You Searched For: "outline"

Here Are 61 Blog Posts:

Why Most Writers Give Up (And How to Finally Finish Your Novel)

    LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST | LISTEN ON SPOTIFY | LISTEN ON YOUTUBE 97% of aspiring authors never finish writing their first novel. That's not just a statistic—it's a heartbreaking reality for writers who start with big dreams but end up stuck, overwhelmed, and wondering if they're even cut ...

Beyond Writing Faster: 3 Surprising Benefits of Dictation With Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

  Have you ever had a brilliant story idea pop into your head while doing the dishes (or in the shower), only to lose half of it when you get to your computer?  Or maybe you've stared at a blank page, fingers hovering over the keyboard, wondering how to tick off that word count you set out fo...

Novel Editing: 10 Steps to Editing Your First Draft

  Congratulations! You've finished writing your first draft—an achievement that puts you ahead of countless aspiring writers who never make it past the dreaming stage.  But now you're staring at your manuscript, wondering, "What next?"  Maybe you've tried jumping straight into revisions ...

First Draft Roadmap: 10 Steps to Writing A Novel For Beginners

  So you want to write a novel. Maybe this dream has been with you since childhood, a story idea that's been growing in your imagination for years. Perhaps it's a newer ambition sparked by a book that made you think, "I could write something like this!" Or maybe you woke up this morning w...

Student Spotlight: How Angela Haas Published TWO Books In 6 Months

Curious about writing books in more than one genre? Angela Haas shares a behind-the-scenes look at writing science fiction and romantic comedy! In today’s episode, we’re going behind the scenes of Angela Haas’s journey to hear how she self-published not one but two books in the last six months—o...

3 Must-Know Tips For Writing A Novel With Dual Timelines

Are you struggling to weave together multiple storylines across different time periods? Dual timeline novels have captivated readers in bestsellers like The Nightengale, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and All the Light We Cannot See, but crafting these intricate narratives requires specific t...

3 Things You Need To Write A Novel In 2025

If you’re an aspiring author who is struggling to finish writing a first draft, I want you to know you’re not alone. So many talented first-time writers get stuck (and fail to finish their drafts) not because they lack good ideas or creativity but because they’re only focusing on one piece of the...

Student Spotlight: 5 Lessons Learned from Notes to Novel (Season 5)

See how Notes to Novel™ helped these five writers go from a blank page to a story that works (without the overwhelm). With Notes to Novel™ (season 6) right around the corner, I'm bringing you something incredibly special today. I'm chatting with five amazing writers from season 5 about their exp...

5 Easy Time Management Strategies To Write Your Novel Faster

It's no secret that finding time to write a novel is one of the biggest challenges writers face. But how do you actually solve this problem? What separates writers who make consistent progress from those who stay stuck? When I surveyed my amazing audience (that's you) in November, the message wa...

A Week in the Life: 5 Days Behind the Scenes with Savannah (December 2024)

Want a sneak peek into my life as a developmental editor and book coach? Listen in and find out what I do in my work week to help authors transform their story ideas into fully realized novels.  I'll walk you through what I'm learning, how I support fiction writers in finishing their novels, and...

Scene Beats: What They Are & Why They Matter

Have you ever Googled things like “how many words should be in a novel?” Or “how many scenes should a novel have?” If so, you’ve probably gotten answers like “80,000 words.” Or “somerhwere between 40 and 60 scenes.” Easy enough, in theory…But if you’re like most of the writers I’ve worked with, ...

Student Spotlight: 5 Lessons Learned from Notes to Novel (Season 4)

Do you ever wish you could take a peek behind the scenes of other people's writing process? If so, you’re in for a treat!  I reached out to some of my Notes to Novel Season 4 students and asked them to share the number one thing they learned about outlining and writing a first draft, while actua...

Savannah is a developmental editor and book coach who helps fiction authors write, edit, and publish stories that work. She also hosts the top-rated Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast full of actionable advice that you can put into practice right away. Click here to learn more →

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