Bonus: How 3 Perfectionists Finally Broke Free & Finished Their First Drafts

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

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if perfectionism is the real reason you haven't finished your novel—not lack of talent or time? "I need to get this right before I move on" keeps aspiring authors stuck forever. But here's what I've discovered... Perfectionism isn't about having high standards. It's about fear. Fear of judgment, failure, or not being "good enough." In this episode, you'll hear from three reformed perfectionists who broke free from the endless editing trap and finished their novels. Meet Pornika, who dela...

Transcript

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0:00.0	Let me ask you a question. How long have you been working on your novel? If you just
0:03.9	winced a little, then you need to hear this. I've identified the five roadblocks that keep
0:08.6	97% of writers from finishing their novels, like waiting for the perfect time to write,
0:13.9	feeling like you're not good enough, or getting stuck rewriting chapter one for the millionth time.
0:19.0	Sound familiar? I've put together a free guide that shows you
0:21.9	exactly what's stopping you and what to do about it. Grab it at savannahigilbo.com forward slash roadblocks.
0:27.8	One more time, that's savannah gilbo.com forward slash roadblocks. That helped me not get hung up
0:33.6	on the nitty gritty. Like, what do I name this mountain range? Or what Halloween costume
0:38.2	should this side character wear? And instead, I could focus on writing a compelling story.
0:43.0	And it worked. I wrote my 114,000 word draft in only 88 days, which was way faster than I had
0:49.9	imagined I could write since I could only allow a couple of hours to write most nights.
0:54.2	Fast drafting made the writing process fun, and it took a lot of the pressure out of it.
0:58.8	I can now say that after finishing my first draft, I still love writing, maybe even more than I
1:03.7	did when I started, and I can't wait to keep writing more novels.
1:09.6	Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo, and I'm here to help you write a story that works.
1:16.8	I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming. 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. So whether
1:28.8	you're brand new to writing or more of a seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast
1:33.3	is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get started. In today's episode, we're diving into one of the
1:41.2	biggest roadblocks that stops aspiring novelists in their tracks,
1:45.0	and that roadblock is perfectionism. If you're someone who rewrites the same chapter over and
1:50.3	over and over, or if you've been researching and planning for years without actually writing,
1:55.4	or if you've convinced yourself that you need every detail figured out before you start,
	...

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