Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice

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

#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 Brod

#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 Em

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

#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

#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

#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 t

#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

#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&a

#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

#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 exact

#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 absolu

#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 w

#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

#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, n

#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 fr

#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, r

#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&ap

#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

#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 kno