Okay so. I have recently self-diagnosed myself with ADHD. I have an appointment later this month for an official diagnosis but for now, that'll have to do. One of the things with ADHD that made me lean into the self-diagnosis was this- struggle with breaking down a large task (in this case, my novel) into achievable parts. I've heard some people go by chapters, some by scenes, but I can't seem to figure out a thing that works for me. I (used to- rethinking it) consider myself a discovery writer, a pantser. I'd get an idea of how the general action would go, and then get to writing. I also used to consider myself a linear writer- I'd write from the beginning to the end without doing much out of order writing. But then I got Scrivener. And it's an excellent program, but- I no longer seem to be a linear writer. And I have sputtered to a halt, because my process has gone out the window. I have never finished more than a rough draft of a novel- and that ended up being a skim-draft for the latter half of it- and I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to think about my novel in a way that feels achievable, instead of this mountainous task that maybe eventually I can get around to completing. So, any advice?
I use a one page outline with and a couple pages of character info. I average 1k words a day (1.5-2k on days I write) to finish a novel in three months. I read it and make a list of plot problems, delete crap and add bits to fix what’s there. Then I go through it about 5 pages a day, working on voice and prose. Then I go through it again about 10 pages a day, polishing it to read aloud. Then I give it to beta readers. My trick is to have characters I like and a short outline I can update as a target. Having ideas for other stories is a good sign. I think it means you are becoming knowledgeable and confident with the one you have. You have to make the decision to work on it until it’s done.
Pick a part of your skim-draft and write it. Don't worry about it being perfect, just write it. My writing style is totally non-linear: one of the earliest scenes I wrote was the last scene in the fourth book. Three years later, the first book is in really nice shape, ready for beta, and the second about half-written. But I'm still opening Scrivener, picking a scene, and revising it. I'm about to revise the fourth scene of the first book again. The thing is, I enjoy writing. I like enjoy writing the first draft, and I enjoy revising it for the Nth time. I enjoy being told what I could do better. I enjoy spending an hour on one paragraph, trying various variations until I get the one I like. I enjoy tossing out an entire scene (as I did a half-hour ago) because wife wife said it was unnecessary and as soon as she did, I realized she was right. If you enjoy writing, then do it. Don't worry about whether you'll finish your book -- keep writing long enough, you'll finish it, and although it might not be the book your originally thought, it might be much better. Now, maybe it's just that I'm not on a deadline, and not in a hurry either: I'm not even going to query my first book until the second is done. I write for the pleasure of creation, and for my own enjoyment when I read it later. If that's not why you write, my advice may not have any bearing.
