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By Author Abigail Geiger
Crazy, right? Many established authors and experienced writers will try to tell you differently, but that’s because they’ve forgotten that first project. The one that they slogged through, that never had an end in sight, that had them questioning their ability to even finish this ridiculous monstrosity, because, obviously, they’d never done it before.
Every story is different, every book needs another approach, but the courage and tenacity to finish a project is a skill that is strengthened with practice. For those of you who are struggling with that first win—or who need a boost to continue after years of finishing projects—here are my top ten tips for finishing your novel.
1) Consistency, Consistency
Writing 10,000 words in one coffee-induced, adrenaline-pumped, burn-through-or-die session is great. Writing 1,000 words a day with a consistent routine is better.
2) Stay Focused
New ideas are the number one killer of novels. One minute you’re slogging your way through the ‘messy middle,’ the next you’re chasing after a shiny new idea with cooperative characters, no major plot holes, and a world that doesn’t make you want to bang your head against the desk until you pass out.
That shiny new idea will have plot holes. And a messy middle. And stubborn, bull-headed characters that refuse to be anything but flat and uninteresting.
Every story has its problems, and working through the next idea will be just as frustrating as this one. Quitting in the middle because of plot holes becomes a habit that you will find hard to break later on.
3) Know Your Route
I am not a huge fan of outlining in the first draft—usually I like to see where the story takes me and work on structure later—but there are four things I always like to know before I leap into actually writing.
4) Hold Tight to the Vision
When I first started—seriously —writing, I knew one thing for certain. I was going to be the best of the best. I wasn’t going to just be a writer. I was going to be one of thewriters. I was going to be so good that nobody could ignore me.
Want advanced tips for boosting creative confidence, reducing distractions, and overcoming writer’s block? Book a 1-on-1 consultation with Writing Coach Lyndsay Carder.
Have a vision. Know where you want to go, why you want to go there, and what’s waiting at the end for you.
Without a real purpose, it’s far too easy to justify not bothering with your story this week, or this month, or this year.
5) Have Goals
Writing a book is a bit like climbing a mountain. (Which I can say from experience, because I have climbed a total of two actual real life mountains and am obviously an expert.) If you only focus on the end result, it becomes overwhelming. Sometimes, you need a few wins along the way.
6) Know Your Limits
7) Vet Your Story
Typically, before you start, it’s smart to take a few minutes to vet your idea to make sure it has the staying power to make it to a full novel.
Do you have a protagonist? Is there a conflict that can’t be resolved with a simple conversation or a few pages of strongly worded reprimands? Does your protagonist have a driving need, something that will get them through two hundred plus pages of action and dialogue?
8) Enjoy the Process
I have to remind myself of this particular tip every time I sit down with a new story. Don’t write to finish. Write to enjoy. You’ve got a long road ahead of you, and if you only care about the last chapter, you’ll never reach it.
9) Let it be Bad
Let it be the most terrible, awful, tumbled-over mess of wooden, uninteresting words that you have ever written or read in your entire life. Let it be full of cliches and stilted dialogue and plot holes and characters that are basically just paper dolls with fancy hats.
A full novel with 90,000 horrible, awkward words will teach you so much more than one chapter filled with elegant prose, a dynamic character, and perfect metaphors. Quit tweaking that first sentence and write the next chapter.
You can rewrite later.
10) Be Patient
Writing a novel takes a long time. Building a career as a writer takes even longer. It takes persistence and patience and the ability to be the most bull-headed kind of person that you can imagine.
Want advanced tips for boosting creative confidence, reducing distractions, and overcoming writer’s block? Book a 1-on-1 consultation with Writing Coach Lyndsay Carder.
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