How to Write Stories People Will Love

Question 8: Pushing through to the end

Someone asked: "Could you do a chapter on planning your writing and pushing to the finish? Please?" (Wattpad glitched when I created this page, and lost the name I had tagged on here. I tried searching for who asked me this, but I can't find the comment! If this was you, and you want to be recognized, let me know and I can add you on there. Thanks for understanding!)

I actually wrote a chapter called "Plan Your Story", just before Intermission 2. I won't rehash what I said there, but I can address the issue of pushing to the finish.

Writing a novel is a marathon. It requires endurance, perseverance, and a little bit of strategy.

Endurance

Although I advise people to only write when they feel joy for it, sometimes we just need to push through the hard parts. Story-writing will have creative ups and downs. If we only did things while they were fun, we might never finish anything. Maybe you can see the finish line glimmering in the distance, but the path between you and it feels like it's full of shark pits and cross-fit obstacle courses. Those who don't really want it will turn away because it's too hard. The rest of us--who really want to taste that victory--have it within us to do so. You just need to tap into that focused part of your brain and come up with pathways through the obstacles.

Perseverance

This may sound a lot like endurance, but there's a slight difference. While endurance is the energy required to push through the hard stuff, perseverance is the dogged determination to never give up. You might take breaks, but you always come back, willing to try again. Breaks from your novel are good, and I highly recommend them when you're feeling uninspired, but don't stray too far. Marathon runners who have less endurance will take breaks, but the determined ones will reach the finish line regardless of how long it takes. It doesn't matter if you're slow. The point is to keep crawling forward, and to finish.

Strategy

To come up with a good approach to reaching that finish line, you have to understand yourself. Are you a plotter or a pantser? A planner is able to outline the entire story from start to finish. I envy these people, because they have a road map of where to go next. Pantsers fly by the seat of their pants (wheee!) and don't really know what's happening beyond the current chapter. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, so don't bemoan the slot you're in. Once you learn if you're a plotter, pantser, or a hybrid of the two, you can figure out your approach to story planning (review the "Plan Your Story" chapter for details on that).

The next thing you need a strategy for is when you encounter the hard stuff. Writer's block is the bane of every writer's existence, and it strikes often. Often enough that I have TWO chapters on Writer's Block! Review the tactics I've listed there, and remember what works for you when you manage to break through.

Don't psyche yourself out. Emotions are irrational forces that often tell us untrue things. You have the tools and the brain power to finish. You have to know this. Remember it. Cling to it like a life raft when depression drags you under and whispers false tales of "not good enough." Don't bang your head and try to write when you feel like this. Creativity does not thrive in such negative environments. Try to ride out the storm, and when you feel your mood lifting a little, allow yourself to venture back into your story. Because it really is a fun place to be.

Some of you may be disappointed that there's no clear answer for how to push through to finish your story. That's because there isn't one. Different things work for different people. All I can do is offer suggestions, and cheer you from the sidelines as you trudge past me in your marathon. You can do it!