How to Finish that Book - Article by Ebony McKenna

This article is all about making things up, making it work, making it to the end. Anything but making excuses.

Because we need to finish our works in progress. We need to write those magic words ‘the end’.

As daunting as it sounds, we NEED to finish the novel we’re on, so we can start on the next one. After all, we’re here to write. I’d say most of us here want some kind of way to make our writing pay. To make a career out of it. We also know that most of us have very busy lives. We’re cramming all we can into them.

If we’re realistic, we know we’ll never really ‘get’ the time to finish a novel, so we just have to ‘find’ the time.

Step One:

Find the time. Half an hour a day is all you need. More is a bonus. Make it yours, any way you can.

Step Two:

Give yourself permission to write crap. Thanks to Chris for this one.

Step Three:

Keep telling yourself, "It's just one novel, there will be plenty more."

Step Four:

Keep going.

But what if you’re stuck? You’re 3/4 of the way through. Your plot has fallen in a heap. Your characters are annoying. You have nowhere to go. Here are some techniques to stay in love with your characters, to stay interested, until you can get to the end.

Hurt Your Characters.

Only by putting them in a horrible situation can we see how they will fight their way out.

Have a private chat to them, tell them they're not performing, and they'll get voted off the island if they don't do something impressive. Play 'what if' and start imagining various scenarios and what your character would do if faced with them.

Brainstorm Ideas

Take your manuscript to your critique buddy/writers group and throw ideas around. No idea is too silly or far-fetched. Say yes to everything suggested, then sleep on it. Solutions often come after a good night’s sleep.

Play ‘what if’ and imagine your characters in a whole new scenario.

What would you rather be doing? Maybe that’s what your characters could do.

Keep GOING! Keep writing. Don't delete a whole chapter, don’t keep editing chapter one. Keep writing. Solutions crop up in the strangest places. Jump ahead to a scene you’re itching to write, instead of the scene you’re growing bored with. It doesn’t matter, it’s just the first draft, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Move it!

Make the characters move around, not stand around. If you have loads of dialogue and exposition to get out, then have it take place in a dynamic setting. This is my 'James Cameron/Terminator' rule, and it works a treat. Sarah Connor and Reese are in a car, behind them is the relentless terminator who will stop at nothing to kill her. Reese gives the most ludicrous exposition about the coming war, what a Cyborg is, Sarah's role, how he's here to save her, how her unborn son will lead the rebellion. It’s a lot to take in - yet all the while they're in a car chase, so the tension is incredibly good and you pay attention.

Let New Ideas in.

They may be ideas for other books. Write those ideas and characters down. Leave them for a while. If they keep interrupting your thoughts, feel free to write about the new characters and tell a new story. That's how Ondine & Shambles happened - and I finished that one!

Skip to the end.

If you’re stuck on one novel and you just can’t move forward, then skip to the end. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a really good ending. This is the first draft, it doesn’t have to be perfect. But it does need to get written. So write the final scene and see how satisfying it feels.

Then you know what you’re working to – and you can always change it later.

It’s the first draft, it doesn’t have to be perfect. If I’m repeating myself, then it must be important. <g>

You’re allowed to be scared.

If you finish a book, you’ll be expected to submit it. People will want to read it. That’s OK. When you actually finish a book, you’ll be in the top one percent of the population who have ever finished a book. Give yourself a pat on the back, and then get on with the next one. <g>

Sometimes shitty things happen. Rest assured it won’t last forever, it just feels like it will.