Making It to the Finish Line 

Making It to the Finish Line 

Laura Moe

Shortly after my first novel was released, I served on a panel at a writing conference and was asked, “What is the key to your success?” 

“I finished it,” I replied. 

I’ve never suffered from writer’s block. Every day I’ll write 250-1000 words as naturally as I breathe, so I proposed a session to share my wisdom for an upcoming conference on ‘making it to the finish line.’ At the time, I was 30,000 words into a new novel. 

Then the global pandemic hit.

For the next several weeks I could barely write an email much less chapters of my novel. Occasionally I’d dig out my pages, but my heart wasn’t in it. My book came to a screeching halt.

I have a stack of failed manuscripts, but I’ve always finished them, yet here I was slated to talk to others on how to finish their books, and I was unable to complete my own. Then I remembered the only other time I couldn’t complete one; it was after the death of two family member in a house fire.

The pandemic created an environment of uncertainty where the entire world experienced a form of grief, either for loved ones lost to COVID, or for their normal lives. 

In my case, my work routine was shaken. My critique group could no longer meet in person, and I prefer to compose my drafts in coffee shops. Being off site means I’m not worried about laundry or dishes, but with restaurants and coffee shops now closed, I had no choice but to write at home. I rearranged my home office, yet I still couldn’t write. The daily news grew increasingly fraught with record unemployment, surging COVID deaths, political debauchery, and a divided nation. 

But writing also helps us cope. Now more than ever is the time to create that book you’ve dreamed of writing even if 95% of people who start writing one don’t complete them. Here are strategies to conquer the obstacles and make it to the finish line.

Begin with passion for the project. You’re going to have a long relationship with this story so you need to love it, warts and all, and there are days you will want to break up.

Unrealistic expectations There’s no guarantee you’ll get published or even make any money on it, so don’t buy a yacht. Only 5% of novelists make enough royalties that they don’t have to work a day job. 

Doubt Any literate person can write a book, but most don’t because crafting a novel is hard. Non-writers have the mistaken illusion that writers sit down at the keyboard and an entire book flies off our fingertips in order. Nope. That author whose book you love spent months or years crafting the manuscript through multiple drafts, many headaches, gallons of coffee, wine or gin, and a mountain of doubts. 

Experience A chapter in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers discusses ‘The 10,000 hour rule,’ where it takes a minimum of ten thousand hours to master any skill. Write a lot, fail a lot, and eventually you will succeed.

Don’t build a cathedral. When working on my MFA, one of my mentors likened writing a book to building a cathedral. “Don’t try to build a cathedral until you’ve built a few churches first.” Construct your book one scene or chapter at a time.

Planner or Pantser? Planners have the advantage of having a structure for the story and knowing the ending before they write the first word. They write quickly and efficiently. Pansters like me write by the seat of our pants. We discover the story as it unfolds with a vague sense of where we’re headed, yet may drift off to China via the Netherlands on a long, circuitous route when we could have just followed the map. Pansters eventually get the job done, but it usually takes us longer.

Finding time. If you’re serious about finishing a book, you will find time and places. Award winning YA author Jeff Zentner composes drafts on his phone during his bus commute to and from work as an assistant DA. His commute provides an hour a day of uninterrupted time. Other writers get up earlier the rest of the family, or stay up past midnight to write. If you only create a page a day, you accumulate 300 pages in less than a year. 

Accountability. Set a timeline with a goal, yet don’t feel imprisoned by it. If you miss a writing day, add 100 more words to tomorrow’s goal, and gradually make it up. It’s between you and the book. If the book is a worthy ally, it will wait. For the ultimate challenge, try www.nanowrimo.org

The Saggy Middle. You’ll hit a wall at some point in the manuscript and lose momentum. While drafting, I insert notes to myself such as, I squeeze her shoulder and slide over to the dinette [ADD MORE DETAIL,] or He stood at the beach [WHICH ONE?] and gazed at the birds [SPECIES] circling the beached whale. This keeps me moving forward and I can fix these gaps in revision.

Reward yourself. Writing a book makes you badass. At the finish line, celebrate with a glass of champagne, a meal, or a new outfit. Set the book aside and allow time to pass before you revise. 

While I set aside my pre-pandemic work-in-progress, I completed a draft of a brand new one, which I’m currently revising. Ironically, it’s a road novel. I may not be able to go anywhere, but my characters can.

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Laura Moe is the author of three novels. 

On the verge of graduating high school, with no solid plans for his future, Michael has two options. He can either remain in Rooster, Ohio and attend a local college, or accept a scholarship to a summer workshop in Seattle, where he has a chance to meet his biological father. Will he make the right choice? While he struggles with his options, Michael discovers the ties that bind him to his girlfriend Shelly may be slowly unraveling.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips