Should I abandon my novel?

I'm with the finish-it crowed.
You might want to look at your story board again and brainstorm a couple of ideas that would respark your passion. A cooler climax or a new character. Something like this. Skip scenes that bore you and power through the first draft as fast as you can.
After you done, put it away and reevaluate it after 6 months or so. If you still think, it's crap, leave it be, but you probably won't.

A month isn't very long if you're mired in the quagmire of mid-book ennui and self-doubt. My advice is to keep going, however you need to, to finish it.

For me, if the story itself isn't moving forward, I start to feel stagnant about drafting. And it's always because there's a problem in the way. Either I'm trying to write a chapter that's unnecessary, or writing it from the wrong POV or starting at the wrong point, or something like that. So if drafting isn't working, stop and consider the story from another angle: a quick map or outline of what's going on, where you came from and where you're going. I bet there's something not jibing somewhere that's preventing you from feeling the traction of forward flow.

oooooh said:

Sub-title for this thread: When is "Finish what you start" bad advice?

I am 23/36 chapters done on my current WIP I've been working on for almost a year. Thing is, I haven't been able to write it for over a month now. I'll occasionally add sentences or strain out a chapter, but the love is gone. It's become a serious struggle.

I know where the problem lies. I've got interesting characters, but my plot is weak. I know this. I just no longer feel I have the energy to rework it. It feels like my Idea Jar is drained and nothing new will come out of it where this specific story is concerned.

I always try to follow the 'Finish what you start' rule, finding it extremely beneficial even in projects that end up becoming a mindnumbing chore. I've learned far more from the awful things I've finished than the brilliant ones I've abandoned halfway, and that's always been true.

Now part of me wants to take these characters, throw them in a blender, and come up with an entirely new plot/premise. But another part of me wants to scrap the idea entirely and start anew, new novel idea, new research, new characters, new everything. This feels like a betrayal to myself of sorts but is there ever a time when it's just wise to cut losses? Or is it better to finish every novel you start, even if the second half degenerates into monotonous drivel?

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I would only say you should make yourself finish if a) you've never written a novel and don't know if you can finish one or b) you generally have finishing-stuff issues or c) you generally have issues of a "everything I do sucks goddammit" *puts on shit-colored glasses to wear at all times * nature (which I do, so I get it, if so).

If none of the above applies...I don't really see why you should finish it, if you don't want to. And if your heart isn't in it anymore (and it was, to begin with, I assume) then what's the harm in leaving off and doing something that sparks your interest? It's not like it withers and dies without your attention; you can always come back to it, if you want to. Whereas...I find, when I force myself to shove through (which is most of the time; I kind of have to, because my brain is just extremely uncooperative and dickish) I get really burned out and then I can't write anything for a while, it seems (though I try anyway, because I'm a stubborn ass)...

I dunno. I don't think "finish what you start" always applies.

oooooh said:

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant 23/36 done, not 23/26.

I guess the unanimous advice is to finish the damn thing. Perhaps you're all right. I've spent a great deal of time thinking, plotting, charting, and writing this thing. At one point, it was fun, exciting even. At some points, it was hard, painstaking. But I still got the words down. Now it feels like there's just nothing there. It was meant to be a fun YA Adventure/Fantasy, but now all I can think is, 'this is lame and nobody would want to read this.' (Even if my characters are interesting, that's about all there is to it.)

Maybe it's the disappointment from a project I thought was going to end up my first novel query. Like, this was the one. And now it just feels like a pile of cliches and rubbish.

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Well...I do know that feeling. And I think it mostly comes from me, from my aforementioned difficult and dickish brain. I'm not sure if you run up against the same issues. But I have found some really wonderful people who are willing to read my things in extremely rough form (because I might be able to push through a crappy hole-laden first draft but I can't bring myself to revise or edit because by the time I finish I think it's so stupid and blah blah), and those people can be more objective. Although I don't quite trust them because they're so disgustingly complimentary all the time (<3), they help to provide me with another view to try to cobble together a more realistic notion of what I've just written.

On the other hand, if you are sure that's not what's going on here...

I'm very tempted to just freeze it where it is and go start the sequel to a finished novel (which, ironically enough, I thought was going to be much, much harder given its genre/diction/themes, but turned out far easier. Strange, huh.)

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I don't see the harm in this. You can always come back and finish later. But continuing to beat your head against a wall that refuses to yield anything might do more harm than good...?

I'm just thinking aloud. Maybe it is better to finish. Especially if you don't know you can finish a novel. But...I don't think you have to. <3

Good luck

I, also, am going to go against the majority opinion here.

I'm a very linear writer, so when big structural problems with plot or whatever rear their ugly heads, I can't keep going. I get stuck, just like you are, because my brain refuses to move forward on a foundation it knows is going to collapse. (I'm also an engineer, which may play into this mindset.)

At that point, the choices are to either start over with a new or improved plot, or to abandon it and start something else.

There is value in finishing things, but to be honest, I don't see a whole lot of benefit in putting more labor into something that's going to have to be demolished and rebuilt anyway. If you've finished other projects, then you know you can finish when the project is sound. So go figure out where the best return for your time investment will be - starting over or starting something new - and go do that.

Aerial

I'd finish it. If you don't, it may linger with you and affect your future writing. Also, there's nothing like finishing a MS--it's an exhilarating, emotional, and irreplaceable experience.

I'm also going to side with the minority. Why do something you hate?

You said you love the characters, but there's no plot. That's why you can't write. At least you've identified the problem! Let it rest. Move on to another project for now. It isn't like once you stop working on this one, it will evaporate off the face of the earth. Your subconscious will still be pulling at threads, unraveling what went wrong, and sorting it out into something better. Meanwhile, by moving on to another project, you'll rekindle your love of writing.

I think when you say "abandon this project," what you're really saying is, "can I abandon the original plot and start over?" Of course you can. As you said, the second half will be monotonous drivel. At least you're recognizing it BEFORE you write it! Your time could/would be better spent figuring out where it went wrong and making it better from the get-go.

I don't buy into the idea that every novel should be finished. Sometimes a book just...doesn't work. It can mean you need to take a break from it and come back to it later, or it could very well mean the book is somehow flawed/problematic enough that it's perfectly reasonable to put it to sleep and move on.

There's any number of reasons you could be struggling with this one. Maybe it's a problem with the book, or it's just your enthusiasm flagging because you're in the middle, or....anything, really.

My suggestion -- and what I've done in your shoes -- is to set it aside and write something else, BUT you must revisit the book after you finish the next one. If you find yourself in the same position with book #2, then it's probably a case of "blech, writing the middle sucks" or something similar. In that case...slog through it and finish both books. If you revisit #1 with an objective eye and you're still struggling, put it aside again and write something else.

The main thing is don't let yourself fall into the trap of starting a bunch of things and not finishing them. Not everything is worth finishing -- I've written dozens of books and abandoned a few along the way -- but it's very, very easy to get in the habit of starting a book, then abandoning it because the novelty has worn off.

I always feel that a story won’t leave you alone unless you write it. Try and finish it, or take a break from it and start something new. But you won’t forget it, not if you like the characters.

I don’t know anything about your plot so it can be hard to comment – but what about taking a drastic turn?

• Set half of your characters on fire... literally, emotionally – whatever works. Rock their world with something completely unexpected, fallout is dramatic.
• Introduce a rattlesnake at a dinner party.
• Have your main character eat their next door neighbour.
• Have the police arrest a supporting character.
• Change the occupations of at least two characters.
• Where is your current scene set? Scrap that – set it in a public toilet.
• Who is that woman always watching?
• That interesting character from chapter seven – I liked him – bring him back...

I realise none of these can work – I just typed them in a hurry. The point is, take a risk and turn a corner.

I would walk away. I don't think you should abandon ship, but you might want to jump ship for a little while. Keep this WIP in a safe place and let your brain start working on something else. You need that spark again. And if looking at this story brings about those unpleasant "I would rather smack my head against the table" feelings, it's going to be hard for you to shake off those vibes.

1. Walk away and write something that is fun. Write something you enjoy. It could be a new story or something you'll never try to publish. But have fun with it.
2. Go get coffee with someone. I'm lucky to have a partner who also writes/reads. When I'm having trouble with plot, I know that it helps when I talk out the story block. I will start from point A and talk through my issue. I go from Plotter to Pantser during these convos and it helps me generate ideas on the spot. If no ideas come during this time, my partner is able to throw in some ideas and point out weaknesses that could get my creative gears going again.
3. Look at the story and really see if it's worth it to try and rework. You might have to drop the project for the benefit of being able to move on to stories you can finish.

IMO, you were able to write yourself into a corner, you'll be able to write yourself out of it too. But I still suggest to walk away for a couple days (or even years). You never know when that plot idea might hit you or when that plot fixes itself in your head.

I'm not saying you shouldn't finish it, but there's also no reason you need to finish it right this minute.

Plenty of people write a book from start to finish. Good for them! Awesome!

Plenty of other people, self included, start a book, throw a few thousand words on it, put it down, pick it up later, go "Hey, this doesn't suck!" throw a few thousand words on it, put it down, and then one day the book is 3/4ths done and you plow through to the end. I personally have five or six manuscripts lurking at any given time--and I do finish them, usually over the course of several years, so the system is working for me. (If you're not ever coming back to projects and nothing ever get done, that's clearly NOT working...)

Maybe you need to work on something else for awhile and come back when you can be impressed by your story again.

I'm going to assume you've pantsed the story so far. How about plotting through to the end? Lack of plot seems to be a common problem when a pantser isn't liking their story.

I agree with Alma M.

For me, the story was in my head 24-7 till I got it all down. But, I'm a pantser and there was a period where I questioned what I was writing. When that happened, I didn't think of quitting. I just left it alone and got back to life: movies, reading other books, spending quality time with my family, etc. That seemed to work for me. When I stopped thinking about writing altogether, keeping busy with other things, that's when the characters and story nagged at my subconscious. Before I knew it, I was refreshed, newly motivated, and I was back in the full swing of writing--like the "pause" button in my mind had been released and my muse pressed "play" again. I even wrote the second half of my book much quicker than the first.

The night I finished my manuscript, it was about seven-thirty P.M., a Saturday, and I will never forget that night. I think I texted everyone I knew 'cause I was proud of finishing my first book, lol. Then my mind was free and clear, and I crashed at eight P.M. It was the best night's sleep--ever.

I've only written one book and it's unpublished, so I can't really give you any expert advice--but, whatever you decide, I'm sure you know what's best for you. No matter what, though, just keep on writing. Good luck!

oooooh said:

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant 23/36 done, not 23/26.

I guess the unanimous advice is to finish the damn thing. Perhaps you're all right. I've spent a great deal of time thinking, plotting, charting, and writing this thing. At one point, it was fun, exciting even. At some points, it was hard, painstaking. But I still got the words down. Now it feels like there's just nothing there. It was meant to be a fun YA Adventure/Fantasy, but now all I can think is, 'this is lame and nobody would want to read this.' (Even if my characters are interesting, that's about all there is to it.)

Maybe it's the disappointment from a project I thought was going to end up my first novel query. Like, this was the one. And now it just feels like a pile of cliches and rubbish.

I'm very tempted to just freeze it where it is and go start the sequel to a finished novel (which, ironically enough, I thought was going to be much, much harder given its genre/diction/themes, but turned out far easier. Strange, huh.)

But again, thanks for the advice I needed to hear today.

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here is the best advice i can give you because this is what made it click for me

whatever you are writing, the story, whatever it is about on the surface, you need to make it REALLY about the things that bother you or interest you. best is if you can somehow write your pain out in a story.

example: going through a divorce, i wrote a short story about replacing someone with another person. basically i made it about losing a GF in a car crash and how someone else is like her and the blur in between the 2 women and not being able to tell them apart.

I'm going to do that "on the one hand, on the other hand" thing.

Finish it: you loved it once. You're so close to the end. Many writers have the mid-book blues. It might turn out great. Anything can be fixed in editing.

Shelve it (at least for now): if the love isn't there, there is no point in forcing yourself to do something you aren't enjoying. Put it to one side while you do something else.

What do I recommend? That depends on two things - you and the book.

If you are the sort of person who likes to start things but doesn't always finish them, then I would say you should knuckle down and finish this book. If nothing else, it will give you a feeling of great satisfaction having finished something. You may also find that the problem with the book isn't the book itself, it's how you are looking at it.

The other thing to think about is the book itself. Take a long hard look at it. Is it salvageable or not? Is it an ugly duckling that is about to turn into a beautiful swan? Or is it something that needs to be put out of its misery, say a zombie splatter horror aimed at five years olds?

Personally? I'd finish it. Even if it's a piece of you-know-what, I'd get to the end. It might not be saleable or it might be wonderful, but at least I'm getting experience in how to break through the mid-book blues.

Editing a weak manuscript into a good one is an art that we all have to learn. What better place to start than from here?

I learned, and then was taught, that every art piece you ever work on is going to look like shit at some point. Drawing, painting, pottery, and now I'm finding, writing. Sometimes the shit stage last seconds, sometimes hours. Sometimes it's at the beginning of the work, sometimes it's just seconds from the end. But with everything you do there will be a moment where you look at it and say, "This is crap."

And once you know that this will happen you can do anything.

Once! Sez...

If you are the sort of person who likes to start things but doesn't always finish them, then I would say you should knuckle down and finish this book. If nothing else, it will give you a feeling of great satisfaction having finished something. You may also find that the problem with the book isn't the book itself, it's how you are looking at it.

The other thing to think about is the book itself. Take a long hard look at it. Is it salvageable or not? Is it an ugly duckling that is about to turn into a beautiful swan? Or is it something that needs to be put out of its misery, say a zombie splatter horror aimed at five years olds?

Personally? I'd finish it. Even if it's a piece of you-know-what, I'd get to the end. It might not be saleable or it might be wonderful, but at least I'm getting experience in how to break through the mid-book blues.

Editing a weak manuscript into a good one is an art that we all have to learn. What better place to start than from here?

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Total noob here, so grab the grain of salt, but this is just what I was thinking... If nothing else, finish it for the exercise. My current WIP is an exercise and training for what I plan to do next.