# The Sheilawisz's Guide: How to Finish your Stories.



## Sheilawisz (May 9, 2012)

After following Phil's thread about why you are not published yet, I realized how many of my fellow Fantasy writers here in Mythic Scribes have not finished their stories... That was quite a surprise, and so I decided to start another thread to give my advice about how to actually finish what you started to write.

I have been writing seriously my own stories since 2003, and after these nine years of work I have finished three novels in my first Fantasy series (now I want to expand it to seven) two novels of my Joan of England trilogy and last April 16th I finished my second series composed by five short novels, which took me loads of hard work after I started it back in 2007.

So, how have I achieved all of these novels?? We all can finish what we start to write, and my first advice to those who feel that they cannot finish a novel is this: _You have to feel a true love for your stories, your characters and your worlds, you need to really be happy and proud with your creations..._

Without that, you are not going anywhere!!

When I joined Mythic Scribes in November 2011, the first thing that I started to talk about was the _discipline_ that it takes to keep writing and finish a novel- _Without a good writing discipline you cannot finish a novel_, you must always keep that in mind and practice, practice and practice even more to be a dedicated writer fueled by your love for your creations.

1- You have to really love what you are creating.
2- Believe in your own writing talent.
3- Practice to build up your writing discipline.
4- When that voice tells you that you are not good enough, shut it up.
5- Keep writing, even in those days when you feel sad, tired or not creative at all.
6- Celebrate when you finish every chapter.
7- Give yourself rewards for finishing a chapter or some important part of your story.
8- Keep writing!!
9- Keep advancing!! A great reward is waiting for you when you finish your novel.
10- I don't care if you don't feel in the mood to write today, sit down and write!!
11- When you feel that you cannot write anymore, think that your characters are waiting for you to finish their adventure.

12- Finish your novel at last, and celebrate... celebrate big time =)

To those of you who have never finished the novel that you started, let me tell you that it brings a great feeling of success and euphoria that you must experience someday... for me, writing a novel is just like climbing a huge and steep mountain full of challenges and surprises- Keep climbing, and eventually you will reach that summit so high and you will start to cry of happiness and pride.

Everything in this guide works well for me, and I wish that it will work for you as well... good luck!!


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## Steerpike (May 9, 2012)

This is a good list, Sheilawisz. I find number 5, 8, and 10 are particularly important!


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## TWErvin2 (May 9, 2012)

It is *so* important for writers to finish their works--novels, short stories, whatever.

Many writers talk about their works or writing, but never _actually_ finish. Sure, the odds of finding a publisher, even with an excellent work, are long. And even success with self-publishing, however one would define success, is not guaranteed.

Whatever long odds are out there, it's absolutely impossible to succeed if a project is never finished and never send out into the publishing world. Zero chance. None at all.


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## Amanita (May 9, 2012)

Your post inspired me to write this evening.  Even though I thought I was too tired before. And it went really well. So thumbs up. Discipline really is an important aspect if you actually want to finish your story at some time, which I definitely do.


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## Leif GS Notae (May 9, 2012)

All right, since I've been away for some time, I'll be the bad guy here.

This is a nice list and all, but you didn't take into account the evolution of abilities to write, nor the tastes that might change while you are learning. 

Many times we have large goals, but the skill to finish said goal isn't there. Other times we think we have the passion, but with learning new ways to express yourself, you tend to lose the fire and passion to continue with a fragment of your interest that now seems childish.

This is not the zen way of writing, in my opinion. Finishing to finish does not make a great novel. You must have passion and focus to do so. If any of that wanes, it transcribes itself onto the page and you will never know why you can't get behind the project anymore.

The other side of this coin is the ones who can't finish pants too much. They don't have the outline in front of them, even if it is only major points to cover. Too many people are afraid of outlining, but it can be as simple as you make it (as long as you cover your topics).

And one last thing you might want to include on there: *Stop writing like a reader.*

Don't get yourself into the trap that you "have to write beginning to end, and if you don't, you are worthless." If you can't get to the end, just write the end. See what you think it will be. It may give you a clearer picture on where to lead your story, if you still want to.


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## Philip Overby (May 9, 2012)

Thanks for this list Sheilawisz.  I hope some will read about your success in finishing and it will push them to finish their own novels.  I think having a structured plan to write everyday and write even if you aren't in the mood for it, is advice that a lot of published writers give.  Editing, is of course, a magical tool.  Sometimes writers have said they've cut whole chapters, characters, and even 100s of pages from a manuscript before they get it the way they want.

But you can't edit forever.  At some point you have to be satisfied.

So I think not finishing comes down to several things:

1.  Quitting because it's not working
2.  Losing interest and finding a shinier idea (which I call Creative ADD)
3.  Editing too much
4.  Fear of rejection
5.  Feeling overwhelmed by a mixture of those

Whichever one is giving you trouble, target it however you can.

Finishing just to finish can be a good thing.  Even if your novel sucks, _it is complete._  And the more you complete, the better you'lll get.  Don't just write crappy stuff just to write it.  But don't be afraid to have bad days of writing.


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## Devor (May 9, 2012)

Leif GS Notae said:


> And one last thing you might want to include on there: *Stop writing like a reader.*



Thank you.  Do you mind if I use that line?


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## Leif GS Notae (May 9, 2012)

Devor said:


> Thank you.  Do you mind if I use that line?



Sure thing, I'm happy to share. Spread the unshackled writerly love


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## Penpilot (May 9, 2012)

Quoting Wayne Gretzky (hockey player)
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

When you're just learning to write IMHO it's better to just finish even if it sucks. You can learn a lot from finishing a bad story. I know I did. Never stop being a student. If you think you've learned all you need to learn then you've probably said all that you've have to say.

But what the hell do I know? I suck. I hate my stories. I'll never be good enough. I'm too sad to write. I want to eat cheese fries instead. *Sob* *Wheep* Going to go have a Near-Beer and slam my head on the keyboard for an hour now. Infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters... *boo hoo*


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## Leif GS Notae (May 9, 2012)

Penpilot said:


> Quoting Wayne Gretzky (hockey player)
> You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
> 
> When you're just learning to write IMHO it's better to just finish even if it sucks. You can learn a lot from finishing a bad story. I know I did. Never stop being a student. If you think you've learned all you need to learn then you've probably said all that you've have to say.
> ...



Yes, but forcing yourself to end a book, to use a hockey analogy, is like shooting the five hole the entire time and expecting you'll make it past the goalie every time. You have to change your approach, use your teammates to help you, and every once in a while, it passes through with luck (not that it is a bad thing, of course).

Being fluid in your writing also means being fluid in your story. Write whatever comes to you, and if it all ties in together, then you did great. If not, that piece will help you build a better story (either now or in the future).


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## Sheilawisz (May 10, 2012)

Thanks for your comments, everyone!!

@Terry and Phil: I agree about the importance of finishing your first novel, no matter if it is good, bad, short, long or whatever- The mere fact that you _finished_ it instead of forsaking your creation gives you confidence to keep writing, and from that point it becomes easier to finish your second novel and then another... or at least, that's how it happened with me =)

I started my first Fantasy novel as a short story just to have fun, but then it seemed to just grow with a life of its own: I was starting to love my story and my characters, I wanted it to grow more and become a real novel, and so, after a great effort, I finished it and after that two more novels came and the story captured my imagination and my heart forever.

What would have happened if I had just abandoned it to collect dust as a few sheets of paper??

My first novel back in those days was clearly not my best work, at least not at first (I have edited it for years since then, and I still want to polish it a little more) but if I had not finished it, even finishing it as the poor quality that it was back then, today I would not have this story that is now such an important part of my life...

@Leif: I think that as writers, like anything else in life, we get better with experience- The first novel that a writer gets to finish cannot be expected to be immediately a highest quality novel, but the importance of finishing the first book is still there. Like Terry says, it's the first step to take because otherwise you have nothing.

I wanted to give my advice here because all of this is what works well for me, and I hope that it can work to help others too... However, we all are different in the way that we write and each of us, after all, has to find the way that works best for writing our own stories.

When you say outlining, you mean having in mind a clear idea of what the novel is supposed to be? I call that _having the Structure of the novel_ and I usually write it down in paper, but I want to talk about that tomorrow =)


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## Penpilot (May 10, 2012)

Leif GS Notae said:


> Yes, but forcing yourself to end a book, to use a hockey analogy, is like shooting the five hole the entire time and expecting you'll make it past the goalie every time. You have to change your approach, use your teammates to help you, and every once in a while, it passes through with luck (not that it is a bad thing, of course).



I disagree that it's like shooting five hole all the time. You learn from each shot you take and you use that knowledge to find the goalies weakness. If you only take one shot, you cant learn as much. Without enough information, how do you know if you should change your approach or not? The five hole may be that particular goalies great weakness.



Leif GS Notae said:


> Being fluid in your writing also means being fluid in your story. Write whatever comes to you, and if it all ties in together, then you did great. If not, that piece will help you build a better story (either now or in the future).



I'm not sure I'm understanding you here, so correct me if I'm responding to something you didn't say.

Fluid writing comes with practice and practice develops control over ones writing. Control means a writer will be able to do things on purpose instead hoping a piece of writing turns out because they were in the zone that day. Writing requires many different skills and a subset of those skills is acquired by finishing stories good, bad and everything in between. 

I'd even go as far as to say finishing a bad and uninspiring story is more helpful than finishing a good one. If an author knows what they wrote is bad that's a lessoned learned. If they can figure out what's wrong with the story and can figure out how to fix it, that's two lessons learned. And all this acquired experience can be applied to the next story.

From personal experience, I've finished my share of terrible stories. But because I finished them, I had lots to work with when I went back. And I worked them into something better, dare I say even good. You mentioned people should outline, well, a terribly written story can be considered an outline, and for some authors, that's the way they work, first terrible draft is the outline.


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## Phin Scardaw (May 10, 2012)

Phin's input:

I wrote a fantasy novel in highschool which I pantsed the whole way. It was fun, but it had almost no literary worth. The act was satisfying in and of itself, and the fact that I had finished the first draft of an full-length manuscript gave me confidence I needed to complete future projects. 

My first serious attempt to write a manuscript that I intended to submit to agents and publishers began when I was 19 living in Vancouver with no friends and no job. At the time I was reading a lot of Neil Gaiman's work, but then I was introduced to Michael Ondaatje and Anne Michaels, neither of whom write fantasy but lyrical works of serious literature. I wanted to inject literary depth into my work and create the most sophisticated piece I could draft. Other influences were Douglas Coupland and Chuck Palahniuk - good writers with edge and human appeal. 

It took me about five years to complete this novel. I wrote it longhand and transcribed it with paltry typing skills. I did about a year of research. I edited for another solid year, revising it three or four times. These last steps were tedious and tiresome. 

At points when I flagged, I would go online and I would read interviews with my favourite writers. I would imagine what I would say to an interviewer about my own work. I inspired myself not to write, because the writing was done. I inspired myself to become a successful author. Then I would toil late into the night doing what had to be done, visualizing myself as successfully published and recognized for my work. 

Since then my writing methods have become much cleaner. I no longer write longhand, but have the ability to compose creative passages on my laptop which is portable but not always as convenient to take with me as a notebook and a fountain pen. It is definitely easier to remain organized this way. So Leif is right about evolving as a writer - and that evolution includes the ability to see which stories are worth writing out to the end, and which should be dropped for whatever reason.

I also gave myself clear and realistic deadlines that I pushed myself to meet. A self-imposed deadline is like a promise to yourself. We all like to write about heroes who fight for honour and glory - well the honour of a writer is keeping these promises, and the glory is the book you get to print out and share with others. No one wants or expects this process to be easy.

A lot of people like to write, and that is well - but not everyone has the ability to motivate themselves to go the lengths they need to go in order to become a serious author. It's tough work, like composing a symphony or painting a complex mural. Exercises are invaluable: write short stories to practice the art and hone your skills. Completing those can give you the confidence you need to finish longer projects.

The end of a novel is like the endgame of chess: it is a completely separate part of the game from the opening and the middle. It has its own rules and identity. A writer must be equally familiar with its aspects as he or she is with the beginning and the long climb to the ending climax. 

Finishing something is deeply satisfying; when you are able to tell people that with pride that you are a novelist, it will mean a great deal to you. Being published probably feels even better, but that is a step much further down the track. 

Outlining and other tricks of the trade are very useful. Whenever I needed to know how a scene would unfold, I sometimes would just write the dialogue so that it would read like the script to a play. That can be immensely helpful to shape the scene and direct the story. You go back and add in the descriptions after. Also, this can be a good way to get the juices flowing.

I'm not too keen to force myself to write if I am not inspired. I know that these very organic processes have cycles and that sometimes it is necessary to let ideas steep and to let your mind digest certain themes. The pause can be just as vital as the word. A break or hiatus is no block to your writing.

But discipline and passion are critical in order to return to the craft that calls you.


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## JCFarnham (May 10, 2012)

Phin Scardaw said:


> I'm not too keen to force myself to write if I am not inspired. I know that these very organic processes have cycles and that sometimes it is necessary to let ideas steep and to let your mind digest certain themes. The pause can be just as vital as the word. A break or hiatus is no block to your writing.
> 
> But discipline and passion are critical in order to return to the craft that calls you.



You certainly sound like you're on the same page as me!

If you have to force yourself to write then you're going against the most important rule of writing effectively and efficiently: *enjoy what you're doing*. Forcing isn't fun to me and that would show in my writing. I'm not going to kid myself.


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## Philip Overby (May 10, 2012)

Professional writers force themselves to write everyday.  I've read several interviews like that (Chuck Wendig says that a lot and he considers himself a freelancer).  They have to write or they don't eat.  I guess that's the difference between a hobbyist and professional writer though.


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## JCFarnham (May 10, 2012)

Indeed Phil. 

But I've also read blogs, interviews, etc. that state the professional writers in question couldn't possibly write everyday to the quantities they do if they wrote stuff they didn't enjoy. Hence why I hold the position I do. As human beings we just love to complain about anything we can haha, so I'd hazard a guess at saying that even when professional writing "becomes a drag" they still enjoy it somewhere along the line.

Enjoyment is more important to productivity than we may think. To me at least.

Alas! Who knows what I might say if/when I get published though


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## Devor (May 10, 2012)

In my opinion, if you want to be successful, you need to _manage your enthusiasm_, rather than let it manage you. It's your key resource, and you should know how to utilize it in a way that's sustainable. How? There are ways. I might do a post or article about it. But you need to find what works for you.

I also think you should battleplan your book.  Write an outline, give yourself space and goals, and be flexible - in these three chapters, two things need to happen, wait, now that I've thought ahead, there's four or five things so I should give it an extra chapter. In your outline, track info-leaks, plot and story in separate columns. Wherever there's conflict, circle the affected chapters - there should be lots of overlap.  You need to space how characters develop and where they end up. Change your battleplan constantly.

Give yourself space to write, edit, and plan/research regularly.  Say, two hours to write, twenty minutes to edit, ten to review the battleplan.

Finally, don't waste time. If you're having trouble writing your novel, you still need to write. Take a break and post on Phil's challenge of the week.  But you have to write.


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## JCFarnham (May 10, 2012)

It does interest me in seeing how often pantsing correlates to not finishing. Of everyone I've talked to about the subject of productivity and finishing what you start, I've lost count of how many people have said they used to "pants it" but started planning (even only a tiny bit perhaps) now find they complete things a lot more.

It can swing the other way of course what with getting bogged down in details, but still. Interesting observation right?


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## shangrila (May 10, 2012)

So, basically, just write as much as you can.

Pretty much the same as anything else in life.


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## Sheilawisz (May 11, 2012)

Many times I have had to sit down, stare at the empty page of my Word screen and force myself to write: I was feeling sad that day, or my writing energy was low (a very frequent problem for me, these days) or it was just that I did not feel the mood to write... However, I have deadlines and without those mornings when I force myself to keep advancing, finishing a novel would be very difficult indeed and maybe I would never finish a story after all.

I have discovered that forcing myself to write can sometimes give very positive results, and some of my best scenes have been written exactly when I was not feeling the best mood or the inspiration to write well =)

Forcing yourself does not mean that you do not like your writing or your stories: It just means that you are not feeling particularly good that day, but just as a climber in the Himalaya must keep climbing even when they are lacking of sleep or worse, as a writer and a storyteller you must keep advancing to meet your deadline and finish your novel in the end.

Now, let's talk about _Having the Structure for your Novel_:

1- Take a few blank sheets of paper, and write at the top the name of your story.
2- Write as #1 the name of your first chapter, and then add the details of what is going to happen in that chapter: What the characters are doing, where they are in your world, what plotlines are to be defined...

3- Keep adding numbers to your list, each dedicated to a different chapter.
4- Always write as many details as you can think of!! This is like writing a little guide about every chapter of your novel.
5- Keep in mind how your story will end.

I view the Structure sheets as my climbing route to reach the summit within my deadline, and I find that it's a very effective method to know your story better, be well prepared for the adventure ahead and even calculate the number of chapters that your novel will have in the end...

Good luck!!


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## Leif GS Notae (May 11, 2012)

So if I write 25000 words in a day (which I can, I've done it without a problem) and I finish a story, will that put food on my plate? No. Writing a story and "WRITING A STORY" are two different things. 

You can write an amazing amount of backstory that is very fluff like and builds a world you can write a story from, but if you don't know the structure of a story (the golden country, inciting incident, 3+ acts, etc), you're screaming in the wind and no one can hear you.

It isn't the ACT of finishing, it is the ability to understand HOW to finish that will make you a better writer.



Penpilot said:


> I disagree that it's like shooting five hole all the time. You learn from each shot you take and you use that knowledge to find the goalies weakness. If you only take one shot, you cant learn as much. Without enough information, how do you know if you should change your approach or not? The five hole may be that particular goalies great weakness.



And this is where your analysis of my analysis of the original quote is a bit wanky. You can shoot all you want at that goalie and try to score a goal. Without research, study, and feedback from your "teammates", you are never going to find out that his stick side is his weak spot and if someone is screening his glove hand, he'll give up a goal every time. You might not think there is a formula for writing a great novel, but I assure you there is. 



Penpilot said:


> I'm not sure I'm understanding you here, so correct me if I'm responding to something you didn't say.
> 
> Fluid writing comes with practice and practice develops control over ones writing. Control means a writer will be able to do things on purpose instead hoping a piece of writing turns out because they were in the zone that day. Writing requires many different skills and a subset of those skills is acquired by finishing stories good, bad and everything in between.
> 
> ...



You misunderstood what I was saying, but that is all right. Fluid isn't the ability to change whatever you want in the story, it is the ability to weather the storm and watch the river flood the area you didn't expect it to. It is the ability to let your story go because it isn't ready, or just isn't interesting.

My example would be from this thread this morning. I commented here, told an independent editor who wants to read everything I am writing for this WIP that I was putting it on the backshelf only to have inspiration from stepping away and admitting defeat, which leads to a greater purpose and focus because I am not carrying the cross of "finishing"; THAT is fluid. That is Zen Writing.

Your work is like a sandcastle beset to the waves. When the ocean tears it down and destroys MOST of it, you can rebuild what was important and make a better castle. Eventually, after many losses, you build the best castle you can and the tide recedes. 

That is your novel. You let life, the universe, and everything flow through you without dictating you WILL finish.

Am I openly discouraging people with my words? Perhaps. If you can accept that you will have to step away and assess that there are many manuscripts in the closets of the greatest writers in the world, you can accept that there are times your story is okay to walk away from.


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## Leif GS Notae (May 11, 2012)

Sheilawisz said:


> @Leif: I think that as writers, like anything else in life, we get better with experience- The first novel that a writer gets to finish cannot be expected to be immediately a highest quality novel, but the importance of finishing the first book is still there. Like Terry says, it's the first step to take because otherwise you have nothing.
> 
> I wanted to give my advice here because all of this is what works well for me, and I hope that it can work to help others too... However, we all are different in the way that we write and each of us, after all, has to find the way that works best for writing our own stories.
> 
> When you say outlining, you mean having in mind a clear idea of what the novel is supposed to be? I call that _having the Structure of the novel_ and I usually write it down in paper, but I want to talk about that tomorrow =)



So, I want this to be clear: You are saying that it is up to the writer to write their story, and yet finishing is the best part. I think there is a disconnect here (and my apologies if I sound cutting, I had a terrible bit of news today).

I'll tell you this, I didn't finish my first four WIPs. I knew they weren't interesting, and I knew they taught me more than just "finishing". Two of them were NaNoWriMo projects, slated for over 200K words, but when I got to the 80K level, they weren't salvageable for more than the attempt, rounding out the world I had in mind, and some structure that i could alter to my heart's content.

However, I have taken some of my fiction to freelance editors. I have the notes here that tell me I need to keep going with these themes. I didn't have that knowledge or awareness before. I took the risk (artistic and monetary) to let editors tell me what I needed to do. I bought and consumed books on structures, formulas, themes, characters, and more.

Will my book conquer the world? We'll see. The aspect here is seeing what you are weak in, admitting where you fall short, learning more about it, conquering that, and incorporating it into your writing. Finishing is great and all, but it isn't important. 

Self awareness, understanding, and growth are far more important.

Also: By outlining, I'm not saying you have to be locked into a story where you can't change things. I know many people (including myself) that use mile markers or milestones that will account for WHERE the story will go.


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## Sheilawisz (May 11, 2012)

Leif, we all are different and so different writing strategies work for every one of us. What you talk about may not work at all for other writers, and with this thread I am just hoping that my advice can work for others like it works for me, and help them to finish and enjoy the stories that they started to write.

You talk about editors and you seem to aim to publish your works and be famous for it, I hope you will attain this goal- In the other hand, I talk about storytelling because I think of myself as a storyteller first, and a writer second... I am not talking in this thread about what editors and publishers want, this is just about finishing what you start and be happy with it =)

Thanks to Phil's thread I realized just how many of our fellow MS writers have never finished their stories, and I want to help them to actually finish their stuff- whether they want to publish it or keep it to themselves, that is up to them and I cannot give advice about that.


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## Penpilot (May 11, 2012)

Leif GS Notae said:


> So if I write 25000 words in a day (which I can, I've done it without a problem) and I finish a story, will that put food on my plate? No. Writing a story and "WRITING A STORY" are two different things.



I think you're misunderstanding things. Finishing a story is just that finishing a story, a first draft. Nobody is claiming that finishing a story is the be all end all after which money falls from the heavens. Finishing a story is just the first step. I've said this before, editing is where all the heavy work is done, but if you don't have any raw material, there's nothing to lift.



Leif GS Notae said:


> You can write an amazing amount of backstory that is very fluff like and builds a world you can write a story from, but if you don't know the structure of a story (the golden country, inciting incident, 3+ acts, etc), you're screaming in the wind and no one can hear you.
> 
> It isn't the ACT of finishing, it is the ability to understand HOW to finish that will make you a better writer.



I totally agree that knowing structure is important. I outline, so to me, it's incredibly important. But I'm unsure of what you're trying to get at here in relation to the topic of this thread. I do agree knowing structure helps you understand how to finish. Is that what you're saying?



Leif GS Notae said:


> And this is where your analysis of my analysis of the original quote is a bit wanky. You can shoot all you want at that goalie and try to score a goal. Without research, study, and feedback from your "teammates", you are never going to find out that his stick side is his weak spot and if someone is screening his glove hand, he'll give up a goal every time.



You've just affirmed my point which was each shot taken gives you data/feedback. Whether it's from team mates or from your own observations doesn't matter. It's all valuable and helps you achieve, no pun intended, your goal. 



Leif GS Notae said:


> You might not think there is a formula for writing a great novel, but I assure you there is.



I'm not sure where the topic of formula came in here. I don't recall it being mentioned in any of the previous post. Although I do believe there's is a standard structure for a novel.



Leif GS Notae said:


> You misunderstood what I was saying, but that is all right. Fluid isn't the ability to change whatever you want in the story, it is the ability to weather the storm and watch the river flood the area you didn't expect it to. It is the ability to let your story go because it isn't ready, or just isn't interesting.



That's fine, but if you're continually fluid moving from one story to the next without finishing anything, what does that get you?



Leif GS Notae said:


> My example would be from this thread this morning. I commented here, told an independent editor who wants to read everything I am writing for this WIP that I was putting it on the backshelf only to have inspiration from stepping away and admitting defeat, which leads to a greater purpose and focus because I am not carrying the cross of "finishing"; THAT is fluid. That is Zen Writing.



Nobody is saying there's anything wrong with stepping away for some perspective or even giving up on a story, but if that's all a writer ever ever does, what's the value in that? Does a writer really learning anything except to start and give up?



Leif GS Notae said:


> Your work is like a sandcastle beset to the waves. When the ocean tears it down and destroys MOST of it, you can rebuild what was important and make a better castle. Eventually, after many losses, you build the best castle you can and the tide recedes.



Sure this is true of the editing process but not of the finishing a first draft process.



Leif GS Notae said:


> That is your novel. You let life, the universe, and everything flow through you without dictating you WILL finish.



I wonder what an editor with a deadline and an impatient boss would say if an author said that to them.



Leif GS Notae said:


> Am I openly discouraging people with my words? Perhaps. If you can accept that you will have to step away and assess that there are many manuscripts in the closets of the greatest writers in the world, you can accept that there are times your story is okay to walk away from.



Nobody is saying you can't walk away. They're saying it's not ok if that's all you do.


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## Philip Overby (May 11, 2012)

I agree with Penpilot in that you have to at least finish something (meaning a first draft at the very least) in order to even consider editing or publishing or any other goal.  I think Sheilawisz's suggestions for finishing are all pretty solid.  

All writers need different motivations.  Some may have dreams to become published.  Some may just like to show their friends.  Or others just for fun.

Of course there are times when you may have to step away.  But that shouldn't be with every single thing you work on.  They should be few and far between.  I think if you have enough passion to finish the project, you should stick with it and see it through to the end.  Then if you send it out into the world and it's rejected, "thems the bricks," as they say.

Baby steps.  That's what I'm trying to take.  So now I have a project I'm passionate about now I want to finish.  Will it get published?  Who knows.  But I'll be a better writer for having finished what I start.


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## Sheilawisz (May 11, 2012)

_About the Structure sheets of your Novel:_

Counting with a structure to have a better idea of what your finished story will be like is a great tool, but you need also to remember that it's a guide, just something to facilitate your way up to the end.

As many of us know, our characters sometimes behave in ways that we did not anticipate and unexpected things can take place in the course of your story- This happens because a novel is, in certain aspects, a living creature... Maybe you will have to change things a little in your Structure as you keep advancing, this has happened to me but I always try to take the story to the end that I imagined for it in the first place =)

Do not take the Structure sheets as a steel-solid example of what your novel will be in the end, it's just your guide to find the best climbing route up the mountain...

Tomorrow, I want to talk about what to do first with your finished novel!!


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## Christopher Wright (May 11, 2012)

I'm going to flat-out disagree with you Lief. The ACT of finishing is one of the most important things a writer has to learn to do.

If you want your story to be good, you do in fact have to do all the other stuff. But if you can't finish what you start, all that other stuff is worthless.

*It is better to finish a novel--or at the very least, a first draft--that is absolute crap than to have a half-finished masterpiece sitting on your desk.*

Finishing a novel HURTS. It's a marathon, it requires endurance, and until you know what it feels like, trying to move forward inch by inch is scary and discouraging and a lot of people give up. Your perception is warped in the middle of your first draft--you will inevitably decide one day that the entire novel is crap, that you have no talent whatsoever, and that the entire thing was a bad idea. "Better to shelve it and try something else!" You'll say. "Live and learn! I won't make these mistakes next time!"

But your perceptions are being colored by the fact that at some point your novel will lose that shine and sparkle of it being new, it will no longer seem fresh, and the churn of trying to inch the plot forward, page after page, will start to make you a little crazy. When  you're at that point you can no longer objectively judge your work, because you're perceiving it *as* work, and you resent it juuuuuuuuuust a little bit, and dissatisfaction mounts, and you don't see the end yet, and...

Even Neil freaking Gaiman talks about this.

The thing to do is to push yourself through it, look at what you have on the other end, and figure out what needs fixing. Maybe it's not fixable, maybe at that point you do need to discard it, but if you've gained nothing else out of that experience, you've learned how to finish that marathon, and you'll know what to expect the next time.


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## Sheilawisz (May 12, 2012)

_What happens after you finish your first novel:_ If you have never finished the story that you started to write, when you finish you will get to experience a deep satisfaction and a feeling of wild success and joy that I really have no way to describe to you exactly... I am sure that it's different for each of us, but still, you can be sure that you will love that feeling =)

When you have had this satisfaction, and you realize that _you can_ finish a book, you will gain more confidence in your own writing and storytelling skills- You will probably want to start another book, and soon you will realize that the task of finishing a novel (which seemed impossible to you) gets easier and easier as you become a more experienced writer.

_What to do with your first finished novel:_ The most immediate and greatest satisfaction is to read your own creation!! Believe me, to sit down and read a Fantasy story and know that _it was you who wrote all of that_ is a great reward for all the effort and hard work that it costed you to finish the novel =)

Then, you must keep in mind that your novel is like a living creature: You can start to edit it a little, change some details here and there, polish it and, in a few words, help it to become a better creature... it will evolve with time, and it may take months or even years before you can be sure that it has become exactly what you wanted it to be.

That's why I think that we should not be in a rush to publish- first, give your creatures time to evolve =)

I hope that my Guide will help at least some of you to finish your story... Good Luck!!


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## Jabrosky (May 12, 2012)

I find that it's easier to finish a story if you have at least some mental idea of what's going to happen all the way to the end. You don't necessarily have to write down a detailed outline of the whole thing, but few things kill a story like not knowing what's going to happen next.


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## Phin Scardaw (May 28, 2012)

I'm happy to announce that since I joined Mythic Scribes in mid-March I have finished an entire book entitled _The Elfan Song._ 

I'm getting better; I'm getting faster. I'm riding the line between planning and pantsing and the results are always surprising and rather pleasing. 

For all of you struggling to finish your first novel, or can't seem to keep from starting too many to conceive of completing any, I say this: Push on, Write on! There is nothing like creation, and it is an act that is never fully achieved until the end is written.


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## Sheilawisz (May 29, 2012)

Thank you Phin, and congratulations for finishing your book _The Elfan Song_ =)

You are right, there is nothing like creation... also, finishing your first book gives you more confidence as a writer and a storyteller: You get better and faster, like you have said, and the reward that you get in the end is worth every day of effort to finish your story and then enjoy reading it.

I have been writing in _Queen Eternal_ these days, aiming to finish my Joan of England trilogy this year =)


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## Penpilot (May 29, 2012)

Phin Scardaw said:


> For all of you struggling to finish your first novel, or can't seem to keep from starting too many to conceive of completing any, I say this: Push on, Write on! There is nothing like creation, and it is an act that is never fully achieved until the end is written.



Nothing like getting to the end, is there? There's something about putting that last period in place or typing THE END. You sit back for just a moment and think I did it. I wanted to write this story and It's done. It doesn't matter if there's still a lot of work to be done in terms of drafts because you've kept a promise to yourself. All the pain was worth it.

Congrats. Take a breath. Enjoy.

Then bring on the pain again. Level 2 this time.


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## Phin Scardaw (Jun 4, 2012)

Penpilot said:


> Nothing like getting to the end, is there? There's something about putting that last period in place or typing THE END. You sit back for just a moment and think I did it. I wanted to write this story and It's done. It doesn't matter if there's still a lot of work to be done in terms of drafts because you've kept a promise to yourself. All the pain was worth it.
> 
> Congrats. Take a breath. Enjoy.
> 
> Then bring on the pain again. Level 2 this time.



I think that making the promise to yourself is essential, and keeping it is what gives you confidence in yourself. 

For me, it's not just that I wanted to write the story - I also want to read the story. Writing the first draft is like reading another author's work: it's full of surprises and moments of glory or difficulty. 

But yes, the revisions will take probably more time and effort than the initial draft, and there are much fewer joys and surprises to be found in that most tedious process... I think I'll take a break for a bit before jumping into that. I've created a cover image for the book, however; I hope I can get permission to use the image of the two wasps. I also hope that it's obvious they are fighting, not mating.

http://mythicscribes.com/gallery/member-galleries/p151-the-elfan-song-cover.html


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