Why You Haven’t Finished Writing That Book

Set aside the perception of others and write your story

Writing a book can be the most exciting time in a person’s life. But as the weeks pass and the ideas begin to fizzle out, finishing the draft can start to seem like an insurmountable challenge. Through sleepless nights, writer’s block, and dwindling passion, even the most compelling and unprecedented ideas for a story can find themselves untitled and abandoned. Here are 5 reasons why you still haven’t finished writing that book.

Your Story Lacks Structure

Maybe you have an idea for a story. Maybe you’re passionate about that idea. But oftentimes, writing a novel takes more than ideas and passion. It’s beneficial to have some sort of plan for your story before you begin writing your chapters. Whilst jotting down the idea for your story try to also incorporate the Five Act Structure. Knowing the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution of your story will allow you to map out its direction from beginning to end. This structure is simply a guideline that you can use to create your story, you can change it as your story develops. Whether it’s basic or elaborate, having a plan is a great way to set your story up for success.

You have an Inconsistent Writing Schedule

In your day-to-day life, between jobs and family, your mind has so much to keep up with. Trying to remember the direction of a chapter after you’ve stopped in the middle and come back a week later is incredibly difficult. Try to set aside some time each day to develop your story. If your writing isn’t the best that day, you can edit or rewrite it later. Get some ideas for the continuation of the book down on paper. Even if it’s only a page, even if you believe it isn’t good, make an effort to write every day.

You’re Writing For The Money

It’s often said that money is the root of all evil. While that may not be entirely true, simply writing for the money can affect the direction of your story and even the quality of your writing. It would be incorrect to state that you can’t write a book without passion, but being passionate about your book certainly helps. When you write for money, you’re less concerned with your own personal beliefs and ideas for the story. You’re trading in your own unique perspective to put the beliefs and interests of others ahead of your own. In this scenario, many writers lose interest in their story and the development of the book ends there.

You’re Rushing The Story

If you’ve ever found yourself rushing to meet a deadline, you know that the pressure can be intense. When writers place themselves in that position of stress, it can often lead to burnouts and low-quality work. Writer’s block can also be a consequence of trying to rush a story. Many people have a timeframe in mind of how long they want to take to write the book before they begin any actual writing. A week-long or even month-long timeframe to write a book is incredibly difficult to uphold. It’s especially unrealistic if you’re writing a book for the first time. Give yourself ample time to create a structured plan, develop the first draft, revise, and edit.

You’re a Perfectionist

Perfectionism is the Achilles heel of many writers. A perfectionist will reread their work as they’re typing it. They’ll edit before a chapter is completed. They’ll spend an entire day editing a section of their draft as opposed to simply writing the rest of the draft. While perfectionists make decent editors, they often struggle to utilize the time they have to develop the whole story.

Perfectionists also have astronomical standards when it comes to their own work. If they don’t believe a chapter is good enough, they may spend hours rewriting it. If they don’t believe the story is good enough, they may abandon it. If you’re a perfectionist, make sure you develop an elaborate plan for your story. Keep the plan near you as you write the story and review it as you finish each chapter. Reviewing your plan in its entirety will keep your mind on the big picture, and allow you to finish your draft.

Nothing is more rewarding than finally finishing a story you’ve worked hard to develop. Find your story, whether it be old or new. In whatever state it’s in, consider how you can develop it, bring new life into it, and rediscover your passion for it. Set aside the perception of others, set aside those impossible standards, and write your story.

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