Hello all. I have been writing for years and I can never seem to finish a project. I am not sure if it is because I get stuck in the marathon in the middle or if I just lose interest in the current story and move on to something else. I, however, am glad to be here to learn a few more things that may help me get through to the end of a novel. I am currently in the research stage for my newest project and I have set a deadline to when I want it completed by. I am hoping that I can stick to the timeline and get it finished. I have decided on the Chapter Titles and the approximate word count for the novel. So as things go I will see what else I can learn from everyone here and just maybe get it done. Other than that if you would like to know something feel free to ask. I'm and open book figuratively.
Hello, welcome to the forums! Finishing a novel for the first time is always a major milestone, feel free to start a progress journal in the applied writing section if you'd like to post some updates about your project or get a little help with accountability. I can drop in with my top two general-purpose finish-a-draft tips to get you started. These are what got me to finally finish my first novel (after many half-finished projects) BICHOK, the time-honored tradition that stands above all others. Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. Sounds simple and snarky, I know, but writing on-demand is a skill you can learn. The first few times you sit down to write when you're not motivated? Agonizing, frustrating, like pulling nails, and will probably produce garbage. With time and practice, it will get much easier. You'll teach yourself to get in the zone, write more words and better words, all without relying on the fickle mistress that is motivation. Things like word-sprints or setting aside a set daily block of time for writing are helpful in practicing on-demand writing. Accept that first drafts suck, particularly that very first first draft. There will be scenes that just don't want to be written, places where you can't get your point across, times when you doubt yourself and start to think 'this sucks'. Nothing saps the will to write like thinking 'what's the point if it's so bad'. And nothing will stop you from moving forward worse than trying to get it perfect the first time. Perfectionism is the enemy of BICHOK. You want words on the page, you can't edit what's not there. Once you've created a habit of finish drafts you can try things like editing as you go. If you always stop partway though? Time to just push through it. You'll learn how to write better by continuing to write, not by staring at the same paragraph for two hours. Indeed, as you level up (by practicing writing) you'll discover new solutions to whatever issue you had with that elusive paragraph. Best of luck, let us know how it goes!
Hey David, I know how you feel, I was much the same. But I managed to break my duck. I did it partly like Idio's advice, partly with my own brand of singular minded, "This is it, no more half-ass attempts, the line is drawn here, no father. No matter what, this book gets finished." Tunnel vision can be a powerful tool. I'm going to end up sounding like a broken record on these welcome threads, but I also recommend starting a Progress Journal on that board here. Not only do you feel the urge to keep up with your work so you can post progress reports to keep up a pace, but everyone there helps motivate each other or gives good advice with the little problems... or even just by the moral support of clicking a like on your update. You'd be surprised by how that can help as a motivator to keep going. Anyway, welcome to the forums and good luck with pushing this one through to completion!
Hi and welcome to the forum! I'm interested in your statement here: I am not sure if it is because I get stuck in the marathon in the middle or if I just lose interest in the current story and move on to something else. It might help if you can identify why you keep stopping. I think this is very important if you want to break that duck, as @Steve Rivers put it. Figure out why you keep stopping. Is it because you lose interest? Is it because you get bogged down in the dread 'middle?' Is it because you hit a story snag or problem, and can't figure out how to deal with it? Is it because you get distracted by (yet) another idea? Or is it something else? Try to be specific and very honest with yourself, and you'll be on the road to sorting the issue. There is NO feeling like writing 'the end.' Even if it's only the beginning of the real work ...the editing process. Obviously you can't go hareing after every new story idea without finishing the older one, so maybe just scribble down the basic idea you have for a NEW story in a notebook. Discipline yourself NOT to pursue that idea yet. But the other things I mentioned probably all pertain to a story you currently write. The first two are related. And there is actually a very simple solution. Break up your story as you write it. You do NOT need to write everything in chronological order. Instead, just write specific scenes as they come to you, and get them down (in vivid detail, not outline shorthand) while you're still excited about them. Instead of a buildup, write the result of some action. Or instead of writing the beginning of a relationship and wondering how to get it off the ground, write a scene that takes place after the relationship is already established (or has been abandoned.) Just envision specific scenes and write them. Keep doing this. Your interest will remain high, and you might well realise, after you've been doing this a while, that there is no dreaded middle marathon at all. Lots of scenes can just be connected by a paragraph or so of transition. If a scene is too dull to write, it probably doesn't need to be there at all. Just sum up what happens in a couple of transition paragraphs, and move on to the next absorbing scene. Your thoughts will come and go, and ideas will come and go. Get them down as vividly as possible. You'll stay excited about the story, and the story will build itself to where you KNOW it's going to be finished. As far as story problems go (you've just painted yourself into a corner, because your character couldn't actually have done both things, or it's the wrong month for the celebration you've planned, etc) do NOT get in the habit of throwing up your hands in despair and walking away ...again. Instead, knuckle down and work on the problem until you've found a way to solve it. Like the feeling of having finished, the 'eureka!' problem solved! moments are just as much fun. Realise that a lot of writing takes place away from the computer and your manuscript. A lot of it happens in your head, in odd moments when something strikes you, or when you wake up fresh in the morning, or when you are out for a walk, etc. Keep a notebook handy at all times to scribble down ideas so you don't lose them. But just sitting in front of a blank screen, forcing yourself to grind out words just because somebody told you that's how you're supposed to write, can be quite a mistake. I wouldn't say any of this to anybody who has found a working method to suit them and is turning out finished work. But the fact that you are NOT turning out finished work means something about your method needs changing. So try to let go a bit, and do what it takes to keep you excited about your story. At least until you finish the first draft. Then put it away for a bit to clear your head then tackle it as if somebody else wrote it. Get feedback. Start knocking it into shape. And good luck! You sound like you've got a plan for your next story. But whatever you do, don't let a rigid plan suck the creativity and fun out of the writing. There are NO mistakes that can't be corrected except for publishing something that's not ready yet. All other mistakes can be sorted! So don't be afraid to make mistakes. Some mistakes result in glorious stories.
