What are the most common first-draft mistakes writers make—and which ones actually need your attention while you’re drafting?

In this episode, I’m joined by Jessica Brody, author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and Page One to Done, to compare the mistakes we see writers make when writing a first draft. The fun part? We each brought our own list and didn’t compare notes before hitting record.

From underdeveloped antagonists and vague character goals to revision spirals and focusing on chapters too early, we’re breaking down what can make a first draft harder than it needs to be—and which problems can safely wait until revision.

Here’s what we talk about:

• [06:35] Why an underdeveloped antagonist can leave your novel without enough meaningful conflict—especially in the messy middle.
• [09:30] Why a protagonist can have a clear story goal and still leave you wondering what they should actually do from scene to scene.
• [12:15] What happens when you keep researching, brainstorming, or outlining because you don’t feel “ready” to start writing your first draft.
• [16:00] Why revising while you draft can feel productive—even when it’s keeping you from reaching The End.
• [22:40] Why focusing on chapter length, openings, and cliffhangers too early can distract you from the more important job of writing strong scenes.

If you’re writing your first novel—or you’re stuck somewhere in the middle of a messy first draft—this episode will help you recognize what might be slowing you down, what can wait until revision, and how to keep moving forward without expecting your first draft to be perfect.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Jessica Brody Website
• Writing Master Academy
• Join the Notes to Novel Waitlist

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Your 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 Emily Henry’s Book Lovers is mostly two sisters walking through New York and talking. There’s plenty of banter, interiority, description, and backstory—but the big plot development doesn’t arrive until fairly late in the chapter.

So how does Emily Henry make an opening chapter like this feel so engaging and full of momentum—and what can writers learn from the scene structure underneath it? That’s what we’re going to look at in this episode.

In the episode, you’ll hear us talk about things like:

• [05:05] How many scenes actually exist within this first chapter (the answer might surprise you!)—and what the structure looks like once we break it down
• [06:55] How EmHen wrote an engaging opening chapter where two sisters are walking and talking (and why this is such a great example of a ‘quiet’ scene goal that still generates forward momentum)
• [08:10] What makes the protagonist’s sister, Libby, the scene antagonist—even though she isn’t a “bad” character and has good intentions
• [09:50] How the conflict escalates on both an external and emotional level (plus, how the stakes work in a quieter, more relational scene like this one)
• [16:55] How this opening gives us a sense of who Nora is, what her life looks like now, and where the larger story is headed without info dumping or boring readers with too much backstory

Whether you’re writing romance or another genre, tune in for a look at how this bestselling author keeps readers engaged while doing all the important setup work a first chapter needs to do.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• FREE GUIDE: How to Write Scenes That Work
• 3 Reasons You Should Write in Scenes vs. Chapters
• Scene Structure Made Easy: The 5 Elements Every Scene Needs
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry

⭐ 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!

FREE QUIZ: Take this 30-second quiz to get a custom action plan that'll help you move from stuck writer to published author!

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If 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 am I actually supposed to work on today?—this episode is for you.

Because at some point, learning more about writing stops being the missing piece. You need a process that helps you figure out what your specific story needs, what to work on next, and how all the pieces fit together.

In this bonus episode, you’ll hear from three writers who had spent a lot of time learning about writing, but still struggled to turn everything they’d learned into a clear path forward.

You’ll hear from Josie, a self-described chronic over-learner who had studied every major plotting method but kept running into dead ends while trying to outline her novel. Emily, who wrote 35,000 words of her romantic fantasy before getting stuck in a middle she couldn’t see clearly. And Nefer, who spent five years caught in a cycle of line editing when she knew her manuscript needed much bigger changes.

Three writers, stuck in three completely different ways.

But what got all of them moving forward again was the same thing—and it wasn't more craft advice. It was having a process that helped them figure out what their specific story needed, what to work on next, and how all the pieces fit together.

In this episode, you'll hear:

[03:29] How one writer went from cobbling together different plotting methods and running into dead ends to creating a detailed scene-by-scene outline she could confidently write from.

[08:02] How one writer who stalled at 35,000 words finally gained clarity on the entire shape of her story—including the middle that had felt impossibly murky.

[12:33] What happened when one writer zoomed out of her line-by-line prose to focus on the big picture of her story first—and how doing so gave her the clarity to move forward.

If you've spent months, or even years, learning about the craft but still feel unsure what your novel needs from you next, there's a good chance you'll recognize yourself in at least one of these stories.

And if this episode makes you realize a clear process might be the thing you’ve been missing, Notes to Novel is open for enrollment through September 4th.

It's the same process Josie, Emily, and Nefer used to make the progress you'll hear about today. Inside, I'll help you develop your story's foundation, create your cast of characters, and map your plot into a scene-by-scene outline so you can write your draft with clarity and confidence.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Josephine Noble’s Website
• Emily’s Instagram
• Nefer Doane’s Website
• Learn more about Notes to Novel

⭐ 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!

FREE QUIZ: Take this 30-second quiz to get a custom action plan that'll help you move from stuck writer to published author!

Support the show