Writing only one piece of fiction keeps you from growing.

And while you’re not growing, there are people who are publishing books that are worse than yours. They’re writing blogs online. Sharing their flawed stories. Making money. They’re getting famous. More importantly, they are improving their writing skills.

You don’t need to polish one story endlessly. You don’t need to spend years on one novel. You don’t need to hide your writing from the world. You don’t need to stay in one place. You can cheat on your writing project – it won’t be offended.

The best way to write a novel

Working on the same novel for years, struggling to find the right words, is not the best way to write a great novel. The best way to write great work is to write frequently and to write different stories and scenes. Cheat on your novel.

Develop a writing habit. When you do this and also learn the craft of writing fiction, you will improve your storytelling, your structure and your style. That way, you’ll get the success you want.

Stuck in the middle of your story?

You’ve nailed the first act of your novel and you have a clear vision of how it will end, but the middle part is giving you trouble? Maybe your outline for the middle is vague and just says something like, “Things happen.”

You try to write the first part of the middle, hoping to get through it. But after a few scenes or chapters, you feel like you have nothing more to say. You throw in some random events that you think are thrilling or risky to fill up some space before you can get to the climax. You introduce a new character to spice things up. Does that sound familiar?

Then one of these things happens. You either finish it or you don’t.

You finish your draft and send it to your beta readers, hoping for some praise and encouragement. But instead, you get back comments that make you want to cry. They lost interest halfway through. They didn’t understand why you included that beach scene. They felt like you repeated yourself with that hospital scene. You end up with a weak middle that lacks substance, character growth and tension. 

You give up on your draft and start a new one. You get hooked by a new idea, a new character and begin writing with enthusiasm. And you end up in the same situation.

Scene Objectives

The big picture of your story depends on your characters’ objectives for the entire plot. To make every scene work, you have to think about scene objectives. A scene objective is what a character hopes to accomplish in that particular scene. Be clear about what they desire. Ensure that it connects to their character objective – it’s one move in the choreography. Then they either succeed or fail at that scene objective.

By dividing the middle of your novel into individual scenes, and seeing them as milestones leading to the final confrontation rather than ‘stuff’ that occurs to fill up space, you can maintain your enthusiasm and direction.

Break free from the pattern of unfinished drafts. Concentrate on objectives.

You can’t just abandon your idea, can you?

Do you find yourself wishing that you’d started writing a different story when you’re too invested in the first idea to quit?

You know how it goes. You have this brilliant idea for a story that you’re super excited about. You start writing it with enthusiasm and passion, thinking it’s going to be the best thing ever. You outline the plot, develop the characters, create the world, and everything seems to be going smoothly.

But then, something happens. You lose interest in the story or you realise that the idea is not as original or compelling as you thought. Or you discover a new idea that sounds way more fun and exciting than the one you’re working on. Whatever the reason, you suddenly find yourself wishing you’d started writing a different story instead.

But you can’t just abandon the first idea, can you? You’ve written thousands of words, maybe even tens of thousands. You’ve told your friends and family about it, maybe even your readers if you have a platform. You’ve made a commitment to finish it, to yourself and to others. You can’t just give up on it now. Or can you? 

Well, maybe you can, or should. Maybe it’s better to follow your heart and write what you really want to write, rather than force yourself to write something that doesn’t inspire you anymore. Maybe it’s okay to let go of the first idea and start fresh with the second one. Perhaps it’s not too late to change your mind.

On the other hand, maybe you shouldn’t. Is it better to stick with the first idea and see it through to the end, rather than jump from one idea to another without ever finishing anything? Maybe it’s okay to keep working on something that doesn’t excite you anymore, because you know it has potential and value. You ponder if it’s not too late to rediscover your love for the first idea and make it work.

So how do you decide? I have some thoughts and tips that might help you if you’re in this situation:

I know it’s not easy, but I believe you can overcome it and write the story that you truly want to write. And I’m here to support you and cheer you on, as always. 

How to break free from the habits that hold you back as a writer

Self sabotage.

It’s the worst enemy of any creative person, especially a fiction writer. You have a deadline, a project, a goal, but you can’t bring yourself to work on it. You find excuses, distractions, alternatives. You spend hours thinking about how to write it, but not actually writing it. In your head, the task is bigger and scarier than it really is. You delay it until the last minute, and then you rush it and do a poor job. Feeling guilty and frustrated, you scold yourself… ‘Why do I always do this to myself?’ When really, it only takes a little effort and discipline to complete it. And then you can enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done!

Procrastination and imposter syndrome

Procrastination and imposter syndrome are common challenges – or enemies – that many of us face, no matter what we are trying to achieve. They make us doubt our abilities, delay our actions, and lose our motivation. For writers, these issues can be especially harmful, as they prevent us from expressing our creativity, developing our skills, and completing our stories. We can’t have that now, can we?

Being a writer, or aspiring to be one, can make you worry about many things. Like the awful possibility of creating a bad story. I can relate to that feeling. Sometimes I look at my past work, from different stages of my journey, and I cringe at how bad some of it is. But that’s not the end of the world. Those stories are steps – they show that I did something towards my dream, no matter how I feel about the outcome later.

Have faith in your writing

This leads me to talking about perfectionism – waiting until you think you can produce the perfect piece of writing before you sit down and actually write the piece. This is another form of self sabotage. Perfectionism is a powerful enemy for a writer – it makes you think you have to write something flawless before you even start. That’s not helpful at all. Just write what comes to your mind and don’t worry too much about the quality. Be in the moment – you can always improve it later. And even if you think your writing is bad, there must be some parts that you like or that are good. You don’t have to discard the whole thing just because of some errors or weak spots. Have faith.

Do you feel alone as a writer?

Here is some advice to help you cope with these feelings and keep writing:

– Respect your family’s boundaries and preferences. They might not share your enthusiasm for your novel because they have different tastes, interests, or priorities. That does not mean they don’t love you or care about you.

– Find your own motivation and inspiration. Writing a novel is a long-term project that requires dedication, discipline, and passion. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and why you want to write it. Remind yourself of your goals and celebrate your milestones and achievements.

– Remember that your family’s opinion is not the only one that matters. You are writing for yourself and your readers, not for them. Seek feedback from writing coaches (me!) instead. Or join a supportive writing support group – like my very own Facebook community! You’ll benefit from constructive criticism, encouragement, and advice that can improve your confidence. 

if you’re looking for more structure, you might like Storytellers Elite – its for writers who know they’re on a journey of improvement. We celebrate each other’s successes, help each other through sticky spots and pool our knowledge.

Until next time, keep writing!

Are you a fiction writer eager to navigate the world of traditional publishing?

Look no further!I’m thrilled to announce my upcoming masterclass, designed specifically for authors like you who want to demystify the process and collaborate effectively with marketing teams.

I’ll be teaming up with Karen Bultiauw who brings bags of experience in successful marketing campaigns for books, so we can share this essential knowledge about the industry.

Do you want to get your novel traditionally published?

Some writers think that their publisher will take care of all the marketing for them. This is not the case.

You need to know about marketing and be ready to take an active part – and there are very specific ways to market if you sign with a traditional publisher.

Find out how by attending our workshop.

If you sign with a traditional publisher you need to be ready to take an active part in your book’s marketing.

The word ‘marketing’ gets a lot of attention in author and writer circles, but what does marketing entail in a traditional publishing journey? In this masterclass with Karen Bultiauw, you’ll learn what marketing and publicity mean in publishing (and the difference between public-facing and trade marketing). You will also find out where the marketing and publicity department fits into the publishing journey and understand the cycle of writing and marketing/promotion in a traditionally published author’s career.

I’m a non-fiction writer or a self-publishing fiction writer. Is this masterclass for me?

There will be some overlap with non-fiction in the basic process in traditional publishing, but some of the requirements for you as the author will be very different from fiction debuts. Similarly, knowing about these processes as an indie author is helpful, but you will fulfil all roles yourself.

How do writers know what to write about? Where do they get their ideas?

Not by some winged inspiration fairy whispering in their ears, that’s for sure. Wish it was. In my head she looks a bit like me… only her pixie-cut hair ALWAYS behaves itself and she’s got a perfect cheeky grin.

Writers know what to write about by writing it. There’s often a bit of daydreaming, sure – the three-day Take Five Writing Anti-Challenge that’s available with my writing partner-in-crime is where you can give that a go. But the real story? The details? The order of things and the why and the how? That comes about by starting to write. It grows as you write it. Then you get other ideas – they multiply like alien spawn. (Unpleasant simile, maybe… but you get my point.)

I am doing that myself. I’ve been sitting on the ideas for my second novel for a while. (First one an historical thriller set in the Tudor era called The Heretic’s Servant… go look it up!) Now I’ve properly got going with it, writing a bit every day, and taking that action is making the story come to life. Before, I was trying to get my little inspiration fairy to tell me what the story was going to be like and making a promise that when I knew what was supposed to happen, I’d write it down.

Big mistake. And I knew it was wrong. But I was letting my fear of writing the ‘wrong’ thing stop me from writing at all. No more.

Fear of writing? No more!

I’ve got my motivation, my simple rules (write 200 words a day, five days a week), my tools (Free progress tracker from Book Forge, my plan and reminders of what works for me) and my support network. If you don’t know what to write about, do one simple thing… write. Even if it’s about what happened when you went to the supermarket. It doesn’t matter. Just. Write. You can absolutely do this on your own – writing is one of the lowest cost activities there is. And if you want support, motivation, encouragement, community, it is here, waiting for you.