How To Finish Your Book When You’re Totally Blocked Right in the Middle

Blast down the walls of doubt with this simple step forward

Photo by Ryan Snaadt on Unsplash

When I get blocked, I freewrite my way out.

If you don’t know what freewriting is, here’s a summary:

1. Set a timer for 5,10, or 20 minutes.
2. Pick a prompt to write from. It can be a word, a sentence, or even a picture.
3. Keep your pen (or your fingers) moving, putting words down until the time runs out.
4. Don’t worry about mistakes. You’ll clean them up later.

When you’re done, glance over what you’ve written. Does it grab your interest?

If not, freewrite again.

Edit Later, Much Later

Don’t edit until you’ve taken a break. Take an hour, a day, or a week. The more space you can put between your draft and your editor the better.

When you read it, pretend someone you admire wrote it. Be honest like you would be with that person.

Your goal is to finish your book. So give yourself useful directions.

Think about what the reader will think.