Discover how five Notes to Novel students stopped guessing their way through drafts by planning and outlining their stories with a clear structure.

In this Student Spotlight episode, you’ll hear from five Notes to Novel students who entered the program actively writing, but couldn’t see why their drafts weren't working or how to fix them.

Each case study shows what changed once these writers had a clear process to follow—one that helped them turn their ideas into a story that works.

You’ll hear how confusion turned into clear decision-making, how outlines became practical tools for guiding the draft, and how stalled stories started moving forward once these writers understood what their stories actually needed.

Here’s what we cover:

[03:00] How Maggie moved from self-doubt and “am I even a real writer?” thinking to confidently outlining a rich fantasy novel with a clear antagonist and story direction.

[07:00] How John spiced up the middle of his story by strengthening stakes, side characters, and theme, and learned to treat his outline as a flexible, living document.

[12:00] How Insa rebuilt her women’s fiction novel by clarifying genre, layering conflict into every scene, and writing over 15,000 words in just days after finishing Notes To Novel.

[17:45] How Emily broke out of over-learning mode, found the missing middle of her story, and gained clarity on conflict, antagonists, and scene-level momentum.

[23:45] How Samantha uncovered the core misunderstanding holding her romance novels back and finally found a clear path to revising and finishing her draft.

Ready to finish your novel without second-guessing every word, sentence, or scene? Join Maggie, John, Insa, Emily, and Samantha, along with hundreds of other writers who've discovered that drafting doesn't have to feel hard. You just need the right roadmap.

Get on the waitlist for the next open enrollment of my Notes to Novel course and get my complete, step-by-step framework for writing a story that works. Doors open January 22nd until January 28th. Don't miss your chance to turn your ideas into a finished, easy-to-edit first draft you love.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Learn more about Notes to Novel
• Maggie Rose Instagram
• Emily S. Instagram

⭐ Follow & Review

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast! See you next week!

Ready to stop overthinking and start writing? Join my LIVE 3-Day Writer Breakthrough Bootcamp, and you'll walk away with a realistic finish date, clarity on your story's deeper purpose, and a logline that proves your idea works. Click here to save your spot for just $27!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

Five writers. Five different starting points. One clear framework that turned stalled first drafts into steady progress.

In today’s episode, I’m sharing real stories from five Notes to Novel students who were stuck in very different ways but wanted the same thing: clarity and forward momentum on their novels.

You'll hear from writers who were buried in craft books, sitting on drafts that didn’t work, rewriting in circles, or unsure if they were “too far along” or “not far enough” to get help. What changed was simple: they stopped guessing and started working with a clear framework they could trust.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure what your next step should be, there’s a good chance you’ll hear your own experience reflected in this episode.

Here’s what we cover:

[04:01] How Carolyn went from a shaky first draft structure to confidently plotting a new novel with clear scenes, stakes, and forward momentum.

[07:42] How Hazel broke free from information overload and rebuilt her outline from the ground up with a clear theme and scene-level direction.

[11:20] How Josephine stopped over-learning, trusted one proven process, and moved from endless brainstorming to fast drafting with confidence.

[17:03] How Warren, a self-published author, fixed the middle of his story using key scenes, antagonists, and pinch points.

[19:49] How Rachel turned 130,000 words into a clear, pitchable 85,000-word story that she’s proud of and can explain with confidence.

Ready to finish your novel without second-guessing every word, sentence, or scene? Join Carolyn, Hazel, Josephine, Warren, Rachel, and hundreds of other writers who've discovered that drafting doesn't have to feel hard. You just need the right roadmap.

Get on the waitlist for the next open enrollment of my Notes to Novel course and get my complete, step-by-step framework for writing a story that works. Doors open January 22nd until January 28th. Don't miss your chance to turn your ideas into a finished, easy-to-edit first draft you love.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Join The Notes To Novel Waitlist
• Carolyn Freudenthal Website
• Hazel Dawson Instagram
• Josephine Noble Website
• Warren Dunn Website

⭐ Follow & Review

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction

Ready to stop overthinking and start writing? Join my LIVE 3-Day Writer Breakthrough Bootcamp, and you'll walk away with a realistic finish date, clarity on your story's deeper purpose, and a logline that proves your idea works. Click here to save your spot for just $27!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.

Discover how three Notes to Novel™ students stopped guessing their way through drafting and built steady, sustainable momentum toward a finished first draft.

In this short bonus episode, I'm sharing three real case studies from past Notes to Novel students who were all stuck in different ways but wanted the same thing: to finish their first draft.

You’ll hear how each writer went from stalled, inconsistent drafting to steady momentum once they stopped overthinking and started working with a clear story structure and scene-level direction.

These aren't theories or abstract tips. They're real examples of what changes when writers have a proven process that they can trust.

Here’s what we cover:

[03:56] How Lindsay went from 25,000 words in six months to a 100,000-word draft after finding the missing piece that finally made her story flow.

[08:47] Why Alison kept putting finished drafts in a drawer, and the realization that finally explained why her scenes weren't working.

[10:40] How Sharon, a first-time novelist, set a realistic goal of 6,000 words per week and finished her entire first draft two days ahead of schedule, stress-free.

[13:18] The drafting strategy that keeps you moving forward with confidence instead of second-guessing every scene you write

Ready to stop stalling and start finishing? Join Lindsay, Alison, Sharon, and hundreds of other writers who've discovered that drafting doesn't have to feel like a slog. You just need the right roadmap.

Get on the waitlist for the next open enrollment of my Notes to Novel course and get my complete, step-by-step framework for writing a story that works. Doors open January 22nd—don't miss your chance to turn your ideas into a finished draft you're proud of.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Get on the Notes To Novel Waitlist

⭐ Follow & Review

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your review will help other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast! See you next week!

Ready to stop overthinking and start writing? Join my LIVE 3-Day Writer Breakthrough Bootcamp, and you'll walk away with a realistic finish date, clarity on your story's deeper purpose, and a logline that proves your idea works. Click here to save your spot for just $27!

Support the show

👉 Looking for a transcript? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.