The Most Important Thing In Finishing Your Novel... Stick To Your Story!

Although you might have a number of strands in your novel, the central story is its backbone. In my opinion, for most novels, and most novelists writing them, every plot point and every subplot should serve this main narrative. So it is very important when writing your novel, and especially when finishing it up and reviewing it, that you stick to your story. A common adage among screenwriters is that you should, in your last scene, still be telling the story of your first scene. This is also true of novels.

A common mistake writers, even experienced ones, make is to let their initial set–up and inciting incident wander into letting a subplot dominate the novel. We end up spending too long considering some other aspect of the narrative other than the core. This is always a mistake.

When you lose sight of your central story, your novel can become confusing for readers. And a confused reader is less likely to recommend your book to a friend, or buy your next one. Even worse, an editor or agent is less likely to want to take it on at all.

So whatever approach you take, remember this: you should always stick to your story. The central story is everything. Tell the story you started with. Do not wander away from it into subplots or irrelevant action.

This is an excerpt from How To Write A Novel Chapter By Chapter available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Novel-Chapter-Outlining-ebook/dp/B0DJ8TMVWL?ref_=ast_author_mpb

You can also check out our other services, Mentoring and Manuscript Review, on the links above.