Reaching the End: How to Finish Your Novel Using the 3 Keys

If you really want to finish your writing project, you have to get down to brass tacks and write. Do the work! Getting to the end usually means making writing a priority in your life and knowing your why. You might not like hearing it, but you may have to make some changes.

The Key of Knowing Your Why

A while ago, there was a speaker at church who talked about the three concentric rings of why, how and what you do. The innermost ring is the why — the reason and motivation behind your actions. Find your why. Is it because you want to have a memoir for the grandkids to read after you have passed? Is it because you want to inspire young authors to write their own books? Is it because you believe you have a world-changing message people have to hear about? Do you want to be viewed as a thought leader in your field? What drives you to undertake this challenge of writing your own book?

Without a solid why in mind, it is very difficult for one to be motivated to do any difficult task because our biology is naturally wired to conserve energy and prioritize tasks related to survival. Laziness is the norm unless you have a strong motivator.

I recommend that you write down your why and envision the end result of your hard work whenever you need a boost of motivation. Post your why somewhere visible where you can see it every day.

The Key of Consistent Practice

Successfully completing your manuscript takes discipline, commitment and consistent effort. Practice is the second key to finishing your novel. You need to build a habit that works for your lifestyle. Does this mean taking thirty minutes before the children are out of bed to draft your story? Or maybe setting aside a four hour block of time on the weekends? Perhaps you could write during your lunch break in a place that is distraction free.

Strategy 1: One-Minute Practice

“But I have ADHD! I am lazy. I don’t feel like writing!” you say to me. All the excuses come to mind. But let me ask you this: can you write for one minute? Five? Twelve? Start there. You may find yourself continuing to write far beyond the amount you set out to write.

Strategy 2: Shoot for the Moon

Or tackle it using the opposite strategy: try to write 1,000 words today. Mark Twain wrote upwards of 14,000 words a day over a span of four or five hours. How far can you get? Even if you have failed, you have written more than you otherwise would have.

Strategy 3: Aim for a Reasonable Goal

The third way you can tackle your writing project is by establishing a daily or weekly word count goal. Set aside time each day, or however often you can, to write and edit your story. Save thirty minutes out of your schedule for your book. Don’t worry if you fail to meet this goal and don’t let guilt keep you from trying again tomorrow.

Make sure others in your life know about your commitment to your writing, and be firm about not letting anyone or anything distract you during this time. After a few weeks of maintaining this boundary, it will become a regular and familiar habit. Your mind will automatically prepare itself to write during this time.

Using Cues

Cues signal to your brain that it’s time to write. Time of day can be a cue. If you put it in your schedule to write when you get up, your brain will be primed to write during this time because you have trained it to do so. Cues can also be sensory. It could be a candle you light or a particular place you go to write. It could be after your last meeting of the day. You can also set an alarm on your phone as your cue to write.

Failing Up

And if you fail? Don’t worry or beat yourself up over it. The goal is to get better consistently, not to be perfect. As a recovering perfectionist, I have to remind myself of this all the time. It’s about who you become along the journey rather than reaching your destination by doing everything right and perfectly.

No one is going to give you a medal because you did things perfectly, but it is admirable to stick to something through struggle and difficulties. You are going to mess up. You will make a mistake. And that’s when you pick yourself right back up again, assess the situation and make up your mind what you will do differently next time. Remember that every fail brings you one closer to succeeding. Make up your mind now to maintain a writing habit and not get down on yourself once you fail.

The Key of External Motivation

There are many ways you can motivate yourself to write. Set a goal that is under your control. Don’t tell yourself you are going to get your manuscript published in a year, because that is dependent on the publisher’s decision. But rather say to yourself, I’m going to write three drafts of my book by next year and submit it to 10 publishers, or something similar.

Break it down into smaller chunks and forget about the larger goal. What can you do today to take one step towards the finish line? How about this week? This month? Once you have that planned out, take it one day at a time.

To keep yourself motivated to accomplish the small goals you have set, I recommend tracking your word count and rewarding yourself if you meet that goal. Alternatively, avoiding punishment is a strong motivator as well. You can ask a friend to keep you accountable by saying, “I’ll give you $100 if I don’t finish X number of words by next month.” Your desire to keep those hundred bucks will spur you into action.

For the Chaotic Ones

Now maybe you aren’t the type of person who has a regular schedule, or you naturally have more chaotic energy than the average Joe. In that case, I’d say get yourself to write any way and any time you can. That can mean writing as you wait for your dentist’s appointment or jotting down a few lines of dialogue or description as you are on the subway. Write when you can’t seem to fall asleep. If it is taking a bubble bath with rose petals and lavender oil and writing as you soak, do that! Find what works for you, and write.

Harnessing Social Pressure

Another way you can motivate yourself is through social pressure. As the pressure from tectonic plates forces coal to crystalize into diamonds, plugging yourself into a writing community can propel you through dry seasons. If you’d like, you can join my writing Discord. We’d be happy to have you! Other writers’ enthusiasm about writing can be inspiring if you’ve lost steam. Search locally for a writing group, club or community.

You can use pressure to get yourself to write during crunch time by taking a writing retreat. Set aside a week, a weekend or an hour out of your schedule and simply write without allowing yourself to become distracted.

You can also hire a writing coach (like me!) to help you accomplish the gargantuan task of finishing a manuscript. It isn’t easy, and investing in having someone there to guide you and check in with you could prove to be a worthwhile investment. After all, this is the book you’re going to be spending hundreds of hours and much energy on. Treat this like something you’re being paid to do. Take it with that level of seriousness because it’s your name that will be associated with the work.

Concluding Words

So there you have it! The three keys to finishing your novel are: knowing your why, consistent practice and external motivation. Keeping your reason for writing top of mind, putting in the effort on a regular basis and motivating yourself through small goals and being in a writing community will keep you on track to finishing your writing project.

Lastly, you want to be realistic. It takes some writers decades to finish their books. Don’t lose hope, and don’t give up on your brainchild! When the going gets tough, visualize yourself achieving your goal. Imagine being able to say, “I’m an author!” while holding your professionally edited book with a beautiful cover and those wonderfully crisp pages.

Now go and write that book!