so that is super nice, and we are in close contact about our stories. Um but I'm also yeah, very much in contact with other writers from the US, um, Australia, and yeah, like I said, all over the world. So um, yeah, this course really gave me a community as well. I just would like to thank you, Savannah, for all your support and for creating this amazing course. And for everyone who's thinking about it, and especially people who have thought about it since a longer time, um, just do it. I do not regret taking the course whatsoever. I would recommend it to everyone, and it has helped me like tremendously. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05: 17:17

I'm so glad Insa shared her experience because I know there are listeners out there who have consumed a lot of free content. Podcast episodes, craft books, YouTube videos, you name it, and they probably wonder if a course would really add anything new, which is a totally fair concern, right? And what INSA discovered is that having everything kind of bundled together with the direct support and community, that just takes things to a whole other level. So I love that INSA said that. And I also love that she's already written 15,000 words in just 12 days since finishing the course. That is the power of having a pressure-tested outline. You sit down, you know what comes next, and the words just flow. And INSA, I am so happy you found your writing community through the course, including another German writer that is so cool. And that is the magic of this program and this community. So thank you so much for sharing your clip with us. I'm going to link to where everyone can get in touch with INSA around the internet. So if you want to get in touch with INSA, we will link to where you can do that. All right, now next up we are going to hear from a writer named Emily. So let's dive right into her clip.

SPEAKER_03: 18:27

Hey, I'm Em, and I'm currently working on my debut novel, a romantic fantasy with lots of political intrigue and an emotionally synergistic magic system. Before joining Notes to Novel, I was really struggling with direction. Most of my writing time wasn't actual writing. It was me trying to figure out what I should even be doing today. I'd sit down to write and end up back in the cycle of listening to podcasts, reading craft books, doing story research, and going deep into Google rabbit holes. I wanted to stubbornly learn it all on my own. And I think with enough time I maybe could have done it, but I wanted to write a book now, not years from now. All that time spent learning the craft was just sort of working for me. I did write 35,000 words, which felt like a big win, but I just couldn't get past that threshold. And when I looked back at what I'd written, the story was a little bit all over the place. My research didn't give me a truly clear, cohesive plan, and trying to piece everything together on my own was honestly exhausting. I knew my first draft was going to be messy. We've all heard that, right? But mine was too messy because I didn't have structure or direction. I couldn't see the middle of my story, and I reached a point where I thought, if I'm not able to figure this out, how am I ever going to finish my book? What made me finally say yes to Notes to Novel was simple. I listened to an episode of fiction writing made easy where other graduates shared their experiences and something clicked. I was debating whether I was ready to have someone help me through this process. When I told my husband about considering the course, he said, if it brings you joy and excitement, you should do it. That one sentence completely shifted my perspective. Writing does bring me joy, but I hadn't let myself invest in that joy. I'd been spinning my wheels for months. So when enrollment opened, the timing felt perfect. I was finally ready to learn how to write a story that works. And the results have honestly blown me away. Right now I'm about two thirds of the way through my outline and I'll have it finished by the end of this week. Before Notes to Novel, I made arbitrary deadlines without having any idea how to reach them. I thought I could just muscle my way through the madness of combining creativity and structure into a cohesive story. Then I'd feel guilty for letting myself down and like I'd never accomplish my dream when I didn't reach them. Now I know exactly how to reach the deadlines I set for myself. I have clarity on the entire shape of my story, not just the beginning and ending, but the whole middle that used to feel impossibly murky to me. I know how to build conflict, create that narrative drive, write scenes that leave the reader wanting more, and I know how to get from A to Z without getting lost in the weeds. And with my full outline done, I know I will be able to write much faster than I was before. One of the biggest light bulb moments for me was understanding how to write a stronger antagonist and how that unlocks so much of your story. Learning how to write scenes with clear, meaningful conflict was another big aha moment. The way Savannah presented these two lessons were in ways I'd never approached these topics before. I know they'll help me write a much stronger first draft. But my favorite part of the whole experience was the personal direct feedback you get from Savannah herself. Sharing your story, especially as a debut author, is intimidating. But Savannah is approachable and so willing to help you unravel the story that's been percolating inside your mind. Her individual insights are why I finally understand the second half of my story. I went from feeling stuck and frustrated to feeling confident, capable, and genuinely excited. My first draft will probably read more like a third or fourth draft because of the foundation that Notes to Novel helped me build. So if you're listening right now and you're where I was, stuck in that cycle of overlearning, unable to get past the middle, or feeling like everything is just too messy, this course might be what helps you finally make meaningful progress. It gave me direction, community, accountability, and so much encouragement. If you need someone to give you permission to invest in yourself and your writing, let that person be me. I'm glad I took the leap to join Notes to Novel, and I'm so grateful for the tools it gave me, the confidence it restored, and the momentum that I now have. For the first time, I don't just believe I can maybe one day finish my novel. I know that I will.

SPEAKER_05: 22:56

I think Emily just described so many of us when she said that most of her writing time wasn't actually writing. It was trying to figure out what she should even be doing. And that cycle of podcasts, craft books, research, and Google rabbit holes. I know I have personally been there. I know a lot of you listening have been there. It is so very common. And what Emily realized is that stubbornly trying to learn it all on her own was actually slowing her down. So I'm so glad that she said that because I think, again, a lot of us can relate. I also love what she said about her first draft, probably reading like a third or fourth draft because of the foundation she built in notes to novel. That is really what happens when you do this kind of story development work up front. You're not just able to write faster, you're able to produce a much higher quality draft as well. And Emily, I am so glad your husband encouraged you to invest in something that brings you joy because that permission to take your writing seriously really does change everything. So shout out to your husband for being such a kind and encouraging partner. And thank you so much for sharing your experience. I think that a lot of people are going to relate to what you shared. All right, now next up we are going to hear from Samantha, and I saved her clip for last, which you'll probably know why in a second. So let's dive right into Samantha's clip.

SPEAKER_00: 24:21

Hi, my name is Samantha Crawford, and I'm a longtime frustrated writer from Australia. I've started five or six romance novels over the years, but I could never really get anywhere past the fourth or fifth chapter. I discovered Savannah's podcast a couple of years ago, and I just loved everything that she taught. From writing in scenes to genre conventions and particularly what she teaches about getting that first draft down fast and messy. I needed that lesson to sink into my bones and it really worked. After two years of listening to the fiction writing Made Easy podcast, I finally got to the very end of that first messy draft. And oh wow, how good does it feel to write the end? But I knew that I still needed help. There was something missing from my story and I couldn't figure it out. So I finally decided to join Notes to Novel, hoping to find what I needed. I worked on the outline for a different story through the course while I let that first draft rest. Then when we got to module two, lesson one, which was all about crafting protagonists, I had that light bulb moment. Savannah said that in a romance story, the love interest is always the protagonist. And that just blew my mind. I sat down and analyzed the characters and storylines in five of my favourite romance novels until it became really clear to me. That's what was missing from my story. I had always tried to build a villain into my romance stories, believing that would create good conflict, but I was looking at it the wrong way. Yes, there can and should be external conflict, but the love interest needs to be the force that makes my main character change and grow. I now have a clear path to turning my first messy first draft into a great story. My goal is to self-publish by January 2027 under my pen name, Sarah Jane Cooper, and I know that I can get it done. I'm so glad that I completed the Notes to Novel course with Savannah. She was always there to answer questions along the way, and the live coaching calls were super valuable. If you're thinking about signing up for Notes to Novel, I say do it. You won't regret it.

SPEAKER_05: 26:36

Now I saved Samantha's story for last because her breakthrough moment is one of those things that sounds simple but can actually change everything. And so Samantha realized that in a romance, the love interest isn't just a secondary character. They are the force that makes the protagonist change and grow. So they are actually the antagonist in a love story, right? And that is why her stories weren't working before. So what a great aha moment, right? I love that so much. And I love that Samantha has a very clear goal now. She's going to self-publish by January 2027 under her pen name, and we'll definitely have to have her back on the show when she does publish. But I hope you can see that this is the kind of clarity and confidence that comes from finally understanding what your story needs. So, Samantha, I am going to be first in line to read your book and thank you so much for sharing your journey and your experience with us. As always, I will link to where you can find Samantha around the internet if you would like to get in touch with her. Now, I want to extend a huge thank you to Maggie, John, Insa, Emily, and Samantha for sharing their stories and their experiences inside the Notes to Novel course. As you know, I truly appreciate each one of you so very much. And for my listeners, if you enjoyed this episode, go check out the social media or the website of all the writers that were featured today. Say hello, give them a virtual high five for sharing their journeys and their experience with us, and let them know how this episode affected you because I am sure they would absolutely love to hear from you. And if you're interested in joining Notes to Novel yourself, enrollment for the next live cohort opens this week. To either get on the wait list to know when doors open, or maybe at the time of listening, doors are already opened. Either way, go to savannaGilbo.com forward slash waitlist, and I would be so thrilled to have you join us in the next cohort. 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.