The 5 Hidden Mistakes That Keep First-Time Novelists Stuck

The 5 Hidden Mistakes That Keep First-Time Novelists Stuck

Struggling with your novel? Whether you haven’t started yet or lost in the middle, this free class breaks down the five hidden mistakes that derail 97% of writers. And how to avoid them so you can finally type, ‘The End!’

In This Free 60-Minute Training, You’ll Discover:

  • The genre mistake that makes your story feel “off” to readers and how to fix it so your book feels alive.
  • Why “plot-first” thinking leaves your characters flat and your story hollow, and how to create a plot that breathes life into your protagonist.
  • The stakes blind spot that makes readers stop caring about your protagonist halfway through, and how to keep them obsessed until the final page.
  • Why writing and editing at the same time is like driving with the brakes on, and the simple shift that doubles your writing speed to finish months sooner.
  • The perfectionist trap that kills your momentum every time you stop to research one tiny detail, and how to stay in flow without sacrificing accuracy.

Savannah Gilbo is a developmental editor, book coach, and host of the top-ranked Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast (3M+ downloads). Known for her approachable, no-fluff teaching style, Savannah helps aspiring fiction authors confidently write, edit, and publish stories readers can’t put down.

Register free here! (affiliate link)

3-Day Writer Breakthrough Bootcamp

3-Day Writer Breakthrough Bootcamp

 

From January 19th–21st, Women in Publishing Summit speaker and community member Savannah Gilbo is hosting a live 3-Day Writer Breakthrough Bootcamp to get you out of overthinking and into writing pages. Show up for 30 minutes a day and you’ll leave with a simple plan, a realistic writing rhythm, and your personal draft completion date.

Your $27 ticket includes:

  • 3 days of live training (30 min/day)
  • Direct access to Savannah for Q&A
  • Your roadmap from idea to draft
  • The confidence and clarity to write

 

Savannah hosts the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast (3M+ downloads) and has guided 900+ writers from idea to finished draft in her Notes to Novel program. This bootcamp is your chance to learn her proven step-by-step approach—don’t miss out!

In just 30 minutes a day, you’ll discover:

  • Why “waiting until you’re ready” is keeping you stuck (and the simple mindset shift that changes everything)

  • The exact framework that helped her student Emily go from 10 years of endless outlining to a complete draft in just 8 weeks

  • How to find 30 minutes in your day to write—even with work, family, and life’s chaos

  • How to calculate your personal draft completion date (yes, you’ll do this together!)

Get your ticket here! (affiliate link)

Build A Book – Mini Workshop!

As a book coach, Heather constantly sees writers make predictable (and 100% avoidable) mistakes. And, sadly, these mistakes often prevent writers from creating publishable manuscripts. They wind up with a novel that lacks depth, clarity, and oomph. They write 300 or 500 pages—and waste years of their lives—creating a manuscript that goes nowhere.

In Heather’s experience, writers have one or more of these core issues in their manuscripts:
  • They’re not clear on the point they are trying to make with their novel.
  • They forget to create a character arc for their protagonist (and tie it to the plot).
  •  They lack a clear cause-and-effect trajectory in their novel.
  • Their characters don’t make meaning of the situations that arise throughout the novel.
These problems generally result in 1) negative feedback from beta readers/editors/publishing houses, and 2) a subsequent fortune spent on developmental editing. All the while, many writers still don’t understand what they did wrong or how to fix the problem before it wrecks their next novel.This often prevents great stories from ever finding their way into the world.  Heather’s signature Build-A-Book Method breaks writing/editing down into simple, actionable steps that will ensure writers build a solid foundation for their novels.Why? So writers will confidently finish their work and readers will remember, rave about, and recommend their novels.
The Mini Build-A-Book Workshop includes the following 5 topics (with workbooks): 
  • How to find the point of your novel.
  •  How to work backwards from story idea to protagonist character arc.
  • How to master the simple elements of an engaging character arc.
  • How to create a flexible blueprint for your novel that ensures a cause-and-effect trajectory in your plot.
  • How to understand and master the age-old “show don’t tell” story writing advice. (Hint: it’s not what you think!)

Register Today: https://writepublishsell.thrivecart.com/mini-build-a-book-workshop/

Writing Compelling Nonfiction with Jackie Haley

Writing Compelling Nonfiction with Jackie Haley

There’s a world of readers out there that need your nonfiction book.

You may think of nonfiction as being dry or boring, but creative storytelling isn’t just for fiction writers.

 What do popular nonfiction authors like Brené Brown, Michael Lewis and Malcom Gladwell have in common? They use storytelling to engage their readers and effective communicate their message. 
In this workshop, you’ll hear about the best strategies to write your nonfiction book that will hook your target audience from start to finish. You’ll learn:
  • Strategies to hook the reader from the first line.
  • How to effectively write your message compelling enough for your target audience.
  • The best strategies to polish your manuscript and have it ready for publishing.

Register today: https://writepublishsell.thrivecart.com/writing-compelling-nonfiction/

 

Jackie Haley is a nationally recognized, award-winning author, speaker and entrepreneur. She’s appeared on CBS, NBC, among many other major media outlets and traveled the country representing her books. Her first novel, Crystal Beach received many powerful endorsements following it’s release in 2012, including one from the Des Moines Register, but Jackie didn’t stop there. In 2017, Jackie published her sequel, Truce Island and continued to speak and hold book signing events across the country. ​ Shortly after, was approached by David Schmitz to write his family’s truly inspiring story about his late wife that left a gift for him which he received two years after she passed from ovarian cancer. Brenda’s Wish was released in 2020 with several excellent endorsements including two national foundations and many incredible reviews. Jackie has a passion for writing, for making a difference and for helping others with similar passions. ​ Jackie launched a new entity Dream to Author to help aspiring writers become published, providing assistance through online training and coaching services. Besides speaking engagements and her writing career, she has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit management and began her own consulting business in 2012 doing strategic planning projects and more for nonprofit organizations.