When I started writing a new novel last summer, I flew through the first 48,000 words.
The scenes came naturally, the characters felt wonderfully formed on the page, and I hardly ever felt stuck when I sat down to write.
And then, wouldn’t you know it, I did get stuck.
I hit the halfway point, which sometimes is described as the portion of a manuscript where the story sags. The middle can be a tricky point when writing a long-term project. It’s not unusual for the middle of a project to be the murkiest part.
When I got to the middle, around 48,000 words, I knew I had to make some plot decisions that would set the trajectory for the second half of the novel.
That felt like a larger task than laying the groundwork in the first half, and instead of figuring that stuff out, I got happily distracted by other projects: teaching a creative writing course for a few months, revising a short story, making jewelry and knitting hats.
The excitement of starting a new piece had faded when I was faced with the reality that I’d have to figure out what comes next in my book. I really didn’t know what should come next.
I want you to know that you don’t have to stay stuck.
You can finish your work-in-progress even if you haven’t actively written for it a while.
I sat down recently and read all 170 pages of my manuscript and made notes on each section within each chapter. Instead of continuing to feel stuck, this exercise reignited my excitement and gave me some ideas I hadn’t considered before.
I’ve been writing at least a few hundred to over a thousand words a day since then, and it’s safe to say I’ve got my groove back with my manuscript. And I’m set to finish it within the next couple of months.
I’m not saying this to brag, but to remind you that it’s ok to pause or get stuck. There’s always a way back into your piece.
Here are some things you can try if you’re ready to finish your work-in-progress
Read everything you’ve already written
I recommend doing this if you’ve spent any time away from your manuscript and feel like you might not remember all the key parts of the story.
It’s not easy to hold the landscape of an entire novel or memoir in your mind, so don’t feel bad if you need a refresher on what you wrote. Take some notes as you read so you can easily reference what happens in each scene and chapter, then make notes of any ideas that come up as you read.
Put yourself on a schedule
This is unsexy advice, but if you’re eager to finish your work-in-progress yet keep putting it off, give yourself a deadline and make a writing schedule and stick to it.
Writing coaching with me can make this even easier since you’re accountable to someone while also receiving support and encouragement.
But even if you aren’t working with a coach or accountability partner, you can still motivate yourself by choosing a date and putting it on your calendar as your first draft deadline.
Then, break down how much you’ll need to write up until that deadline and figure out how to make it happen.
Can you write a few hundred words every morning or evening? Are you able to have some marathon writing sessions on weekends? Think about what works for your life and schedule.
Maybe you need to hire a babysitter a couple afternoons a week or wake up an hour early or skip some weekend events to fit in your writing time. Do what you have to do to stick with your deadline.
Trust me. Having a plan makes it that much easier to finish what you started.
Swap manuscripts with another writer
I love writing groups and writing partners for so many reasons, but especially because they can be eager and supportive readers of your work.
My writing group will often read my new pieces before anyone else, and their feedback is usually what shapes my revision process.
Plus, once I’ve told them about something I’m working on, I suddenly become accountable because they’re invested and curious and excited. A good writing group or writing partner is truly the best.
Make a plan to exchange projects with another writer who is also finishing their manuscript.
It’s probably most helpful if this deadline is a month or two out (or even more) from when you plan to finish your manuscript.
This will give you time to do some revision so you’re not sending someone your unpolished first draft. Unless that’s what you and your writing partner want to exchange, in which case, get it!
Remind yourself that you can change ANYTHING in revision
Sometimes we lose steam because a project genuinely isn’t working.
Other times, it’s simply because resistance makes us feel we have to get it right the first time around, so the second we feel like we’re doing it “wrong,” we want to bail.
That’s silly.
You can change anything when you revise. Anything.
This gives you such freedom as you finish your project! Think about it: you can make the writing stronger later. You can fix plot holes, flesh out characters, make scenes deeper later.
You don’t have to get it right or perfect on the first pass. You just have to finish.
In fact, you can’t really make the story better until you finish it, so don’t get hung up on perfection.
Use your first draft as a time to play, experiment, and take risks. If you decide later that you want to cut or change anything you’ve written, you can. There’s nothing you cannot fix or change when you revise.
And finally, figure out what’s holding you back so you can overcome it
This might seem like woo-woo advice, but I firmly believe a self-aware writer is a happy writer. Instead of feeling stuck and miserable and not understanding why, try to figure out the root cause.
Is there something, in particular, keeping you from finishing your work-in-progress?
Are you overcome with self-doubt? Did you get distracted by a shinier, newer project?
Are you afraid to finish it because then it might actually become something great? And you might have to actually admit that you’re a good writer who knows what they’re doing?
Think about it and be honest with yourself. If you want to finish your manuscript but can’t seem to get there, investigate why.
You deserve to understand what’s going on in your head so you can write despite how you may feel.
You deserve to finish your book!
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