Fiction Writing Tips: How To Write A Novel | Savannah Gilbo

 

There's a belief most writers carry without ever saying it out loud: that writing fast means writing badly. You hear the words "fast drafting" and picture a sloppy, throwaway mess you'll just have to gut and rewrite anyway. So going faster starts to feel like a trade-off—speed or quality, never both.

If that sounds familiar, I want you to meet 

 

You know your main character. You know their backstory, a handful of details about their childhood, and the exact way they take their coffee. You could probably talk about them for an hour. So why do they still feel flat?

If you’re writing your first novel, this might be the quiet worry humming underneath all your excitement. You have a character you love and a...