The Story Clinic helps you go from aspiring writer to published author. Each week, you’ll get productivity tactics to write more efficiently, writing prompts to beat writer’s block, and book recommendations to elevate your writing.
A few weeks ago,
shared a Note on finishing the first draft of her novel, which was years in the making. She was kind enough to answer a few questions on productivity and the process of writing a book for the first time. Aspiring authors will find a lot of value in what she has to say! is a young adult trying to figure out what adulting is all about. She writes about life, queer joy, and love in her newsletter Midnight Musings.
The hardest parts were getting started with each writing sprint, and writing the final chapter.
When I got serious about finishing the novel, I decided to build discipline by writing daily at specific times. Sometimes I’d sit at my desk and stare at my laptop for an hour before writing a single word. But once I started, getting into a flow state was easy.
I managed to push through until I had only two chapters left to write. But it took me weeks to finish them. I think some part of me didn’t want this journey to end. I’d gotten so close to my characters. Finishing my novel meant I’d either have to start another book or focus on something else—and I wasn’t ready.
I wouldn’t say I did anything major. I started working on creating a routine for myself and sticking to it as often as possiblewhich helped me stay productive and achieve the bite-sized goal of writing 500 words per dayand 700 on good days.
I realized I wasn’t a fast writer and made peace with delivering slow but steady results.
To boost my creativity, I read a lot of fanfiction. Somehow, it helped me immerse myself in my characters’ psyches and consider them from a different angle.
I didn’t feel like writing all the time, but I made a TikTok page to document my writing journey and I’d interact with other writers who were also working on a book. It spurred me into writing more consistently.
I know we say writing is a lonely job, but I’ve never really felt that way because I usually have writing sprints with my friends. A bunch of us are night owls, so we work simultaneously, with a few check-ins before going to sleep.
I’d try not to make excuses and write as frequently as possible. At first, I ignored my story because I went back to grad school. It was my excuse for not writing for a year, but looking back I could have written more if I committed to making tiny progress daily.
I wouldn’t stress too much about nailing the end of the story. With my first novel, I worried a lot about ending the story properly—but in the first draft, those things don’t matter as much.
It’s not like gymnastics, where I’d get points deducted for not nailing it the first time. I can edit and rewrite my first draft even if I make loads of mistakes—but I can’t edit a blank page.
Write a novel you really want to read. After getting a glimpse at the amount of editing that comes with writing a book, I can safely say that if the story isn’t enjoyable to you, it’s going to be hell trying to get to the end.
Ready to write your first book?
