4 Reasons Why You Are Struggling To Finish Your Novel
💡Are you an idea person?
✍️ Maybe you find yourself buying yet another new notebook for a writing project?
🥸 Or do you find yourself spending hours creating new characters?
What about finishing what you start?
It’s time to finish your book! We’d love to see you finish that first draft and take the next steps to get your book on the shelves and in your hands.
So, what’s stopping you?
Why You Are Struggling to Finish Your Book
1. You’re not giving it enough time.
Dabbling with your draft every so often won’t be enough for you to type ‘the end’. You need to commit to your writing on a regular basis. Note this doesn’t mean hours sweating at your desk. Even thirty minutes twice a week is plenty, but when we come back to our writing on a regular basis we find flow, we remember what we wanted to say, and we create movement. Make time for your writing.
2. Maybe you’re bored.
Dare we say it? Are you fed up with your idea? Is your character just roaming around their world with nothing much happening? Inject some excitement back into your story. Make something happen! Add movement and surprise. Move into the land of ‘what if…’ and add some twists, turns and fun into your words.
3. You're scared you’ve only got one good idea.
Have you ever worried that you’ve only got one good idea, and once that idea has been used up, you’ll struggle to come up with something good? Has this ever stopped you from writing that one idea down? Do you save it for when you’re ready to write something ‘good’? It sounds a bit backwards, doesn’t it?
Often, we’re scared to write, because we think if we write that idea down, we won’t have any more. But our brains like space; they need room to roll around. Emptiness allows them to rest and refuel. If we’re keeping our minds packed to the brim, it doesn’t have space to breathe or develop new stories. Just start writing. You’ll get more ideas when you do.
4. You don’t know how.
Maybe you’re stuck? Maybe you’ve reached a point in your plot that feels like a dead end? Maybe you need to read and research more, or even just spend more time with your characters to see what story they need to tell. Sometimes this learning can be quick, other times you just need space and time to think and reflect. Or maybe you need to ask for help? This could be specialist support (such as coaching) on a particular topic, or even a coffee with a friend as you throw around plot ideas. There’s no shame in asking for help.
A notepad full of your words is great. But finishing your book and printing it, is even better.
Why Finishing Your Book Matters
Lots of people can write ten thousand words. A few more people can write 30,000 words, and a handful of people can stretch to 50,000 words. Very few people then get to ‘THE END’, reaching maybe 80,000 or even 100,000 words. But, unless we finish the book unless we reach the point where we can type the end, we don’t really know what we wanted to say, we don’t really know if we could.
Many people don’t finish their book because they fear failure if they do. It’s easier to say I’m working on it, rather than, I finished it, and it still needs work. But the truth is, finishing a book is the most incredible achievement and it will teach you more than any course or any book ever could. Finishing your book is only something you can do. No one can tell the story that you can. No one can see the world you’ve built, the characters, no one can do it like you can. So, in a way, if you don’t finish the book, then you’ve failed too.
Don’t leave your ideas sitting in a draft folder. Seizing this opportunity to tell the world, I wrote a book!
How can Derbyshire Writing School Help?
Our new group programme, Finish Your Book, will help you to make time for writing. We’ll take part in writing sprints; you’ll give feedback to your peers, and you’ll receive feedback on your writing. We will craft a realistic plan for your final draft as we show you how to edit your work. You’ll also get the chance to bring your writing problems to our mastermind session. We’ll dig deep for solutions and help you move past your stumbling blocks.
What’s stopping you from finishing your book? Here at Derbyshire Writing School, we care about you and your story. We’d love to hear from you and the reasons you’re struggling to finish your novel.
Keep writing, it will all work out.
We want to see your book on the shelves! Take the time, and the action needed, to finally finish your first draft.
Starting a book can be great fun, but finishing it can feel hard, especially when you’re writing on your own. Our ‘Finish Your Book’ group programme can help. Giving you time to write. Gaining feedback on your writing. Setting goals. Learning how to edit. And doing all of this as part of a small, dedicated group of writers.
This is an online programme delivered live via Zoom.
