I recently received an email from Anna B. asking me a really great question. She said this: “I am currently writing a book. But recently I’ve not been. Have you ever stopped writing a book in the middle and just not felt the passion you had at the beginning of writing your book?”
To answer Anna’s question, let me say this: Yes, I have lost my passion and wanted to stop midway through a book. But no, I’ve never actually stopped.
So what’s a writer to do when the passion for the story sizzles out, and they’re tempted to give up?
My advice is simple: Don’t give up. It’s all too easy to set aside our work-in-progress (WIP) for one reason or another. We’ll always have a thousand-and-one distractions coming at us. In fact, most of the time, it will seem that the world is conspiring to keep us from writing.
With all the odds already stacked against us, we can’t afford to give up when we don’t feel the passion for a WIP. Honestly, I lose passion for a story pretty regularly during every WIP. There are plenty of days when I have to slog my way through my daily word count. In fact, if I stopped every time I didn’t feel the excitement, I’d probably never complete a book.
The number one rule for every serious writer is to keep going. Persevere through the dry spell. Stay committed for the long haul. Stick things out.
But while we’re plugging away, we can and should do our best to add back in the passion. Like every good relationship, the commitment is more pleasurable when we foster the sizzle.
How can a writer fall in love again with her WIP?
Here are just a few things I do to revive the passion:
1. Search for ways to add in new conflict and tension. Find conflict or tension that’s already organic to the story, but then make things worse.
2. Throw in a plot twist. It doesn’t have to be anything major. Even the smallest of twists can propel the story into a new trajectory that is fun and exciting.
3. Make a character do something unexpected. Loosen the reins and let the character do something that they wouldn’t have expected even from themselves (and then go back and try to figure out why they did it!).
4. Add in a something new about the character. Give them a hobby, pastime, personality trait, job, skill, etc. that makes them more unique and adds dimension to who they are. (I just did this to my hero about halfway through my WIP, and wow, did it add momentum to the story!)
5. Give the antagonist a more complex layer of motivation for being “bad.” This extra depth can give insights into the mind of the antagonist and lead to more plot developments.
6. Write an action-packed scene. Anytime I’m really stumped, I try to craft a scene with a lot of action so that I can speed things up not only for my characters but for myself.
7. Focus on an intense emotional moment. Slow things down, go deeper into the character’s mind, and reflect on what’s going on. Get really in tune with how your character is feeling (and let it evoke the same feeling in you).
8. Create witty dialog and banter. Add in some humor. Lighten the moment. These kinds of exchanges (especially in a romance) are fun to write and bring the joy back to writing.
I’ve only touched on ways to create more sizzle for our stories. There are dozens more methods for renewing a love affair with a WIP. The point is to get creative and let our imagination have free reign. Continuously ask “what if?” and let the story lead us to different places than we expected.
There you have it: Do what you can to make the story exciting. But regardless of how you feel, finish writing the book.
Fellow writers, what are some ways you keep the love affair with your story alive? And readers, what are some things writers do that make a story more exciting for you?
Jody Hedlund
Latest posts by Jody Hedlund (see all)
- Saying Farewell - October 7, 2022
- Another New Book Release - September 16, 2022
- The Beauty of Weddings - September 2, 2022
I would most likely get through it with something bland first and go to the next interesting part as soon as possible. Afterwards, I might find some better ways to get through that boring part.
I don’t really have problems with a story turned stale. The usual problem is that I lack motivation starting writing but once I do, I find the passion back.
I remember seeing the piece of advice in this blog to finish at parts you know what will happen next so that it will be easier to start out the next day.
Thank you so much Jody! 🤗 that helped so much!