Sveriges mest populära poddar

Fiction Writing Made Easy

#188. 5 Mindset Hacks to Help You Finish Your First Draft

38 min • 8 april 2025

Five book coaches reveal their most powerful mindset hacks to help you crush self-doubt, overcome perfectionism, and finally finish your first draft—even if you've been stuck for months.

Picture this: You sit down with a fresh cup of coffee, open your laptop to write your novel, and then that voice of doubt creeps in: "This is terrible. You don't know what you're doing." And then you're staring at a blinking cursor, completely frozen.

Sound familiar?

If you're nodding your head, you're not alone. Whether you're just starting your first novel or you've been trying to finish that draft for months (or years!), these mental roadblocks aren't signs of failure—they're normal challenges every writer faces.

Tune in to this episode to hear five proven mindset strategies from professional book coaches and editors who have helped countless first-time novelists overcome writer's block, self-doubt, and procrastination to finally type "The End" on their first drafts.

  • [02:11] The surprising mindset shift that turns "This writing is terrible" into productive writing sessions
  • [08:41] How to carve out writing time that actually works (without quitting your day job or neglecting your family)
  • [14:43] Why waiting to "feel inspired" is killing your novel—and the counterintuitive approach that actually works
  • [20:12] The five simple questions that can rescue your story when you're stuck in the dreaded "middle slump"
  • [27:08] How strategic "neglect" might be the missing ingredient to finally type "The End" on your manuscript

If you're an aspiring author who is writing your first draft, or if you've started multiple manuscripts but keep getting stuck in the middle, this episode's for you!

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

⭐ Rate + Review + Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this show! Your rating and review will help other writers find this podcast, and they're also super fun for me to read. Just click here, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap five stars to rate the show, and then select "Write a Review." Be sure t

FREE QUIZ: Take this 30-second quiz to get a custom action plan that'll help you move from stuck writer to published author!

Click here to register for my FREE training: 3 Things You Need to Write Your Novel in 2025.

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.

00:00 -00:00