How To Stay Inspired When Writing A Novel - The Secret To Inspiration (In Anything)
An older survey said 81% of Americans think they have a book in them, but a tiny fraction of that number have actually written a book. Why?
Writing a novel is a long and arduous process full of ups and downs, which can take anywhere from a few months to a few decades, and if you manage, by the grace of god, to start, staying inspired throughout the process can be near impossible.
It took me three false starts to complete a first draft on my fourth novel attempt—all of which were different stories.
But inspiration, excitement, and focus were all fleeting. I could keep it up in three month spurts, and completed each draft with an intense focus, drive, and determination during that time, falling off for weeks or months between drafts.
During the writing of my second novel, however, I’ve learned to harness the power of constant inspiration through a tried and tested method: learning about my given subject.
Learning
This is not a method unique to writing. I think no matter what it is you’re trying to stay focused and inspired in, creating an aura of constant learning is how you’ll stay motivated and excited to keep going.
Every day I begin writing my second novel somewhere between 8AM and 11AM. The time is variable because I start my writing day by reading a book on writing.
Currently, at the time of writing this, I am reading Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody.
I read the book until I get overwhelmed with ideas, changes, or fixes that I want to implement into the novel, and inspiration seems to overtake me. A problem that I was stuck on seems to suddenly resolve itself, through no effort on my part, as some sort of autonomous response to something I learned. Sometimes problems I didn’t know were problems are fixed in the same way.
And just like that, where before I was struggling to start, I’m now excited and ready to begin my day of writing. In a flash, my confidence is restored and my desire to write is at a maximum. There was no struggle to begin. In fact, even if I didn’t want to, there is a moment where I have to start writing. I simply cannot contain myself anymore. The ideas are rushing out and I must get them onto paper.
For example, in Save the Cat!, she had mentioned that the opening chapter should be a mirror of the final chapter. I had previously struggled with what to make of my ending, but with this sliver of advice, a scene unfolded before me, as if by reflex, and I had my ending. From there, I found myself buzzing with excitement for the next few days, not even needing to read in the mornings.
The Best Books on Writing Fiction Novels Well
One thing I think books on writing miss is just how hard it is to actually sit in your chair, open a blank word document (or bring out that loose leaf of paper or journal) and start writing.
Most focus on writing well and forget that a lot of us struggle to write at all. But ironically, simply reading about how to write well is what inspires me to write at all—though there’s still a lot more to it.
Luckily, I wrote an article about all the things I did to help me sit down and write during my first novel, apart from simply writing well.
Click here >> How I Actually Finished My First Novel
To get you started, here are books on writing that I highly recommend:
John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects by Martha Kolln and Loretta Gray
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King
What’s your go-to book on writing?
