İCarolyn McBride, 2001-04-25

At one point or another, anyone who writes anything larger than a short story gets bogged down. Sometimes life gets in the way or we realize that the conversation we wrote on page three needs to be re-written, but we never quite to it. Some of us let our fears and doubts stand in the way but no matter what the reason why, many novels never get finished. We have a wealth of enthusiasm in the beginning, we have what we think are great ideas,so why do many stories get abandoned? Better yet, how can we finish the works that are languishing in boxes, drawers and on computer discs?

So many of us start our stories, and I'm guilty of this myself, and then stop to re-write. The re-write affects the rest of the work and before we know it we're re-writing before the entire first draft is finished. I finally learned that the way to finish is to resist the urge to re-write. Make notes in the margin in red pen if you've written on paper, make notes in boldface on the computer if your work is on disc, but DO NOT go back and fix it. Yet. There will always be something to fix, but if you try to re-write before the first draft is complete you'll never finish it. So grit your teeth and keep writing, worry about revisions another time. Concentrate on finishing first; revise later.

One of our secret fears as authors is that publishers won't want our work because it may not be about a "hot topic". This is true for both fiction and non-fiction. But if we write about what interests us, we're bound to write it with enthusiasm. If we write enthusiastically, and we write well, our work will be all the better for it. Don't worry about publishers, editors and agents right now. Write that story or novel for yourself first and foremost; write for the enjoyment. After all, isn't that why you write?

Sometimes we unconsciously compare our work with best sellers. This is a good way to convince ourselves that we'll never get published. We'll never see the drafts of "The Hunt For Red October" or "Lord of the Rings", so we'll never know whether Tom Clancy rambled or if J.R.R Tolkien lost sight of where he wanted his characters. Don't compare your first or second draft to something on the shelves at your local bookstore; it's not fair to you or your ego. The bestsellers have been years in the making; they've seen multiple re-writes, editors and proofreaders. It's like comparing a suit of armor to a dagger on the forge, and all it accomplishes is fertilizing your doubts and misgivings. So go ahead and read the best sellers, pay attention to whatever grabs your attention in that book; but don't compare your work to Steven King.

There's been a lot written about writer's block. Some authors claim it's a fable while others declare they've been crippled by it for months. I've been struck by writer's block and unable to write much more than a letter for nearly six months. I believe writer's block has its roots in stress and daily living, but that's just personal experience. When our lives are in chaos it's difficult to come up with chapter nine of our novel, or get the article about service dogs finished. I've had to learn the hard way that it's unfair to expect myself to come up with a brilliant plot while my life is in tatters. We've all heard the published authors and teachers say, "Above all,write!" But how can we write if we're blocked? From experience I can tell you there's an easy answer, and from my own experience I'll demonstrate.

I had the opening scene of a murder mystery written, I'd revised and polished until I was happy with it. Then I had the forensic investigators come in and collect the evidence, but I was stumped after that. For days I wondered what to write next but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with a thing. Finally an idea hit me, but it was for a scene later on in the story. I wrote it while I had it fresh in my mind, and by the time I was done I was satisfied with what I'd written. Not long after I sat and looked at the opening scene as well as the one I'd just written, and I thought about what would have to happen between the two. An hour later I was writing the middle scene. Now I'm not saying it will always be easy but my point is that sometimes writing out of sequence jogs our muse. If you think it might work for you, try it.

No matter what you do, no matter what you write, above all,write! Try not to abandon your work in progress, and writing IS work make no mistake. Set realistic goals for yourself, ignore your unspoken doubts and fears and get through that first draft. If you can get the rough copy done, chances are good that you won't abandon your story. Therein lies the nub. No unfinished story ever got published. So grit your teeth and do what you must to finish that story!

Carolyn McBride