July 24, 2025 • 18 mins
What if perfectionism is the real reason you haven't finished your novel—not lack of talent or time?
"I need to get this right before I move on" keeps aspiring authors stuck forever. But here's what I've discovered... Perfectionism isn't about having high standards. It's about fear. Fear of judgment, failure, or not being "good enough."
In this episode, you'll hear from three reformed perfectionists who broke free from the endless editing trap and finished their novels. Meet Pornika, who delayed starting for months thinking she needed every detail figured out first. Amy, working on her eighth novel but never finishing because she'd spend weeks perfecting each chapter. And Kara, who wrote 100,000 words but got overwhelmed trying to fix its problems.
None of them lowered their standards. Instead, they discovered something far more powerful: how to write messy and make real progress.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- [03:10] How a corporate finance professional went from months of planning paralysis to 114k words in 88 days using the fast drafting technique that changed everything
- [05:15] Why a writer starting her eighth novel finally broke her pattern of endless chapter editing and discovered the foundational skills that put her "in the power seat"
- [06:00] Why understanding theme, genre conventions, and scene structure actually makes writing easier and more enjoyable, not more restrictive
- [07:30] The "magical revisions" technique that lets you keep moving forward without getting bogged down in details you haven't figured out yet
- [09:00] The structural breakthrough that helped one writer transform a problematic 100k-word manuscript into a publishable novel
- [15:00] How to shift from perfectionist paralysis to forward momentum without sacrificing the quality you care about
Ready to stop polishing and start finishing? Join Poornika, Amy, Kara, and hundreds of other reformed perfectionists who've discovered that messy first drafts lead to better novels. Get on the waitlist for the next open enrollment of my Notes to Novel course and get my complete, step-by-step framework for writing a story that works. Don’t miss your chance to turn your ideas into a finished draft you’re proud of!
🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:
- Grab my free guide to see how real writers (like you!) pushed past these roadblocks to finish their novels: 5 Writing Roadblocks Keeping You Stuck & How to Break Through
- Poornika Kakkanaiah Instagram
- Ami Blackford Instagram
- Kara Kentley Instagram
⭐ Follow & Review
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this pod
Ready to stop overthinking and start writing? Join my LIVE 3-Day Writer Breakthrough Bootcamp and I'll help you go from stuck and overwhelmed to clear, confident, and ready to write your story. Click here to save your spot for just $27!
👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
That helped me not get hung up on the nitty-gritty
like what do I name thismountain range, or what
Halloween costume should thisside character wear, and instead
I could focus on writing acompelling story.
And it worked.
I wrote my 114,000-word draftin only 88 days, which was way
faster than I had imagined Icould write, since I could only
allot a couple of hours to writemost nights.
(00:21):
Fast drafting made the writingprocess fun and it took a lot of
the pressure out of it.
I can now say that, afterfinishing my first draft, I
still love writing, maybe evenmore than I did when I started,
and I can't wait to keep writingmore novels.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy
podcast.
My name is Savannah Gilbo andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming, so each week,I'll bring you a brand new
episode with simple, actionableand step-by-step strategies that
you can implement in yourwriting right away.
So, whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
(00:58):
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
Craft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, we're divinginto one of the biggest
roadblocks that stops aspiringnovelists in their tracks, and
that roadblock is perfectionism.
If you're someone who rewritesthe same chapter over and over
and over, or if you've beenresearching and planning for
(01:21):
years without actually writing,or if you've convinced yourself
that you need every detailfigured out before you start,
then this episode is for you.
You're going to hear from threewriters who were trapped in
perfectionist paralysis.
You'll hear from Pornika, whodelayed starting her novel for
months because she thought sheneeded every name, location and
world-building detail figuredout first.
(01:41):
You'll hear from Amy, who wasstarting her eighth novel but
had never finished one before,mainly because she'd spend weeks
editing each chapter beforemoving forward.
And you'll hear from Kara, whowrote an almost 100,000-word
novel but got so overwhelmedtrying to fix its problems that
she couldn't make forwardprogress.
Now here's what I love aboutthese stories.
Each writer found their ownbreakthrough moment that shifted
(02:04):
them from perfectionistparalysis to forward momentum.
They discovered that the secretwasn't in writing perfect first
drafts.
It was actually learning how tolet their writing be messy and
not perfect that allowed them tomake real progress.
So if you've been waiting tofeel ready or trying to get your
first draft perfect beforemoving forward, then these
stories will show you exactlywhy that approach is keeping you
(02:27):
stuck and what to do instead.
But before we dive into thedetails, I have something super
exciting to share.
My Notes to Novel course isopening for enrollment very soon
.
This is my signature eight-weekprogram designed to help you
confidently write a story you'reproud of, without the
self-doubt, frustration oroverwhelm that stops most
writers in their tracks.
(02:47):
So if you've been wanting towork with me on your novel and
follow a step-by-step frameworkto turn your ideas into a
finished draft, then this isyour chance.
I'll be sharing more detailssoon, but if you want to be the
first to know when doors openand snag a few extra goodies in
the meantime, make sure you'reon the waitlist at
savannahgilbocom forward slashwaitlist.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I'm Pornika Kakunaya, from Pennsylvania, and I'm a
fantasy writer and reader wholoves traveling, baking and
finding a cup of good coffee.
By day I'm a full-timecorporate finance girly but my
nights are spent working on afantasy, action and worldview
novel with elemental magic in auniversity setting.
Before taking Savannah's Notesto Novel course, I thought it
would take me years to write abook.
(03:31):
Don't get me wrong.
It takes a lot of effort towrite a novel.
But Notes to Novel made my goalmuch more attainable.
I'm a bit of a perfectionist soI knew I was probably going to
struggle with getting caught upwith the right word choice and
little details like that.
That fear made me put offstarting my novel because I
thought that if I had every nameand location and world-building
detail figured out before Istarted writing, then maybe I
(03:53):
wouldn't run into as manyroadblocks while writing.
But obviously that just made mygoal of writing a novel even
harder to accomplish.
But when Nosa Novel introducedthe concept of fast-drafting to
me, it was like my lightbulbmoment.
Fast drafting means alwayswriting with forward momentum
and not stopping to edit yourpages while you're writing.
You can use tools like MagicalRevisions and Details TK as
(04:15):
placeholders for things that youdon't have figured out yet, and
then you can come back to thosethings later on.
That helped me not get hung upon the nitty-gritty like what do
I name this mountain range orwhat Halloween costume should
this side character wear, andinstead I could focus on writing
a compelling story.
And it worked.
I wrote my 114,000-word draftin only 88 days, which was way
(04:38):
faster than I had imagined Icould write, since I could only
allot a couple of hours to writemost nights, and now that my
first draft is done, I have abetter idea of what scenes I
need to edit versus what scenesI need to get rid of.
If I tried to edit my draftwhile writing, I would have
wasted so much time editingparagraphs or scenes that would
have just been deleted later onand that would have been so
discouraging.
(04:58):
Fast drafting made the writingprocess fun, and it took a lot
of the pressure out of it.
I can now say that, afterfinishing my first draft, I
still love writing, maybe evenmore than I did when I started,
and I can't wait to keep writingmore novels.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Hello fellow writers.
My name is Amy Blackford, akaAmy B.
I live in Atlanta, georgia, andwrite young adult science
fiction and fantasy.
When I started to outline novelnumber eight, I had this
intuitive feeling there werestill some missing pieces to the
novel puzzle and, before beingpublished, I really wanted to
know the nuts and bolts of howto write a solid novel that
(05:35):
didn't take eight years to editbefore finally giving up and
moving on to the next one.
I'm sure some of you can relateto this.
When I came across Notes toNovel, I knew this was the
course and I wish I had morethan five minutes.
But believe me when I saySavannah Gilbo gives you the
keys to the novel kingdom and Iwant to give you just a taste of
(05:57):
some of my biggest ahatakeaways.
Number one theme Did you knowthere are 10 universal themes
for stories Before Notes toNovel?
I didn't.
I've never even heard anyonediscuss this before, and
figuring your theme out is thebasis for everything that will
follow.
So it's the most essentialquestion you need to ask
yourself before writing a bookwhy am I writing this book and
(06:20):
what am I trying to say?
Your novel's theme is whatdictates your protagonist's main
character arc.
So, whatever your theme is atthe beginning of your novel,
your protagonist should believethe opposite of what your
overall message is and, throughthe plot and interaction with
other characters, come intoalignment with the theme by the
(06:41):
end of the book.
Number two content genre versuscommercial genre.
Commercial genre is where yourbook sits on a shelf, while
content genre determines theemotional journey your reader
expects when they pick up yourbook.
So you may be writing a YAfantasy, but that doesn't tell
the reader what kind of story toexpect.
Is it a thriller, a romance,action or a mystery?
(07:05):
Every content genre has keyscenes that must be included
within your story for yourreader to truly feel satisfied.
So being able to know whatthose key scenes are, once
you've decided your contentgenre, allows you to make
certain they're present, whichmeets your reader's expectations
.
Our job as writers is to dothis.
(07:26):
Of course, do it in a new andunique way.
Number three fast first draftand magical edits.
Oh, this one really is a doozerand, believe you me, I see now
why it takes so long to write anovel.
I love to edit every chapter,sometimes for weeks, before
moving on to the next Withmagical editing tricks.
(07:49):
Savannah explains why it's soimportant to allow that first
draft to be messy and get thewords on the page.
Don't go backwards, moveforward.
It makes no sense to paint anddecorate a house if you haven't
built a solid frame.
Let that sink in for a minute.
Before taking this course, Iunderstood character arcs but
(08:10):
still had a hard time withunderstanding the difference
between showing versus telling,when to add backstory and how
important interiority is, havingthat balance between external
dialogue, action and internalthoughts that give readers the
emotional journey they'relooking for when they pick up a
book.
I feel confident after takingthis course I'm going to write
(08:33):
many novels of all genres andunderstand before I draft that
first line.
I'm in the power seat becauseI'll know what I want to say and
why, and that will give me theability to provide my readers
with the emotional satisfactionand entertainment they want when
they pick up one of my books.
So if you've been hacking away,getting conflicting feedback
(08:55):
and critique groups and want toknow how to craft a powerful
story in any genre of yourchoosing with precision, I
highly suggest you take notes tonovel.
It's truly the best gift youcan give yourself as a writer.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
My name is Kara Kentley.
I write contemporary romancebecause I love love.
So, anyways, I had alwayswondered if I could write a book
and always wanted to write abook, and during the pandemic I
sat down one day.
I'd had this story floatingaround in my head for quite a
while and it was pretty welldeveloped in my head anyways,
(09:38):
and I sat down and wrote it.
I just wrote it off the top ofmy head.
Over the course of about threeand a half weeks I wrote a full
100,000 word novel.
Then I went to revise it and Irealized it had a bunch of
problems.
The story it wasn't a bad.
(09:59):
It wasn't what I wrote wasn'tbad, but what I wrote could have
been a lot better.
So I started revising and Iread a lot about revising and I
thought I would be able to dothis and I realized that the
second half of my novel was notas good as the first half.
So I started trying to fix thatand I rewrote that like a
couple times and thought thisisn't going anywhere.
(10:22):
I really don't know what I'mdoing, and so I started.
Like I said, I was lookingaround things on revising.
I stumbled upon Savannah'spodcast.
It became a devoted listenerbecause her podcasts are perfect
for while you're walking yourdog, which I had to do every day
(10:44):
, I could listen to one of herpodcasts.
So then one night I go on herwebsite, realize she has this
notes to novels class andthought, okay, I should look
into this and see what if thismight help me.
So I signed up for it and myoriginal plan was to go into it
and revise this novel that I had.
(11:05):
But then when I started out Ithought that maybe I should.
I'd had an idea for a secondnovel and maybe I should start
from scratch and see what it waslike to start a novel from
scratch, and that that mighthelp me revise that first thing
I wrote.
So during the course of Notesto Novel, I worked on the second
(11:26):
book that I had and we startedout with a whole lot of like, a
whole lot of exercises on thingssuch as why you wrote this,
what your theme was, characterdevelopment, those kinds of
things.
I found a lot of that hard andthought like, okay, should I be
(11:46):
doing this?
This is so hard, but the workthat I put into that, I think,
made it easier to outline andthen easier to write, so I was
really grateful for that part ofit.
But for me the big aha moment inNotes to Novel was structure.
My original story that I wrotedefinitely had some structure
(12:12):
and scenes flowed and thingslike that, but there were also
saggy parts and parts thatdidn't really add anything to
the plot or the conflict.
There was a lot of dialoguethat didn't maybe need to be
dialogue.
So what I learned in Notes toNovel was a whole lot about
(12:33):
structuring, putting my thoughtsinto a structure that would
work to move my characters andplot along through an arc that
made sense and went along withmy theme.
And so for me that was a bigtakeaway and a big moment where
(12:53):
I realized that structure in anovel sounds really intimidating
but when broken down it'sactually doable, and so that was
kind of what I took away.
The outlining process is howyou're setting up that structure
.
I outlined during the course ofNotes to Novel my second story
(13:18):
and then, after the class wasover, I sat down and wrote it,
and I will say writing it was alot easier when I knew where I
was going and I knew why it fitin with the structure and what
the ultimate goal was.
So my second novel what theultimate goal was.
(13:39):
So my second novel I wrotemaybe not as fast but definitely
much more thoughtfully, and inthe end I felt like the
structure of it was better.
Since then, I'm one of thesepeople that I don't want to
revise it immediately.
I'm going to let it sit for acouple months before I get back
to it.
So since then I went back tothat first book, really
pinpointed what some of myissues were, and now I'm working
on revising that, which isreally turning out to be
(14:03):
rewriting large portions of it.
But I know that my story, nowwhere I'm headed and my scenes
are so much better than what Ioriginally wrote, because
everything is moving forward andpacing towards the conclusion
of the book and it all relatesto the theme, and so that's the
(14:27):
big thing that I got out ofNotes to Novel.
So I'm so glad I took the classand I use what I learned in it
every single time I sit down towrite.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
All right.
So I hope hearing from Pornika,amy and Kara gave you exactly
the permission you needed today.
Whether it was Pornika'srealization that fast drafting
was the way to go and helped herwrite 114,000 words in 88 days,
or Amy's discovery of magicalrevisions that broke her endless
editing cycle, or Kara'sbreakthrough that structure
actually made writing easier andmore enjoyable, either way,
(15:06):
there's something here for everyperfectionist listening.
Now here's what I want you toremember Perfectionism is not
about having high standards.
It's really about fear Fear ofnot being good enough, fear of
judgment, fear of failure.
You name it, and the only waythrough that fear is to start
writing before you feel readyand keep writing even when it
feels messy.
Now, if these stories haveinspired you to finally break
(15:29):
through your own perfectionistroadblocks, I have some exciting
news.
Notes to Novel.
My signature eight-week liveprogram is opening for
enrollment on august 19th.
This is the same program thathelped pornica, amy and cara,
and hundreds of otherperfectionist writers, transform
from chronic editors intoconfident finishers.
But here's the thing I want youto be prepared when doors open,
(15:51):
because this live round alwaysfills up fast, and that's why
I've created a vip waitlist thatgives you early access before
the public launch, plus somereally fun and incredible
bonuses while you wait.
When you join the waitlist,you'll get my novel writing
roadblocks guide with realstories like the ones you heard
today, early bird access tonotes to novel, a few free live
(16:12):
Q&A sessions with me, quick andstraightforward mindset videos
to help you break throughcreative blocks, and inspiring
stories from writers who've madethe journey from stuck to
unstoppable.
Head over to savannagilbocomforward slash waitlist to get on
the VIP waitlist and to getearly access when doors to Notes
to Novel open.
And if you're listening to thisafter August 19th, don't worry,
(16:34):
you can still join the waitlistto be the first to know when
Notes to Novel opens forenrollment again.
All right.
So that's it for this episodeof the Fiction Writing Made Easy
podcast.
Head over to savannagilbocomforward slash podcast for the
complete show notes, includingthe resources I mentioned today,
as well as bonus materials tohelp you implement what you've
(16:54):
learned.
And if you're ready to get morepersonalized guidance for your
specific writing stage, whetheryou're just starting out, stuck
somewhere in the middle of adraft, drowning in revisions or
getting ready to publish, takemy free 30-second quiz at
savannahgilbocom forward slashquiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help youget to your next big milestone.
(17:15):
Last but not least, make sureto follow this podcast in your
podcast player of choice,because I'll be back next week
with another episode full ofactionable tips, tools and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
That helped me not get hung up on the nitty-gritty
like what do I name thismountain range, or what
Halloween costume should thisside character wear, and instead
I could focus on writing acompelling story.
And it worked.
I wrote my 114,000-word draftin only 88 days, which was way
faster than I had imagined Icould write, since I could only
allot a couple of hours to writemost nights.
(00:21):
Fast drafting made the writingprocess fun and it took a lot of
the pressure out of it.
I can now say that, afterfinishing my first draft, I
still love writing, maybe evenmore than I did when I started,
and I can't wait to keep writingmore novels.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy
podcast.
My name is Savannah Gilbo andI'm here to help you write a
story that works.
I want to prove to you thatwriting a novel doesn't have to
be overwhelming, so each week,I'll bring you a brand new
episode with simple, actionableand step-by-step strategies that
you can implement in yourwriting right away.
So, whether you're brand new towriting or more of a seasoned
(00:58):
author looking to improve yourcraft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
Craft, this podcast is for you.
So pick up a pen and let's getstarted.
In today's episode, we're divinginto one of the biggest
roadblocks that stops aspiringnovelists in their tracks, and
that roadblock is perfectionism.
If you're someone who rewritesthe same chapter over and over
and over, or if you've beenresearching and planning for
(01:21):
years without actually writing,or if you've convinced yourself
that you need every detailfigured out before you start,
then this episode is for you.
You're going to hear from threewriters who were trapped in
perfectionist paralysis.
You'll hear from Pornika, whodelayed starting her novel for
months because she thought sheneeded every name, location and
world-building detail figuredout first.
(01:41):
You'll hear from Amy, who wasstarting her eighth novel but
had never finished one before,mainly because she'd spend weeks
editing each chapter beforemoving forward.
And you'll hear from Kara, whowrote an almost 100,000-word
novel but got so overwhelmedtrying to fix its problems that
she couldn't make forwardprogress.
Now here's what I love aboutthese stories.
Each writer found their ownbreakthrough moment that shifted
(02:04):
them from perfectionistparalysis to forward momentum.
They discovered that the secretwasn't in writing perfect first
drafts.
It was actually learning how tolet their writing be messy and
not perfect that allowed them tomake real progress.
So if you've been waiting tofeel ready or trying to get your
first draft perfect beforemoving forward, then these
stories will show you exactlywhy that approach is keeping you
(02:27):
stuck and what to do instead.
But before we dive into thedetails, I have something super
exciting to share.
My Notes to Novel course isopening for enrollment very soon
.
This is my signature eight-weekprogram designed to help you
confidently write a story you'reproud of, without the
self-doubt, frustration oroverwhelm that stops most
writers in their tracks.
(02:47):
So if you've been wanting towork with me on your novel and
follow a step-by-step frameworkto turn your ideas into a
finished draft, then this isyour chance.
I'll be sharing more detailssoon, but if you want to be the
first to know when doors openand snag a few extra goodies in
the meantime, make sure you'reon the waitlist at
savannahgilbocom forward slashwaitlist.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I'm Pornika Kakunaya, from Pennsylvania, and I'm a
fantasy writer and reader wholoves traveling, baking and
finding a cup of good coffee.
By day I'm a full-timecorporate finance girly but my
nights are spent working on afantasy, action and worldview
novel with elemental magic in auniversity setting.
Before taking Savannah's Notesto Novel course, I thought it
would take me years to write abook.
(03:31):
Don't get me wrong.
It takes a lot of effort towrite a novel.
But Notes to Novel made my goalmuch more attainable.
I'm a bit of a perfectionist soI knew I was probably going to
struggle with getting caught upwith the right word choice and
little details like that.
That fear made me put offstarting my novel because I
thought that if I had every nameand location and world-building
detail figured out before Istarted writing, then maybe I
(03:53):
wouldn't run into as manyroadblocks while writing.
But obviously that just made mygoal of writing a novel even
harder to accomplish.
But when Nosa Novel introducedthe concept of fast-drafting to
me, it was like my lightbulbmoment.
Fast drafting means alwayswriting with forward momentum
and not stopping to edit yourpages while you're writing.
You can use tools like MagicalRevisions and Details TK as
(04:15):
placeholders for things that youdon't have figured out yet, and
then you can come back to thosethings later on.
That helped me not get hung upon the nitty-gritty like what do
I name this mountain range orwhat Halloween costume should
this side character wear, andinstead I could focus on writing
a compelling story.
And it worked.
I wrote my 114,000-word draftin only 88 days, which was way
(04:38):
faster than I had imagined Icould write, since I could only
allot a couple of hours to writemost nights, and now that my
first draft is done, I have abetter idea of what scenes I
need to edit versus what scenesI need to get rid of.
If I tried to edit my draftwhile writing, I would have
wasted so much time editingparagraphs or scenes that would
have just been deleted later onand that would have been so
discouraging.
(04:58):
Fast drafting made the writingprocess fun, and it took a lot
of the pressure out of it.
I can now say that, afterfinishing my first draft, I
still love writing, maybe evenmore than I did when I started,
and I can't wait to keep writingmore novels.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Hello fellow writers.
My name is Amy Blackford, akaAmy B.
I live in Atlanta, georgia, andwrite young adult science
fiction and fantasy.
When I started to outline novelnumber eight, I had this
intuitive feeling there werestill some missing pieces to the
novel puzzle and, before beingpublished, I really wanted to
know the nuts and bolts of howto write a solid novel that
(05:35):
didn't take eight years to editbefore finally giving up and
moving on to the next one.
I'm sure some of you can relateto this.
When I came across Notes toNovel, I knew this was the
course and I wish I had morethan five minutes.
But believe me when I saySavannah Gilbo gives you the
keys to the novel kingdom and Iwant to give you just a taste of
(05:57):
some of my biggest ahatakeaways.
Number one theme Did you knowthere are 10 universal themes
for stories Before Notes toNovel?
I didn't.
I've never even heard anyonediscuss this before, and
figuring your theme out is thebasis for everything that will
follow.
So it's the most essentialquestion you need to ask
yourself before writing a bookwhy am I writing this book and
(06:20):
what am I trying to say?
Your novel's theme is whatdictates your protagonist's main
character arc.
So, whatever your theme is atthe beginning of your novel,
your protagonist should believethe opposite of what your
overall message is and, throughthe plot and interaction with
other characters, come intoalignment with the theme by the
(06:41):
end of the book.
Number two content genre versuscommercial genre.
Commercial genre is where yourbook sits on a shelf, while
content genre determines theemotional journey your reader
expects when they pick up yourbook.
So you may be writing a YAfantasy, but that doesn't tell
the reader what kind of story toexpect.
Is it a thriller, a romance,action or a mystery?
(07:05):
Every content genre has keyscenes that must be included
within your story for yourreader to truly feel satisfied.
So being able to know whatthose key scenes are, once
you've decided your contentgenre, allows you to make
certain they're present, whichmeets your reader's expectations
.
Our job as writers is to dothis.
(07:26):
Of course, do it in a new andunique way.
Number three fast first draftand magical edits.
Oh, this one really is a doozerand, believe you me, I see now
why it takes so long to write anovel.
I love to edit every chapter,sometimes for weeks, before
moving on to the next Withmagical editing tricks.
(07:49):
Savannah explains why it's soimportant to allow that first
draft to be messy and get thewords on the page.
Don't go backwards, moveforward.
It makes no sense to paint anddecorate a house if you haven't
built a solid frame.
Let that sink in for a minute.
Before taking this course, Iunderstood character arcs but
(08:10):
still had a hard time withunderstanding the difference
between showing versus telling,when to add backstory and how
important interiority is, havingthat balance between external
dialogue, action and internalthoughts that give readers the
emotional journey they'relooking for when they pick up a
book.
I feel confident after takingthis course I'm going to write
(08:33):
many novels of all genres andunderstand before I draft that
first line.
I'm in the power seat becauseI'll know what I want to say and
why, and that will give me theability to provide my readers
with the emotional satisfactionand entertainment they want when
they pick up one of my books.
So if you've been hacking away,getting conflicting feedback
(08:55):
and critique groups and want toknow how to craft a powerful
story in any genre of yourchoosing with precision, I
highly suggest you take notes tonovel.
It's truly the best gift youcan give yourself as a writer.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
My name is Kara Kentley.
I write contemporary romancebecause I love love.
So, anyways, I had alwayswondered if I could write a book
and always wanted to write abook, and during the pandemic I
sat down one day.
I'd had this story floatingaround in my head for quite a
while and it was pretty welldeveloped in my head anyways,
(09:38):
and I sat down and wrote it.
I just wrote it off the top ofmy head.
Over the course of about threeand a half weeks I wrote a full
100,000 word novel.
Then I went to revise it and Irealized it had a bunch of
problems.
The story it wasn't a bad.
(09:59):
It wasn't what I wrote wasn'tbad, but what I wrote could have
been a lot better.
So I started revising and Iread a lot about revising and I
thought I would be able to dothis and I realized that the
second half of my novel was notas good as the first half.
So I started trying to fix thatand I rewrote that like a
couple times and thought thisisn't going anywhere.
(10:22):
I really don't know what I'mdoing, and so I started.
Like I said, I was lookingaround things on revising.
I stumbled upon Savannah'spodcast.
It became a devoted listenerbecause her podcasts are perfect
for while you're walking yourdog, which I had to do every day
(10:44):
, I could listen to one of herpodcasts.
So then one night I go on herwebsite, realize she has this
notes to novels class andthought, okay, I should look
into this and see what if thismight help me.
So I signed up for it and myoriginal plan was to go into it
and revise this novel that I had.
(11:05):
But then when I started out Ithought that maybe I should.
I'd had an idea for a secondnovel and maybe I should start
from scratch and see what it waslike to start a novel from
scratch, and that that mighthelp me revise that first thing
I wrote.
So during the course of Notesto Novel, I worked on the second
(11:26):
book that I had and we startedout with a whole lot of like, a
whole lot of exercises on thingssuch as why you wrote this,
what your theme was, characterdevelopment, those kinds of
things.
I found a lot of that hard andthought like, okay, should I be
(11:46):
doing this?
This is so hard, but the workthat I put into that, I think,
made it easier to outline andthen easier to write, so I was
really grateful for that part ofit.
But for me the big aha moment inNotes to Novel was structure.
My original story that I wrotedefinitely had some structure
(12:12):
and scenes flowed and thingslike that, but there were also
saggy parts and parts thatdidn't really add anything to
the plot or the conflict.
There was a lot of dialoguethat didn't maybe need to be
dialogue.
So what I learned in Notes toNovel was a whole lot about
(12:33):
structuring, putting my thoughtsinto a structure that would
work to move my characters andplot along through an arc that
made sense and went along withmy theme.
And so for me that was a bigtakeaway and a big moment where
(12:53):
I realized that structure in anovel sounds really intimidating
but when broken down it'sactually doable, and so that was
kind of what I took away.
The outlining process is howyou're setting up that structure
.
I outlined during the course ofNotes to Novel my second story
(13:18):
and then, after the class wasover, I sat down and wrote it,
and I will say writing it was alot easier when I knew where I
was going and I knew why it fitin with the structure and what
the ultimate goal was.
So my second novel what theultimate goal was.
(13:39):
So my second novel I wrotemaybe not as fast but definitely
much more thoughtfully, and inthe end I felt like the
structure of it was better.
Since then, I'm one of thesepeople that I don't want to
revise it immediately.
I'm going to let it sit for acouple months before I get back
to it.
So since then I went back tothat first book, really
pinpointed what some of myissues were, and now I'm working
on revising that, which isreally turning out to be
(14:03):
rewriting large portions of it.
But I know that my story, nowwhere I'm headed and my scenes
are so much better than what Ioriginally wrote, because
everything is moving forward andpacing towards the conclusion
of the book and it all relatesto the theme, and so that's the
(14:27):
big thing that I got out ofNotes to Novel.
So I'm so glad I took the classand I use what I learned in it
every single time I sit down towrite.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
All right.
So I hope hearing from Pornika,amy and Kara gave you exactly
the permission you needed today.
Whether it was Pornika'srealization that fast drafting
was the way to go and helped herwrite 114,000 words in 88 days,
or Amy's discovery of magicalrevisions that broke her endless
editing cycle, or Kara'sbreakthrough that structure
actually made writing easier andmore enjoyable, either way,
(15:06):
there's something here for everyperfectionist listening.
Now here's what I want you toremember Perfectionism is not
about having high standards.
It's really about fear Fear ofnot being good enough, fear of
judgment, fear of failure.
You name it, and the only waythrough that fear is to start
writing before you feel readyand keep writing even when it
feels messy.
Now, if these stories haveinspired you to finally break
(15:29):
through your own perfectionistroadblocks, I have some exciting
news.
Notes to Novel.
My signature eight-week liveprogram is opening for
enrollment on august 19th.
This is the same program thathelped pornica, amy and cara,
and hundreds of otherperfectionist writers, transform
from chronic editors intoconfident finishers.
But here's the thing I want youto be prepared when doors open,
(15:51):
because this live round alwaysfills up fast, and that's why
I've created a vip waitlist thatgives you early access before
the public launch, plus somereally fun and incredible
bonuses while you wait.
When you join the waitlist,you'll get my novel writing
roadblocks guide with realstories like the ones you heard
today, early bird access tonotes to novel, a few free live
(16:12):
Q&A sessions with me, quick andstraightforward mindset videos
to help you break throughcreative blocks, and inspiring
stories from writers who've madethe journey from stuck to
unstoppable.
Head over to savannagilbocomforward slash waitlist to get on
the VIP waitlist and to getearly access when doors to Notes
to Novel open.
And if you're listening to thisafter August 19th, don't worry,
(16:34):
you can still join the waitlistto be the first to know when
Notes to Novel opens forenrollment again.
All right.
So that's it for this episodeof the Fiction Writing Made Easy
podcast.
Head over to savannagilbocomforward slash podcast for the
complete show notes, includingthe resources I mentioned today,
as well as bonus materials tohelp you implement what you've
(16:54):
learned.
And if you're ready to get morepersonalized guidance for your
specific writing stage, whetheryou're just starting out, stuck
somewhere in the middle of adraft, drowning in revisions or
getting ready to publish, takemy free 30-second quiz at
savannahgilbocom forward slashquiz.
You'll get a customized podcastplaylist that'll meet you right
where you're at and help youget to your next big milestone.
(17:15):
Last but not least, make sureto follow this podcast in your
podcast player of choice,because I'll be back next week
with another episode full ofactionable tips, tools and
strategies to help you become abetter writer.
Until then, happy writing.
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