Top 5 Most Common Writing Obstacles Novel Writers Face, and How to Overcome Them
My debut novel, The Song of the Fae, is completing its launch on Amazon this Friday. After three years of work, it feels a bit surreal that the journey of this novel is coming to an end. It has me looking back on both the high and low parts of the process. The more I build community with other authors, the more I realize just how common my challenges are. So, for all the aspiring novelists out there, here are five common challenges to writing a novel and how to solve them.
Confidence: All great stories start with someone writing the first word. It’s hard, though, to feel “ready” or “good enough” to write your first long piece. You may wonder if you have a good idea, or if your writing is strong enough. You may feel a sense of imposter syndrome, or wonder if you’re going to look silly taking on such a big project.
Solution: Start anyway! You’re never going to feel ready. No one does. And remember that good writing is a process of rewriting. No one’s first draft hits it out of the park. You are already good enough. You’re already ready. Just start.
Burnout: It takes a long time to write a novel. Between the first draft and several rounds of revisions, there are times where it just feels like a slog. It can be easy to start hating the process when it feels never ending.
Solution: Set reasonable expectations. Big projects are accomplished one step at a time. On days where you feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to take a break. Then jump back in when you’re ready. Set reasonable, realistic, daily writing goals and just keep pushing forward. Every day you make progress is a victory.
Writing a Cohesive Plot: Plot and story structure is a lot like music. Even if you don’t know anything about it, you know when it doesn’t work. Stories that don’t follow plot structure feel “off” to a reader, because they have subconscious expectations for how stories should flow. It can be challenging to figure out exactly how to showcase your character’s growth and development in a way that keeps the reader interested and engaged.
Solution: Pick a story structure before you start writing. There are many structures to choose from: The Hero’s Journey, The Heroine’s Journey, The Story Circle, Save the Cat!, Three Act Structure, just to mention a few. Each have pros and cons and will resonate with different authors, but they all emphasize a character’s transformation over the course of a story, and at the end of the day story is about character development. So, pick one, get comfortable with it, and use it as a map to guide your writing.
Nailing the pacing: This relates a bit to plot development. Story structures have beats, but they don’t all take up the same amount of space in the story. For example, you may know you need to give your character a call to action, but may not know how long that should last in the overall story.
Solution: Read a lot of good stories in similar genres. Figuring out how other authors are pacing novels can help you intuit how to pace your own. But, don’t just read them passively. Figure out what plot structure they are using, and analyze that plot actively throughout the novel. Identify what you like and don’t like about the way the novel is plotted and paced. And remember, noticing what they are doing wrong can be just as helpful as realizing what they are doing well.
Perfectionism: Your work is never going to be perfect. And unfortunately it’s impossible to move forward in the writing process until you accept that. Writing and rewriting until you have the perfect story can stop fantastic stories from ever being seen.
Solution: Get feedback from other people. A writer’s group, a beta reader, or a paid editor. We are often our own worst critics, and as a result we can lose sight of the big picture in our stories when we nitpick ourselves too much. Personally, I write my draft and then allow for two rounds of personal revisions. After that, it must go to someone else for the next review.
Are you currently writing or thinking about writing a novel? Let me know your biggest challenges in the comments below!
