Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips

#229. 5 Signs Your Writing Process Is Broken (And How to Fix It)

9 snips

Jan 13, 2026

Struggling to finish your novel? You might be facing a broken writing process, not a lack of talent. Discover why ideas fizzle out around the 20-30k word mark and how perfectionism can trap you in endless rewrites. Learn the importance of a solid story foundation and how lacking a clear ending can lead to dead ends. The episode offers actionable steps to rebuild your writing process, transform your drafting, and ultimately finish your story with confidence. Time to ditch the blame and start building!

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INSIGHT

Stuckness Is A Process Problem

Stuckness in writing usually stems from a broken process, not lack of talent.
Process problems are fixable with the right foundation.

ANECDOTE

Half-Finished Manuscripts Are Common

Savannah describes writers abandoning novels near 20–30k words when momentum fades.
New shiny ideas feel easier than pushing through the messy middle.

ADVICE

Bring A Roadmap To Writing Sessions

Do build a roadmap of key scenes and turning points before each writing session.
This prevents indecision and wasted writing time.

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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.

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