The Right To Write

How To Finish A Novel

Motivation. I've done a whole chapter on this, but I got a more specific suggestion, "How do you finish a novel?" Thanks GlitzyDiamond, you're progressing amazingly, and sorry for the delay! So yes, motivation is definitely something you need to keep yourself to the finish line, but what else?

Write What You'll Read. My favorite Wattpader, MikaelaBender, mentioned something in her book that really struck me. It goes along the lines of "write a book you'd read," which she originally heard from      Reekles. I've heard this before, but it was the way she said it that really stuck. Which begs the question: why are you writing a book? Do you want views? Attention? Or do you just want to share you skills? You probably want all of this, and that's not bad, it's a common hunger. But you do have to write a book that you want to write. What's the point of writing something that you wouldn't read? Begin writing, end writing, with this question and mentality. Am I writing something I'd enjoy as a reader?

How serious are you about writing? Are you in for it? Are you willing to put hours of effort into a book? It's extremely easy to think you can. The truth is, only those who are passionate, who look at writing as more than a hobby, will get there. One more time, are you serious? 

First, you need to finish your first draft, which I will discuss. Then you edit. I've known people who've worked both these stages years at a time.

I did some research on the publishing process. Editor's basic copyediting cost an average of 30 dollars an hour; the editor may cover about five pages in that hour. Say you have 105,000 words in your first draft, which would equal 350 pages. The resulted time would equal approximately 70 hours, which would cost a total of 2100 US dollars!

Don't freak out, this is physical publishing, not Wattpad. Wattpad gives it to you easy.

This takes amazing commitment. Who's still with me?

Your First Draft Is Meant To Be Bad. Would you believe me if I said I cringe after reading a chapter I wrote a week ago? And on repeat, for the next thirty chapters in my novel. My self-doubt is amazingly high, but what keeps me going? The fact that I know it will be good, and that it will be corrected later. Never work too hard on it, chances are you'll get rid of that scene you worked on whether you worked on it for five hours or five minutes, because when you finish your first draft, almost everything will be touched up and rewritten. In the words of Jerry Jenkins, "Being bad is part of the process." That's exactly what your first draft is, a despicable mound of words that are one step away from perfection.

Then you move on to the editing stage. Let everyone bash at your first draft because writing a book is not a one-man job, some people have incredibly vital things to point out. I've personally haven't made it to the editing stage yet, so I have nothing much more to say about it.

Make A Schedule. I just said that. Sounds stressful? Right. "But my will to write comes naturally," you may say. Shush, no it doesn't. Your natural will to write comes and goes, and when it goes, it may never come back. Set a time period for yourself, force yourself into the mood. I promise it won't fail you. What if you got only a paragraph done in the whole hour? Great, because if you hadn't dedicated that hour to writing, nothing would have gotten done. You made progress; you succeeded. And if you aboslutely can't write, don't write, do something related to writing; outline your chapters, develop your characters, talk to people about it. Do anything related to your book. You'll get somewhere.

Ever heard of writer's block? I'd be laughing my guts out if you've dedicated yourself to this book until now and asked me what writer's block is. Well guess what, writer's block is not an excuse to postpone writing. Nope, writer's block is the exact reason you need a schedule. Postponing writing is terribly inconsistent; inconsistency only makes your writer's block worse. Schedules lead you into consistency, thus destroying writer's block. I never said keeping to a schedule and overcoming writer's block was easy. It's excruciating, but worth it.

Do you have an extra hour in your day you use for your favorite TV shows. If you're serious about writing, use that hour for your writing.

There is satisfaction. As a writer, I see an extreme difference between these two phrases. I'm writing a book and I have written a book. A lot of the people who know who are quote and quote "writing a book" won't even make it half way. I need details on your progress before I can legitimately classify you as accomplished. When someone says they're writing a book, I can immediately tell if they're really dedicated to it. It usually depends about their attitude towards their books, and they're actual will to talk about the subject. If I hear this comment, "Oh but you know, I'm a couple chapters in, but I'll make it, no problem." That probably means the next time I talk to them, they'll forget that they were ever writing a book.

I had the exact same mentality when I started writing my book. I thought a couple chapters paved a clear path to finishing a book. Newsflash, it is a problem that you think it's not problem, because you, writer-who-is-a-couple-chapters-in, have no idea how hard it is to finish a book. Now, I don't mean to throw this any of you who are a couple chapters in your own books. Because I truly believe, if you've read this far, you're ready to take on the challenge. 

Possessing the right to say you've finished a book is the most satisfying part of the process. You are 1 out of that 100 of people who have finished the mission.