A book coach who's written 15 novels pulls back the curtain on what's really happening when your messy first draft disappoints you. Ever finished a chapter, read it back, and realized the words on the page don't match the story in your head? There's a name for that. It's called the “taste gap,” and it often shows up among serious, lifelong readers. In this episode, I sit down with book coach and publishing strategist Gala Russ (who's written 15 novels) to talk about the taste gap, what a first draft is supposed to look like, and why messy writing is the whole point. This one's for you if you've studied writing for years but still struggle to finish your first draft. Because the taste gap closes when you practice writing more than researching it. Here’s what we talk about: [04:41] Why no number of finished pages ever makes you feel like a real writer, and the loaded questions non-writers often ask that get inside your head. [13:55] What a real first draft actually looks like behind the scenes and why a scrappy, hodgepodge, messy manuscript is usually a good sign.[19:04] The taste gap explained: why being an avid reader who knows what ‘good’ is can make your own draft feel like the worst thing you've ever read. [23:52] How to know when a book needs more revision, when it’s okay to walk away, and the sunk cost fallacy trap that keeps writers rewriting forever. [38:37] Why more craft books won't fix a stuck draft, the hidden blocks keeping writers frozen, and Gala's creative workaround for finding writing time in a busy life. Here's what I want you to take away from this episode. The fact that you can read a great book, feel moved by it, then look at your own draft and feel like it's not measuring up, that is not a sign you're not meant to be a writer. It's a sign your taste has developed faster than your skills. And skills are built by writing, not by reading one more craft book. Thanks for tuning in to The Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast! See you next week! Discover why your first draft never matches the book in your head, what a messy draft is actually supposed to look like, and how to close the taste-skill gap by writing more instead of studying more, so you can overcome imposter syndrome and finally finish your draft. If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, scroll down below the episode player until you see the transcript.