I..can’t stick on anything. Or find “that project.”

[Esther]

@writingwren

Ooh, okay this is a really good question, but I think I might be able to help!

First of all, take the pressure off of yourself to find “that project.” Several years ago, when I was just starting to take writing seriously, I heard another writer call her project her “heart novel,” or something along those lines. That put in my mind the idea that I had to have one book that I really really wanted to write and that that would be my book. But that’s not how writing works! You might end up having a favorite project and that’s completely fine. But there’s no need to hop from one idea to the next because you like this idea a little less than another. And your favorite projects are going to change as you change. My first projects used to be my favorites, but as I’ve grown as a writer and a person, I love my current WIP a lot more than I do those old ones. So don’t pressure yourself to find the perfect novel idea. Play around with a few. That’s okay.

Seconding Koshka when I say this, but don’t discredit the writing you’ve already done. I know you want to stick to one project, and that’s really good. But you’ve still written a lot of words, and any words you write are helping you become a better writer. Even if you never use that manuscript again, it’s still helped you learn and grow, and that’s something to be proud of.

Learn your writing process and capitalize on that. This is the hardest part and the part I avoided for a while. But Elishavet and Koshka are right when they say you have to learn yourself, how you write, and where you are right now. I had to humble myself and realize that I didn’t know as much about writing as I thought I did. I thought I had a good system, but really my lack of plotting and lack of understanding of story structure was slowing me down. When I took the time to learn about story and identify the areas I needed to grow in the most, I was able to take the next steps to grow and better myself as a writer.

I know you said you’re a pantser or more of a discovery writer, but I’m going to push against that just a little bit. Let me clarify though, that being a discovery writer is not a bad thing!! But I used to say the same thing, and now I’m plotting before I write almost any story. Before you discredit plotting, I would recommend trying out a few different methods. And here is where short story writing comes in handy!! You can try different plotting methods on different novels, but it’s going to take a while to figure out if that method worked for you or not, just because novels are such big projects. Short stories help with conciseness, and they also give you the opportunity to practice different things in a shorter amount of time, if that makes sense. (I love using flash fiction to practice one small skill, like vivid descriptions or emotional storytelling!) If you’d like, I can give you a few different ways of plotting that I’ve tried and seen people try if that would help. I know you said you tried plotting, but I’d like to encourage you to try it again, and in different ways, before you discredit it entirely. Having a plot and knowing where your story is going keeps you motivated to keep writing and keeps you on track. I could go on forever about how when I started to sit down and plan out my story, I was able to keep it going and finish strong.

Another side of the coin, is that it’s really important to understand story structure. This goes hand in hand with learning how to plot. There are SO many resources out there on story and story structure, so you have a lot at your disposal. I highly recommend anything by K. M. Weiland, either her blog or her nonfiction books. I’m currently in the middle of How to Structure Your Story, and it’s been incredibly helpful. When you understand story and how to craft a story that mimics real life and keeps readers engaged, pantsing and staying motivated both become possible at the same time. Maybe you’ve tried several ways to plot and have decided that it’s not for you. That’s totally fine, because you understand story structure and can roughly keep your story on track. Even if you didn’t plot it out beforehand, you still have a vision of where it needs to go.

Also, identify what you don’t like about your story, and figure out how you can fix it. If there’s a certain thing within your story that you don’t like, and that’s what’s holding you back from finishing it, then do something about it! Don’t like your characters? Take time to flesh them out and learn how to make them feel real. Hate your prose? Practice show don’t tell. Learn how to convey the tone you want through your prose. Don’t like where the plot is going? Change it! This is your story and you can do whatever you want with it.

And then finally, beware of perfectionism. Your novel doesn’t have to be perfect. Every line doesn’t have to sound amazing. Every chapter doesn’t have to be perfectly paced. Just write. One author compared writing to starting up a hose after it hasn’t been used for a while. You have to get all the bad, dirty water out before the clean water starts coming. Same with writing. You have to keep writing and get all the bad stuff out before it starts becoming more refined. Don’t expect perfection from yourself. Just show up every day and put in the work. Keep writing. Because it will pay off! Every line is a chance to practice and become a better writer. So keep going, friend! Don’t give up on your story because it’s not good enough. The only way to get better is to keep practicing. Don’t give up. You got this.

I really hope some of that was helpful for you Wren! I know it was a lot and maybe I totally misinterpreted what you were asking, but I hope you can find some pieces of advice in there that can help you! (Let me know if you have any questions or if there’s something that doesn’t make sense : ) )

Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende

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