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

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

Savannah Gilbowww.savannahgilbo.com

Fiction Writing Made Easy is your go-to creative writing podcast for practical, no-fluff tips on how to write, edit, and publish a novel—from first draft to finished book.


Hosted by developmental editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo, this show breaks down the fiction writing process into clear, actionable steps so you can finally make progress on your manuscript and write a novel you’re proud of.


Whether you’re a first-time author, an aspiring novelist, or a seasoned writer looking to strengthen your craft, each episode will help you understand what makes a story work at the deepest level—so you can stop second-guessing your ideas and start building a stronger novel from the inside out.


You’ll learn how to develop your premise, structure your plot, create compelling characters, write stronger scenes, world-build without infodumping, revise your draft, and navigate your publishing options with more clarity and confidence.


If you’ve ever wondered things like...


How do I write a novel if I’ve never done this before?

What’s the best way to structure a story that works?

How do I develop strong characters readers will care about?

How do I build an immersive world without info-dumping?

How do I write scenes that move the story forward?

How do I edit my first draft?

How do I know when my book is ready to publish?

Should I pursue self-publishing or traditional publishing?


…you’re in the right place.


New episodes drop weekly to help you simplify the novel-writing process, strengthen your storytelling skills, and get your book into readers’ hands.



Popular Episode Topics Include: Fiction Writing Tips, Story Structure, Plotting a Novel, Character Development, Writing Stronger Scenes, World Building, Novel Revision, Story Development, How to Outline a Novel, Character Arcs, Genre Fiction, Editing a Novel, Fiction Writing Mistakes to Avoid, Revision Strategies, Writing Advice

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Episodes

#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. Their backstory, their childhood, the exact way they take their coffee. You could talk about them for an hour. So why do they still feel flat on the page? When this happens, most writers assume they need to know more —a deeper backstory, more personality details, another...

Jun 23, 202624 minEp. 253

#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. You know that feeling when a scene just isn’t quite working, but you can’t put your finger on why? The sentences are clean. The dialogue sounds right. Line by line, it reads fine… and yet the scene just sits there. Here’s the thing: a lot of the time, the problem isn’t ...

Jun 16, 202623 minEp. 252

#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 in different ways—overwhelmed by story structure, trapped in research rabbit holes, or sitting on drafts that existed on paper, but still weren't clicking. And underneath it all was the same frustrating feeling: each writer knew they had a story worth telling; they ju...

Jun 09, 202633 minEp. 251

#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 story in your head? There's a name for that. It's called the “taste gap,” and it often shows up among serious, lifelong readers. In this episode, I sit down with book coach and publishing strategist Gala Russ (who's written 15 novels) to talk about the taste gap, what a first d...

Jun 02, 202647 minEp. 250

#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 pacing, dialogue, and structure all seem fine. And yet something is still off. Nine times out of ten, the culprit is POV. In this episode, I'm walking you through the five most common point of view mistakes, what each one looks like on the page, why it pulls readers out of...

May 26, 202630 minEp. 249

#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 breakup coming. You can already feel the happily ever after. So why does everything in between feel impossible to write? That's exactly what we're digging into today. I'm joined by Kristina Stanley, CEO of Fictionary and author of the brand new Secrets to Writing Roma...

May 19, 202646 minEp. 248

#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 pulls you in. The protagonist's world feels enormous and immediate. You finish the book before you remember to put it down. The hard part is being able to do that yourself—on the page, on purpose. In this episode, I'm walking you through the five secrets that make YA f...

May 12, 202622 minEp. 247
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