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.
Episodes
284 episodes
#267. Ask Savannah: How Do I Fix a Plot Hole in My Story? (Plus Balancing Writing With Life & Hiding Plot Twists)
How do you fix a plot hole in your novel? What if your beta readers figure out your big plot twist too early? And how are you supposed to find time to write when life keeps getting in the way?In today's episode, I'm doing somethin...
#266. How to Get Back Into Writing Your Novel After a Long Break
If you’ve stepped away from your novel for a few weeks, or even a few months, getting back into writing can feel a lot harder than it should.Maybe you open your draft, scroll through a few pages, and wonder where you were even goi...
#265. What Is Cozy Fiction? 10 Characteristics Cozy Writers Need to Know
Learn what makes cozy fiction work—and how to balance warmth, tension, character growth, and community to create the hopeful reading experience cozy readers expect.You know the feeling a cozy book gives you—warm, safe, like a worl...
#264. First Draft Mistakes: Jessica Brody & Savannah Gilbo Compare Notes
What are the most common first-draft mistakes writers make—and which ones actually need your attention while you’re drafting?In this episode, I’m joined by Jessica Brody, author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and Pag...
#263. How Emily Henry Hooks Readers in Chapter One of Book Lovers
Your first chapter needs to hook the reader—but that doesn’t mean you need a huge plot twist, dramatic action, or a flashy meet-cute on page one.The first chapter of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers is mostly two sisters walking...
Bonus: How 3 Writers Found a Clear Path Through All the Writing Advice
If you’ve read the craft books, listened to hundreds of podcast episodes, and studied all kinds of writing advice—but still sit down at your desk wondering, okay, what am I actually supposed to work on today?—this epis...
#262. 10 Tips to Make Your Enemies to Lovers Romance Feel Believable
If you're writing an enemies to lovers romance, getting your characters from “I can't stand you” to “I love you” takes more than chemistry. Here’s how to write enemies to lovers in a way that makes that turn feel convincing.The en...
#261. 5 Mistakes Writers Make Using the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet
If you’re using the Save the Cat! beat sheet to outline your novel but your story still feels flat, disconnected, or hard to draft, one of these five common mistakes may be the reason why.The Save the Cat! beat sheet is a popular ...
#260. Student Spotlight: From Stuck at 25k Words to a Finished Draft With Lindsay Sfara
After stalling out on a draft she'd already outlined chapter by chapter, Lindsay Sfara discovered the story development work that has to come before an outline—and turned that stuck manuscript into a published debut novel.Today I'm chatt...
#259. How to Finish a Novel With Kids at Home & Limited Writing Time
You don't need a perfect writing schedule (or a quiet house) to finish your novel. Here are five ways to keep making real progress on your book with kids at home and barely any free time.If you've been telling yourself you'll writ...
#258. 5 Myths Keeping You From Finishing Your First Draft
If you keep working on your novel but never seem to get closer to “The End,” these five novel writing myths may explain why—and show you what to do differently.If you've been working on the same novel for months (or years), you've...
#257. Stuck in Chapter One or the Messy Middle? What Your Stuck Point Reveals
Stuck writing your novel? Wherever your draft stalls out—chapter one, 20,000 words, the messy middle—that spot isn't random. It's a clue that tells you exactly what your story is missing.Almost every writer who gets stuck while dr...
#256. Why “Just Start Writing” Can Be Terrible Advice for New Writers
Everyone tells you to just start writing. Nobody tells you when. And if you keep starting your novel and stalling out a few chapters in, that missing piece might be exactly why.“Just start writing” is one of the most common pieces of wri...
#255. Student Spotlight: How Grace Draven Learned to Write Faster (Without Sacrificing Quality)
Can a lifelong discovery writer write faster and embrace structure without losing the magic? Bestselling author Grace Draven wrote 62,000 words in 21 days and says absolutely.In this episode, Grace shares how the tools and mindset...
#254. How to Outline Your Novel With the Hero’s Journey
Learn how to outline your novel using the Hero’s Journey—without mistaking this classic framework for a complete story blueprint.The Hero’s Journey is one of the most widely recognized story frameworks out there. But knowing the t...
#253. 5 Common Mistakes That Make Your Character Feel Flat
If your protagonist feels vivid in your head but flat on the page, this episode will help you diagnose what’s missing—and fix the specific piece of character development that will make readers care.You know your main character. Th...
#252. Value Shifts: How to Tell if a Scene Is Working (or Falling Flat)
If you’ve got a scene that feels flat and you can’t figure out why, this episode will help you diagnose what’s really going on—so you know whether the scene is working, needs strengthening, or may not belong in your story at all.Y...
#251. Student Spotlight: 5 Lessons Learned from Notes to Novel (Season 8)
What does it look like to go from feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure about your novel…to finally making real progress?In this episode, I'm sharing five clips from past Notes to Novel students who all came into the program stuck...
#250. Why Your First Draft Doesn't Match the Book in Your Head (with Gala Russ)
A book coach who's written 15 novels pulls back the curtain on what's really happening when your messy first draft disappoints you. Ever finished a chapter, read it back, and realized the words on the page don't match the sto...
#249. 5 POV Mistakes That Pull Readers Out of Your Story
Most fiction writers are making at least one of these point of view mistakes. Find out which one could be hiding in your draft.You know that feeling when a scene isn't quite working, but you can't put your finger on why? Your paci...
#248. From Meet-Cute to HEA: How to Connect the Key Scenes of Your Romance Novel
Learn how to write the lead-up and reaction scenes between your key romance plot points so your story flows naturally from meet-cute to HEA without stalling in the middle.You know what your meet-cute looks like. You know there's a...
#247. 5 Secrets to Writing YA Fiction (That Actually Feels Like YA)
Learn the five craft secrets to writing young adult fiction that actually feels like YA—so when you sit down to write your own, you know exactly what to aim for.You know what YA feels like when a book is doing it right. The voice ...
#246. Story Mapping: How to Map Your Novel With Sticky Notes (With Danyel Nicole)
What if getting stuck on your novel has nothing to do with your story and everything to do with HOW you're seeing it? Story mapping coach Danyel Nicole found that out firsthand.When Danyel's first draft started to feel off, she go...
#245. 5 Ways to Show Worldbuilding in Your Novel Without Info-Dumping
Master these 5 worldbuilding techniques to immerse readers in your fictional world without infodumping or overwhelming them.If you've ever sat down to write a scene and ended up with three paragraphs of explanation before anything...
#244. How to Create Characters Readers Will Love (5 Essential Elements)
Readers don't fall in love with likable characters. They fall in love with characters who want something specific, stand to lose something personal, and can't quite get out of their own way. Here's how to build one.Think about the...