#192. 5 Big-Picture First Draft Mistakes (& How To Fix Them)

Fiction Writing Made Easy

Savannah Gilbo

Education, Fiction, Writing Tips, Arts, Bestseller, Writing, How To, Author, Writing Community, Books, Novel, How To Write Fiction, Writing Fiction, Writer, How To Write A Book

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover the five most common big-picture mistakes writers make in their first drafts—and learn exactly what you can do to fix them. Congratulations, you finished your first draft! …But now what? If you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed as you dive into editing your messy first draft, you're so not alone. As a developmental editor, I've reviewed hundreds of first drafts, and I've noticed that most new writers struggle with the same core issues—problems that have nothing to do with your wr...

Transcript

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0:00.0	Have you been dreaming of writing a novel but you don't know where to start? Or maybe you've
0:03.8	tried writing but you keep getting stuck halfway through a draft? If so, I have a free training
0:08.7	you're going to love. It's called three things you need to write your novel in 2025 and in this
0:14.0	free 60-minute training I'll share the exact same process my clients and students have used to go from
0:19.6	idea to completed manuscript in just
0:22.1	months, not years. You'll also learn why most writers never finish their drafts and spoiler
0:27.6	alert, it's not a lack of talent or good ideas, as well as how to overcome feelings of perfectionism,
0:33.6	self-doubt, and overwhelm that stops many new writers in their tracks. You can register for this
0:38.7	free training at savannah gilbo.com forward slash masterclass. So one more time, that's savannah
0:44.4	gilbo.com forward slash masterclass to register for the free training. I hope to see you there.
0:50.2	Stakes are what give your story emotional weight, and they answer that really important question,
0:54.9	why does this matter? And without clear stakes, even the most beautifully written manuscript is going to feel
1:00.8	hollow. So what are stakes really? Well, stakes represent what your protagonist stands to lose or gain
1:07.2	based on the outcome of their journey. So stakes can be external things like life or death,
1:12.8	winning or losing something tangible, things like that. Or they can be internal stakes. So things like
1:18.1	their identity, their beliefs, relationships, things like that. Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy
1:26.1	podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo and I'm here to help you write a story that works.
1:31.2	I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming.
1:34.8	So each week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable, and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away.
1:42.9	So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a
1:44.9	seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get
1:50.2	started. In today's episode, I'm sharing the five most common big picture problems I see in first
	...

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