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.

If you've been working on your novel for months—or even years—without making real progress, this episode will help you understand why.

Maybe you've started multiple books but never finished one. Maybe you sit down to write and have no idea what to work on. Or maybe you keep rewriting the same chapters over and over, hoping clarity will finally come.

Here's what I want you to know: this isn't a talent problem or a motivation problem. It's a process problem—and process problems are fixable.

In this episode, I'm walking you through five signs your writing process is broken, what's really causing all of them, and the one fix that will help you finish your novel.

This is what I talk about:

[02:13] Why you keep abandoning novels around the 20-30k word mark—and what's really happening when a new idea feels easier than finishing your current draft.

[04:30] The real reason you sit down to write and don't know what to work on, even when you've protected the time and eliminated distractions.

[06:53] How perfectionism disguises itself as productivity—and why rewriting the same chapters keeps you stuck instead of moving your draft forward.

[10:24] The difference between having a story idea and having a story that can support a full-length novel (hint: it comes down to knowing your ending).

[12:39] The one root cause behind all five signs—and how building a solid story foundation before you draft changes everything.

If you recognized yourself in any of these signs, stop blaming yourself and start looking at your foundation. The fix isn't more willpower or a better story idea—it's building a solid foundation before you draft.

🔗 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.

Learn how a self-proclaimed perfectionist wrote a 114,000-word first draft in just 88 days—while working full-time and without finding more hours in the day.

Poornika didn't have endless hours to write. She had two hours a night after work, some longer weekend sessions, and a chronic illness that sometimes forced her to step away completely. And yet, she finished her novel in 88 days—and went on to sign with her dream agent.

In today's episode, I'm sitting down with Poornika Kakkanaiah, a former Notes to Novel student, to talk about what made that kind of progress possible. Spoiler: it wasn't discipline or motivation. It was having a clear roadmap that eliminated decision fatigue and made every writing session count.

Poornika shares how she broke free from months of research paralysis, the outlining approach that gave her a scene-by-scene outline she trusted, and why setting a cut-bait date changed everything.

If you've ever felt like your day job makes finishing a novel impossible, this conversation will show you otherwise.

Here's what we cover:

[07:51] Why combining multiple plotting methods created confusion instead of clarity, and what she did instead

[10:45] How Poornika built a scene-by-scene outline she trusted—and the cut-bait date that forced her to start drafting

[11:27] The three strategies that made it possible to write 114,000 words in 88 days while working full-time

[37:50] What it was like to get "the call"—and why signing with her dream agent felt like everything finally clicking into place

[40:06] The truth about getting multiple offers of representation (and why one great fit is all you need)

If you're craving proof that it's possible to write a novel alongside a demanding job and real-life challenges, Poornika's story will show you exactly what that can look like.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Poornika Kakkanaiah on TikTok
• Poornika Kakkanaiah on Instagram
• 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.