How to finish a novel
There are endless courses out there on how to write your novel, plot your novel, edit your novel and publish your novel. And writing groups and coaches and friends can encourage you in your journey. But there are a few things I wish someone had told me a decade ago, when I had yet to finish the first draft of my very first novel.
Until you’ve written to the end of the first draft, don’t even think about publication.
Seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? After all, that’s why we write, because we want people to read. We want to see our name (or penname) in print, we want reviews and book launches and even film rights. And there’s already so many people out there already, querying books so similar to the one we’re writing, and maybe we ought to plan ahead since getting an agent can take years…
Stop. Stop right there. The first thing any agent will ask you if they’re even considering offering representation is a full, polished novel. My first agent asked me that within five minutes of meeting me. “Lots of people can start novels. I want to know if you can end one.”
When writing the first draft, don’t look back. Write only for yourself, as if everyone you know is dead.
If you don’t have an accountability structure, create one. Make it hurt.
My first novel languished in my head for years. I wrote scenes, did research, made character sketches, attended workshops, polished scenes, sketched plots and perfected my prose. But I did not finish my novel until I realized I was waiting for someone to ask me for it, and nobody was going to.
Unlike school or college, there’s no final exam. No teacher waiting for you to hand in something for validation. If you don’t write your novel, no one cares. This is a very harsh truth. I wasn’t going to the gym as often as I wanted, and I wasn’t eating enough vegetables, and I wasn’t finishing my novel, and nobody cared. I needed someone to hold me accountable.
I took a month of unpaid leave from work. I watched my savings balance slowly drip downward for the first time ever, with a mounting sense of terror. Finally I had a deadline. I had to finish my first draft before hitting my “low watermark.”
I still do this. I sign up for expensive courses that require you to have 30,000 or 60,000 words ready by the time the course starts. Sometimes you, the author, need a ticking clock, just as you write one in for your protagonist.
Every word you write today is a word that wasn’t there yesterday.
Some days (like today) I manage less than 50 words. I don’t force myself to write 2000 words everyday. It would be like trying to force myself to poop everyday, on schedule. Instead I focus on forward progress. A friend who runs taught me that even if she only got out for a quick jog around the block, that’s steps she took she hadn’t taken before. It’s the same thing. Small investments pay off over time. Here’s a chart of the writing history of my most recent novel, over the course of two years. (Ignore the weird 0 dips).
What I love about this graph is that my daily word count is basically 0, but the totals keep going up and to the right. I’m currently done with the first draft and it’s at a perfect length to begin editing—nearly 200,000 words.
(Scrivener is full of fun, motivating stats)
Never edit in place. If you have to start over, start over.
It’s very tempting to polish the pieces you’ve already produced instead of staying focused on the ambiguous part that comes next. Sometimes you discover something fundamentally wrong, and you need to do some invasive editing before you can get unblocked. Create a new project. Port over what you need, but start over from the beginning. Not only does this keep your stats clean (which is great for morale), it ensures you don’t get mired in micro-editing when the goal is to get to the finish line.
Don’t bother writing in sequence. Let inspiration take you where it does.
Beyond a loose structure, I don’t spend time on outlining. If I get stuck on what “needs” to happen for the plot to advance, the characters stop speaking to me. They become wooden. Instead I let the characters determine their actions, and I facilitate, rather than choreograph. If there are several things the characters might do, and the next scene isn’t obvious, I don’t know the characters well enough. If I did, their words and actions would flow naturally and obviously. I spend more time feeling into their emotional landscape than I do plotting their actions.
You can always reverse-engineer your outline later. And your plot will change from draft to draft. If you really want to get a sense of the bigger picture, write a synopsis instead. You’ll probably write ten different synopses over the course of the first draft as the story evolves. That’s okay.
When you’re done with your first draft, take a break and celebrate!
This is really important. Too often we jump right back into editing, without marking the moment when the first draft is complete. This is how people burn out. At the point when your first draft is complete, you’re too close to the work. You need space and perspective before you can edit. You need to celebrate the milestone before you can settle in for the months and years of editing ahead.
It helps to move onto something different. The next novel, even if it’s a sequel. Editing something you put aside years ago to write this novel instead. If you don’t give yourself a pat on the back for finishing the novel, you’re not going to be motivated to finish the next one. Just as you’re the only one holding yourself accountable, you’ve also got to be your own biggest cheerleader. Reward yourself!
My reward of choice: The champagne and chocolate fondant at Bianco, Rue Montorgeuil, Paris. I can usually get there in 3 hours.