Mad Drafting Skills: DON’T PANIC

So, last time, we talked about FLYING through word count. But that doesn’t always happen, right? Sometime we hit a wall that needs to be broken through or climbed over.

DON’T PANIC.

I don’t know a single author who hasn’t been stumped at some point in time, on one or several projects…

Here are a few ideas to get you back on track:

1. Outline what you have so far ( I use this a LOT), I rarely outline anything before I write.
2. Maybe try a different type of outline – I have made SO many realizations while doing this. Look at each scene and think about – LEARN and PROPEL – that post is HERE.
3. Go over your character sketches and maybe add to them. If I fall in love with my characters again, I regain the NEED to tell their story. I also generally get ideas for scenes I’d like to write.
4. Give yourself permission to NOT WRITE EVERYDAY (yes, some would argue with me over this one).
5. Go back to the things you’ve done to set the mood.
6. Don’t be afraid to WRITE OUT OF ORDER. You might throw that scene away when you write up to it, but if it helps grease those brain wheels, YAY.
7. Sometimes you have to write something BAD in the hopes that it leads to something GOOD.
8. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself that you’ll probably hate your book a few times between the beginning of the process and the end and that the feeling is NORMAL.
9. Try to think about your WIP every day, even if you’re not writing in it everyday. This is how authors finish a project.
10. WRITE BY HAND. Man, has this helped me before. First off, my fingers and my keyboard can’t keep up with brain most of the time, so when I slow down, it’s super obvious. When I’m writing, everything is slower, and I’m generally more careful with my words. I edit these sections a lot less than the ones I type.

Here’s what happens to a lot of people who have a hard time finishing a project:

The thing is – the new project is shinier and prettier and more perfecter than the one you’re having a hard time finishing, yes?

Another few ideas:

1. If you’re not on a deadline, AND you’re someone who knows he/she can finish a book, go for it. Write while the muse is loud. The other MS will still be there when the muse quiets.
2. If you have a hard time finishing projects, STOP. But on your adulting britches and just DO IT. (IF you’re serious about writing that is).
3. If you’re on a deadline. STOP. STAHP!! Make goals in your current WIP, and once you hit those goals, THEN you get to work on the shiny new toy. You want a career as an author? Deadlines are part of it.

So. Hopefully some of this is helpful. Next post we’ll talk about when you push through a project, and when to walk away…

Happy Writing!

~ Jo

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