Why Don’t People Finish, Or Even Start, That Novel?

Many people want to write a novel. Many dream of being a novelist. But writing a novel can feel like a huge task, and there is no way round it: it is. A songwriter has to create a song that lasts three minutes, and has maybe 20 lines of text. A novel might be one hundred thousand words long, or even longer. A movie director has a whole cast of brilliant actors and a talented technical team to help them realize their vision. A novelist works alone. And so many aspiring writers never make it past the initial idea, or even the dream they cherish.

There has been some research done into why people never get to the point of finishing their novel (or even starting it). It falls into a few broad areas.

Time

Writing demands not just time, but also quiet mental space over a period of months (or years). Modern life is busy and full of distractions (and other books to read!)

Self-Doubt

Often people question their ability to write a novel. This falls into two parts: firstly, a lack of technical skill, and secondly, a lack of direction or determination. We’ll talk more about this in a moment.

Procrastination

The sheer size of a novel-length project can make it easy to put off starting. The task seems so immense that it’s easier to push it aside for “later”—a later that never comes.

Perfectionism

Often we hear that someone is a perfectionist and we are invited to admire it. You shouldn’t admire perfectionism, especially in novel-writing, because there is no such thing as perfect. A novel might have 10,000 sentences. Pretty much every one of those could be written differently. Perfectionism is actually an anxiety issue, because it blocks and delays progress.

Fear of Failure

Fear of failure can be paralysing. Many people are afraid that they might produce something that isn’t good enough for publication, and so they don’t even try to write their novel. But how will your dream come true if you don’t try to make it happen?

Lack of Technical Knowledge Of How To Write A Novel

Finally, one of the most significant reasons people don’t write novels is that they become afraid they won’t be able to structure, plot, and so won’t be able to complete a satisfying, publishable novel. This fear connects all the points above, even time, because if you don’t know how to do something, how long will it take to do, and what happens when it turns out you don’t know how anyway?

But you can learn this technical knowledge - it's not hard, someone just needs to show you how...

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.