Young Writers Society

Hello all!

So Colly(@UntamedHeart173) and I are having a little problem. We've come up with another book we want to collaborate on. This fact is making us want to quit the book we're currently working on. How in the heck do you force yourself to work on something when you've got no motivation for it? We really need to finish this before we work on anything else.

ShadowPrincess16

The way I see it, there are a few variables at play here.

The first novel you're working on, how much more do you have to write? Is the finish line in sight, are you stuck in the middle, or are you somewhere towards the beginning? Everyone is different, but when I'm working on a project, if I'm somewhere towards the beginning and I'm no longer feeling it and I'd rather work on something else, then I abandon it and move on. I'm not going to waste my time finishing every single novel I start if I get to the point where I just don't like writing it anymore. If I force it, I'm just going to write crap or not write at all. You have to enjoy what you're working on. However, if I'm past the half-way point, I usually power through and get to the end. I've never gotten to the half-way point and decided I hate it and don't want to continue. Usually if I can get over that hump, I'm good until the end because the end is in sight.

Try to figure out where you are in your novel and maybe even calculate how much time it'll take to get to the end. Let's say you write 1000 words a day, you've already written 20k and you're trying to get to 65k. You'd have roughly 45 more writing days until you're done. Or let's say you write one chapter per writing day. You've written fifteen and you think you're about halfway. You'd have roughly fifteen more writing days left. It may not be a perfect calculation, but sometimes it helps to see it that way so you have a better sense of how close (or how far away) you really are. Maybe 15 writing days is worth it to you and 45 days isn't. Or maybe 45 writing days doesn't seem that bad and you think you can power through till the end.

What I've done, is when I have a new idea burning in my brain but I want to get to the end of a current novel project, I use that time to really develop the new idea. I spend lots of time thinking about the characters and the plot and developing the story in my head (while still finishing the other story), so when I'm done with the first story, I'm ready to write the new idea.

Another idea is to think about why the mojo for this story has left. I've felt it plenty of times and I think the reason varies from story to story. Is it writer's block? Do you not like the characters anymore? Does the plot feel boring? What about this story is making you less excited to write it? Perhaps this is something you can fix to make the excitement come back. If not, and the story has truly lost the magic for you, then let it go. You don't have to finish every novel you start. Also, Breaks can be your friend sometimes. There's nothing wrong with having two novels going at once. If this new idea is really exciting, then take a break from this older novel and start working on the new one. Maybe a break from the old will give you some time to think about it and get re-excited about it. If you really don't like anymore, it's okay to abandon it.