I’ve participated in a novel writing competition every year for 10 years, and never once completed the story.
Every November, millions of writers young and old participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and challenge themselves to write a novel in 30 days. The official word count goal is 50,000 words. (That’s approximately 1,667 words per day).
I usually have no problem hitting the 50,000 word count goal. But I have never ever finished the story. So every November ended with an odd sense of success mixed with failure.
But one year all that changed.
After a decade of trying, and failing, I was able to write THE END on the last page of the 100K+word-project, for the first time in my life.
What made the difference?
Outline first — outline smart
Every novel writer knows: there is a muddle in the middle that leads you off the beaten track if you don’t plan ahead.
Part of the fun in writing is discovery — new characters show up, new plot ideas pop into existence, new subplots arise. If there were no surprises for the writer, writing would be boring, and no one would do it unless they had to.
But don’t let surprises take over your plot and drive it into a wall. Always keep a finger on your overarching plot, the big picture, the underlying train rail that keeps your novel chugging along in the right direction.
Then use that to sketch out the basic signposts of your story — the scenes you have to hit on your way to the finish line,
Story Genius by Lisa Cron proposes a helpful story outlining method called “story cards,” that I used to complete my first novel. Using a concept known as the “third rail,” Cron helps writers plan their novels while keeping an eye on the heart of the story, the deep, invisible motivations that truly drive an exciting story.
It’s not about speed, it’s about steady
There’s a time when you need to imagine the big picture, and there is a time when you need to put away the big picture and focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
In the past, I used to write haphazardly. Nothing for a few days, then 2,000 words one day, nothing for a few more days, then I see the deadline looming and sit myself down to write 10,000 words in one shot.
Needless to say, this is neither productive nor effective.
The year that I succeeded in finishing my first novel, I made myself write 1667 words a day. No less, and no(t much) more.
On days when I felt too lazy to write, I made myself write 1667 words.
On days when I wanted to keep going and going, I made myself stop at 1667 words. (Okay, I did go past 1667, but not by more than a few hundred words)
Aso, I used my scene-by-scene outline from the previous step to make sure I was staying on track.
This helped me to regulate my energy, keep an eye on where I was in the story, and be able to focus on each scene without writing myself into a corner with a runaway subplot.
Keep going no matter what
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Writing a novel is like a journey of a thousand miles. It starts with one word, then continues, word after word, idea after idea, until THE END.
Sometimes, in writing as in life, we get so excited by the initial idea that we write for hours…and then get bored. Or tired. And the project dies.
No long-term project will give you a consistent amount of excitement from start to finish, whether it’s novel-writing, athletic training, or marriage.
Excitement and motivation/inspiration waxes and wanes. The key is to keep going through the dry spells until you hit the next interesting moment, or get your “second wind” (in runners’ terminology. Although in writing, as in life, there are “third, fourth, fifteenth…627th winds”).
The year I finished my first novel, I hit the 50,000 word goal a few days earlier than expected, but my story was not done. So as November came to an end, I continued my 1667-a-day habit through December, and part of January, until I was able to write that precious “THE END” on the final page of the manuscript — 100,000+ words and 2.5 months later.
I can’t tell you how satisfying that felt.
Conclusion: Do the next thing
After I finished my first novel, I decided not to look at it again for months. I knew I needed to edit it at some point, but not right away.
I wanted to enjoy a few days without 1667 word goals.
But a funny thing happened. Although I was no longer writing 1667 words for my novel, I found myself itching to keep writing…something. So I turned my writing habit into other avenues. Instead of writing fiction, I started writing nonfiction. Instead of 1667 words, I stopped counting words (and ended up writing more).
The momentum was still going, but I simply turned it in another direction.
After finishing my first novel, I was proud of the accomplishment, but more than happy to let it sit for a while. I still plan to participate in NaNoWriMo next year — it’s fun and inspiring — but now I know I will not hit the 50,000 word goal without finishing the story.
I now know what it takes to finish — to win, in both senses of the word. And now you do, too :)
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