Student Spotlight: 5 Lessons Learned from Notes to Novel (Season 7) - Part 2

In my last blog post, I shared stories from five Notes to Novel students who went from stuck to moving forward. You can find them here. This week, I'm back with five more writers who were all actively writing when they joined.

Here's what they discovered: when you understand what each scene is meant to do, the confusion clears. The path forward becomes visible. And writing shifts from overwhelming to enjoyable.

If you've been actively working on your novel but can't quite see how to make it work, one of these stories might sound like yours.

Let's get started.

Maggie: From "Am I Even a Real Writer?" to Confidently Outlining a Rich Fantasy Novel

Maggie had been actively writing for a while. But when someone asked what she was working on, she'd hesitate.

She didn't feel qualified to say "I'm writing a novel"—even though she was.

With no formal training outside of high school and a day job full of spreadsheets and dry reports, Maggie had convinced herself she wasn't a "real" writer. Sound familiar?

Through Notes to Novel, two things shifted. First, the mindset piece. Maggie learned that confidence doesn't come from credentials—it comes from having a process you trust. She started saying "I am a writer" and meaning it.

But it wasn't just encouragement. Maggie also learned how storytelling actually works. The lesson on antagonists, in particular, helped her dive deeper into her story world. Even details that won't end up on the page made her high fantasy richer and more layered.

By the end of the course, Maggie had a pressure-tested outline and—for the first time since reading Eragon at eleven and deciding she wanted to write a book—she's actually doing it.

There are still potholes to figure out. But now she has the tools to solve them as they arrive.

John: From Uncertain About His Story to Unlocking Enough for Multiple Books

John came into Notes to Novel worried. He had an idea for a Southern Gothic romantasy, but he wasn't sure it was big enough. Did he have enough scenes? Enough material to carry a full novel?

Here's what happened: by the end of the course, John didn't just have enough material. He had too much. Enough for another book.

Working through the modules, John discovered why his stories always went flat in the middle—there weren’t enough stakes. He learned how to create three-dimensional side characters, develop a stronger theme, clarify his central conflict, and build a tighter plot with no holes.

But my favorite thing John said? That his outline is a living document—not a prison. It will grow and change as his story does.

John also shared that he's a recovering "edit as you write" writer. (If you've ever rewritten the same chapter ten times, you know the struggle.) Notes to Novel helped him break that cycle.

Now he has a story he feels confident presenting to the world.

Insa: From Missing Conflict to Writing 15,000+ Words in 12 Days

Insa had been listening to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast for years. She felt like she already knew the content—and honestly wondered if Notes to Novel would add anything new.

Turns out, having everything bundled together with live support and community takes things to a whole other level.

Insa writes women's fiction, which can contain different content genres. One of her clearest wins was nailing down that her story is romance (external genre) and worldview (internal genre). That clarity helped her build her outline around the right key scenes.

But here's what really changed things: Insa had been working on her story for a year and a half. She kept getting stuck in the middle. After the course, she looked back at her old drafts and finally saw what was missing. Not enough conflict.

Now she has an outline where every scene has conflict and change. Everything fits together. And here's what's incredible—twelve days after finishing the course, Insa had already written 15,000 words.

It's flowing because when she sits down, she knows exactly what the next scene needs to do.

(Side note: Insa is German and was initially unsure if the program would work for her. She's now connected with writers from all over the world—including another woman writing in German. That's the magic of this community!)

Emily: From Over-Learning to Knowing the Entire Shape of Her Story

Most of Emily's writing time wasn't actually writing. It was trying to figure out what she should even be doing that day. She'd sit down to work on her romantic fantasy and end up in a cycle of podcasts, craft books, and Google rabbit holes. 

Emily had written 35,000 words, which felt like a win, but she couldn't get past that threshold. Her story was all over the place. She couldn't see her middle. And she started to wonder: if I can't figure this out, how will I ever finish?

What made her finally say yes to Notes to Novel? An episode of this podcast where other graduates shared their experiences. When she told her husband she was considering the course, he said: "If it brings you joy, you should do it."

That one sentence shifted everything.

The results blew her away. Emily now has clarity on her entire story—beginning, middle, and end. The middle that used to feel impossibly murky? She can see it now.

Her biggest breakthrough moments were understanding how to write a stronger antagonist and how to build scenes with clear, meaningful conflict. But her favorite part was the direct feedback—finally having someone help her unravel the second half of her story.

For the first time, Emily doesn't just believe she can maybe finish someday. She knows she will.

Samantha: From Five Unfinished Novels to Finally Understanding What Was Missing

I saved Samantha's story for last because her breakthrough is one of those things that sounds simple—but changes everything.

Samantha had started five or six romance novels over the years. Every single time, she got stuck around chapter four or five. She'd been listening to this podcast for two years, and the "fast and messy first draft" advice finally sank in. She pushed through and wrote "The End" for the first time.

But something was still off. She knew it. She just couldn't figure out what.

So she joined Notes to Novel and worked on a different story while letting her first draft rest. Then we got to Module 2, Lesson 1—crafting antagonists. And in that lesson, I said something that made her pause. In a romance, the love interest is always the antagonist. Light bulb moment!

Samantha went back and analyzed five of her favorite romance novels. Suddenly, it was obvious. That's what had been missing from her story all along.

She'd been trying to build a villain into her romances, thinking that would create conflict. But the love interest isn't just a secondary character—they're the force that makes the protagonist change and grow. They ARE the antagonist.

Now Samantha has a clear path forward. Her goal is to self-publish by January 2027 under her pen name, Sarah Jane Cooper. And she knows she can do it.

What These Writers Know Now

These five writers came into Notes to Novel actively writing. They had words on the page, ideas in their heads, passion for their stories. What they were missing was clarity—a framework they could trust and an understanding of what their scenes needed to do.

Once they had that, everything changed. The guessing stopped. Writing became clearer, more enjoyable, and actually doable.

If you've been working on your novel but something feels off—if you're spending more time researching than writing, if you can't see your middle, if you know something's missing but can't identify what—you're not alone.

Notes to Novel is currently open for enrollment (and if you're reading this after January 28th, you can join the waitlist for the next round).

This is my eight-week live program where I walk you through building a strong foundation for your story. You'll learn how to develop your characters, identify your genre, uncover your theme, and map out your plot scene by scene with clarity and confidence.

You'll work alongside other writers just like Maggie, John, Insa, Emily, and Samantha. And I'll be there with you every step of the way.

Join Notes to Novel here or get on the waitlist for the next enrollment.

Stop guessing. Start knowing. Your story deserves that clarity.