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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
#39: The #1 Reason Why So Many Novels Go Unfinished
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In today's episode, we’re going to talk about why so many novels go unfinished, and what to do so that you can start finishing every project that you start. Here's a preview of what's included:
[03:20] The #1 reason why so many novels are never finished is because most writers expect to produce a first draft that’s perfect, or at least, really good -- and then, when it’s not perfect or really good, they give up on writing their story altogether.
[04:35] Trying to be a perfect writer (or even a good writer), trying to write a perfect draft (or even write a good draft), is an impossible task. It's like expecting to go through life without making any mistakes.
[05:35] Even if you outline your story in advance, or follow one of the popular plotting methods like Save the Cat or the Hero’s Journey, there’s a process of discovery that needs to happen with every story you write.
[06:45] Too many people think or hope that they can write a perfect first draft. And even worse, they believe if they don’t then that somehow means they aren’t good writers. So they expect perfection, and then the moment they hit any kind of snag, they give up because they feel disappointed in themselves and their story.
[07:45] You need to shift your mindset and allow for things to be a bit messy -- remember, they’re supposed to be. If you go into the drafting process knowing that you’re just figuring things out and that whatever you come up with WILL require revisions, it’s going to be so much easier for you to succeed.
[08:25] A lot of the writers I work with try to do too many things at once. They try to write and revise at the same time. They try to discover the story and perfect the story simultaneously. Don't do this!
[09:15] You have to get to know your story first. You have to get it all down on paper and then worry about cleaning things up later. You can do this with an outline but you still need to allow your first draft to be about getting the story down first before you go back to revise.
[10:35] It’s probably not going to feel easy at first. But every day that you can practice these mindset shifts, they’ll be more ingrained in your mind and you won’t have to think about them so much. They’ll just be a part of you and a part of how you approach the writing process.
[11:25] Key points and episode recap.
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Links Mentioned in This Episode:
👋 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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