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We’ve all been here. You’re on a roll. You’re writing 2,000 to 10,000 words a day on your new novel. You’re slated to get your new first draft done in two to three weeks, and all of a sudden life kicks you in the ass. It’s been anywhere from four weeks to six months since you’ve looked at your most recent manuscript, and you’ve forgotten where you are going with it.
That Sucks.
This is a crap scenario right here. You’ve read the last line you wrote and drawn a blank. This happened to me a few days ago. I was slated to get a first draft not only done, but published in less than six weeks. Then, I looked at my publishing schedule for the year and realized I wrote five books last year, and I have six to nine scheduled for this year. It’s time for a new website. This website, actually. So, I spent the last three weeks on this website. When I went back to my novel, I could not remember what I had planned to do next. Soneofabitch.
Thankfully, there are ways to get back into your next book quickly.
Read more: 4 Tips on Getting Back into Your Book After a Hiatus
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1. Try Editing Your Novel with a Fresh Mind and Eyes
Depending on how long it took you to write your novel, you may want to put it away for a few days or weeks. This helps you "forget" what you've written so that you can look at the text with a fresh set of eyes. This can help you catch more errors than if you'd simply scrolled to the top and started editing right after typing THE END.
2. Consider Using Beta Readers
Being close to your novel for a long time will sometimes make it impossible to look at it from the reader’s perspective. Therefore, it is a good idea to find some people you trust so as to read the novel for you and then send you suggestions on how to improve it. They could be your writing or editing partners. Try avoiding family or friends as your beta readers. You can do this in exchange for a favor which might go a long way in motivating your beta readers.
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Did you know that the term writer’s block was first coined in 1947 by Austrian psychoanalyst, Edmund Bergler? The condition refers to a significant slowdown in writing productivity or the inability to produce new work. In severe cases, the writer or author may not write anything for weeks, months and even years. Famous authors who experienced writer’s block at some point during the course of their writing careers include Herman Melville, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Wolf and Joseph Mitchell. The good news about writer’s block is that it can be overcome, and you can regain your writing productivity, even if you haven’t written anything in quite a while.
Read more: How to Overcome Writer’s Block and Maintain Your Writing Productivity During a Crisis
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Are you wondering if you should get a line edit along with your developmental edit? To help you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth, many editors will package various types of editing together then charge a reduced rate for both services, but is it a good idea? To help you decide, it’s important to understand each editing type and how it helps improve your work.
Read more: Should your developmental edit contain a line edit?
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Choosing the best writing software for your needs doesn’t mean that software is always going to work for you or the particular novel you’re writing. For that reason, don’t be afraid to change software mid-novel or even mid-draft. The minute you realize your novel writing software is the reason you’re not making progress, switch to a different one. I have four pieces of software that I switch between, including Novelize, LibreOffice, Google Docs and Bibisco.
Read more: Don't Let your writing software be the reason you don't finish your novel