Anyone who finishes writing a novel deserves a round of applause just for getting to the end. If you’re just starting out or stuck in the middle, we share our best tips to keep motivated and finish your book
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Writing A Novel Is Hard Work
From many conversations we’ve had with writers — and we work with amazing self-published writers every day — it can be a real problem working out how to stay motivated to write a novel.
One of the difficulties is simple frustration; the realization that motivation doesn’t necessarily come easily. Writing a novel is a creative activity, an exciting and inspiring endeavor, and is typically embarked upon as a free choice on the part of the writer. And yet, at a certain point, it becomes so hard to continue that many would-be novelists abandon hope — and their manuscripts — and give up. Each novelist will have their own story to tell in this regard.
5 Top Tips for How to Stay Motivated to Write a Novel
There’s no doubt that writing a novel is a huge undertaking. Just physically, mechanically, writing 200,000, or 100,000, or 60,000, or even just 50,000 words can be a daunting task. In that context, and given the practical complexities of plot, character development, grammar and syntax, internal and external arcs, foreshadowing, metaphor and symbolism, and all the other many layers and facets that must be considered, created and seamlessly interwoven to write a novel, it’s hardly surprising that keeping motivated to the end proves challenging!
But we won’t waste time in psychoanalysis. We’re not going to look at the psychological and emotional causes of motivational difficulties, or what is commonly termed “writer’s block,” or any of that. In any case, while there may be something in common between writers, each will have their own reasons for feeling unable to continue, and those reasons may vary from time to time.
What we can do, however, is give you five top tips on how to stay motivated to write a novel culled from our own experience working with many successful professional writers over the course of the last 25 years and counting. Enough preamble. Let’s plunge right in:
Tip 1: Don’t be critical writing the first draft
Always remember that good writing is an iterative process. No novel, or any writing for that matter, comes out just right first time. You will have plenty of opportunity to come back and rewrite, fix, and polish your piece before anyone else gets to see it. So, relax. Allow yourself to write freely, and enjoy the process to the full.
Don’t be self-critical on the first draft. Don’t worry about using clichés, tired metaphors, rambling dialogue, and all the rest. Just get the story down. Even write several alternative versions for a single scene. Write in any order you like. Get your ideas down and have fun generating material.
You absolutely must lock your inner critic in the basement while you are getting through the first draft. Once you have that first draft, you’ll have a clearer idea of what will and won’t work for your story. Your inner critic can kill your motivation in the early stages. Ignore him and just write.
Tip 2: Plan your novel before you start writing
It’s commonly said writers can be divided into two kinds: “planners” and “pantsers.” If you’re not already familiar with the terms, a planner is one who writes a detailed outline of the whole story from start to finish before embarking on the actual writing; a pantser is one who has an initial idea or creative spark and starts writing straightaway to see where the Muse might lead them (namely, they “write by the seat of their pants.”)
From talking to our authors, both methods can work, but “pantsers” are more likely to encounter motivational problems around halfway through the novel. There’s a lot to be said for planning. If anyone tells you planning or outlining will in some way stifle your creativity, they are dead wrong.
Planning and outlining is not about shackling yourself to a rigid form. It’s about solving all the common problems associated with the structural elements of a novel, as far as possible, before embarking on the more creative aspects of the writing itself. It just makes life easier.
No outline is ever set in stone. But a good outline provides something to fall back on when inspiration falters. There’s nothing wrong with knowing where you’re going when you set out on a journey. When you go hiking, it seems sensible to take a map, right?
Having an outline can help you maintain your motivation to finish your novel, because you can take interesting diversions and explore different ways of getting there without having the anxiety that you might lose sight of your destination. And when inspiration fails you (which it frequently will) you can turn to your outline to tell you what to do next, and soldier on.
Tip 3: Refill the well of creativity as you go
When you’re writing a novel, you’ll probably be pouring your heart and soul into every step of the process. You’ll be wringing your imagination dry. All this outpouring can leave you imaginatively exhausted. I think exhaustion is often one of the key causes of loss of motivation to write a novel.
For this reason, it’s incredibly important to use your non-writing time to recharge and refuel your energy and your imaginative fire. Physical exercise to oxygenate the blood and maintain the quality of your thinking is an absolute must. A good walk is the mother of good thought. Many a knotty plot problem will unravel itself during a brisk walk in the local park.
And make sure, when writing a novel, that you are also reading a great deal. Read or reread your favorite authors, works which truly move you and inspire you, any writing which you greatly admire. Get out to an art gallery or go to a concert. Feed your imagination. Feed your emotions. If you don’t, you’ll lose your motivation. If you do, you’ll be well stocked and inspired right to the end.
Tip 4: Keep sight of your goal
No one starts writing a novel on a whim. There’s always a reason. And that reason is usually a compelling one. Whether it’s because you have something you’re burning to say or because it’s what you do to pay the bills, you should always remind yourself of why you started this process and why it’s so important to finish it. Losing sight of your end goal can reduce your motivation to keep going. Write out a sentence which sums up what it is that inspired you to get started in the first place, open up a picture on your desktop, or just tell yourself mentally what it was every time you start to write.
Tip 5: Work to a deadline
Give yourself a deadline. Make yourself accountable to others. Professional and traditionally published authors know this well. Having a deadline, even if it’s self-imposed, can push you to keep going even when you feel tired and demotivated. Better yet if you’ve declared that deadline to the world.
It’s no coincidence that many successful novelists have a background in journalism or copy writing. The industry is unforgiving when it comes to deadlines. You get your copy in on time or you never work again. If you have an agent breathing down your neck or an annoyed email from an editor, that’s pretty motivating!
If you’re writing your first novel or you’re self-publishing, then you need to set yourself a deadline. Make a promise on the date at which you’ll complete your manuscript and then stick to it.
Once you get going, you’ll have a fan base and probably a mailing list, however small at the outset. Mail out to your fans telling them when the next book they’re all waiting for will be published. Deadlines and accountability are a real solution, if sometimes more of a stick than a carrot, to the problem of how to stay motivated to write a novel.
So there you have it. You may have other things that work for you, but these are pretty universally applicable to any writer, newbie or experienced, and can really help with motivation when the Muse divorces you, the flower of inspiration withers and dies, and the well of creativity has run dry.
When you get to the end…
When you’ve finished your novel and it’s been edited, proofread, and polished, get in touch. If you want to self-publish, talk to us about the advantages we can offer you as an independent creative in terms of a beautiful product and cost-effective printing and shipping. We have more than 25 years’ experience in the industry working with authors just like you. We’d be delighted to play our small part in your success. Get in touch as soon as you’re ready, either for an informal chat through the options or a no-obligation quote if you’re nearly ready to go to press.
