Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo
A creative writing podcast offering practical tips on writing, editing and publishing novels, hosted by developmental editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo. The show covers story structure, character development, world-building, revision and publishing options.
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Sep 15, 2026 · 23 min#263. How Emily Henry Hooks Readers in Chapter One of Book LoversYour 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 EmiSep 1, 2026 · 18 minBonus: How 3 Writers Found a Clear Path Through All the Writing AdviceIf 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 amAug 25, 2026 · 29 min#262. 10 Tips to Make Your Enemies to Lovers Romance Feel BelievableIf 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 toAug 18, 2026 · 23 min#261. 5 Mistakes Writers Make Using the Save the Cat! Beat SheetIf 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 Aug 11, 2026 · 41 min#260: Student Spotlight: From Stuck at 25k Words to a Finished Draft With Lindsay SfaraSuperhero fantasy author Lindsay Sfara explains how an outline that looked complete still left her stuck at 25,000 words, and the story development work that turned the sAug 4, 2026 · 26 min#259: How to Finish a Novel With Kids at Home & Limited Writing TimePractical strategies for finishing a novel when you're a busy parent with household distractions and very little writing time.Jul 28, 2026 · 23 min#258: 5 Myths Keeping You From Finishing Your First DraftSavannah names five common beliefs that stop writers from finishing a first draft, from thinking more discipline will fix it to believing that getting stuck means you faiJul 21, 2026 · 18 min#257: Stuck in Chapter One or the Messy Middle? What Your Stuck Point RevealsWhere you stall, whether chapter one, 20,000 words or the messy middle, reveals which piece of story foundation is missing. Savannah explains what each stuck point means Jul 14, 2026 · 16 min#256: Why "Just Start Writing" Can Be Terrible Advice for New WritersWhen does 'just start writing' help and when does it hurt? Savannah separates productive preparation from fear-based avoidance and lists what to nail down before draftingJul 7, 2026 · 41 min#255: Student Spotlight: How Grace Draven Learned to Write Faster Without Sacrificing QualityBestselling author Grace Draven, with more than 20 published books, describes the structured outlining approach that let her draft 62,000 words in three weeks without losJun 30, 2026 · 26 min#254. How to Outline Your Novel With the Hero’s JourneyLearn 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 wiJun 23, 2026 · 25 min#253. 5 Common Mistakes That Make Your Character Feel FlatIf 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 Jun 16, 2026 · 24 min#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, nJun 9, 2026 · 35 min#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 pasJun 2, 2026 · 48 min#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,May 26, 2026 · 31 min#249. 5 POV Mistakes That Pull Readers Out of Your StoryMost 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 qMay 19, 2026 · 47 min#248. From Meet-Cute to HEA: How to Connect the Key Scenes of Your Romance NovelLearn 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 middleMay 12, 2026 · 23 min#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 knowMay 5, 2026 · 22 min#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 firApr 28, 2026 · 20 min#245. 5 Ways to Show Worldbuilding in Your Novel Without Info-DumpingMaster 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 Apr 21, 2026 · 23 min#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 oApr 14, 2026 · 34 min#243. What to Expect When Working with a Line Editor (With Two Birds Author Services)What does line editing actually involve, and is your manuscript ready for it? Here's everything you need to know. Line editing is a stage in the revision process that canApr 7, 2026 · 21 min#242. 5 Revision Mistakes That Keep Writers Stuck in Editing HellYou finished your first draft. And for a minute, it felt amazing. But then you open your manuscript to revise, and suddenly everything feels unclear. Where do you start? Mar 31, 2026 · 13 min#241. Do You Really Need to Hire a Book Editor Before You Query?Discover why the answer to hiring a book editor before querying isn’t a simple yes or no—and how to make the right call for your manuscript. If you've finished your draftMar 24, 2026 · 24 min#240. 10 Writing Mistakes That Make Readers Put Down Your NovelAre you revising the same chapters over and over, but nothing you change is actually fixing the problem? Most writers go straight to the prose when their story isn't work
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