S25 Bonus - A Guide to Finishing Your Book

Finishing a book is probably the most difficult part of the writing process. Editing can be daunting and publishing simply overwhelming, but none of that can even happen if you never reach the end. This is an especially important goal as we enter National Novel Writing Month, where people across the country (and now across the world) attempt to write 50,000 words in one month. That's the minimum size for a single writing work to be considered a novel.

In reality, writing a book is all about perseverance and consistency.

Did you know that 90% of people never finish NaNoWriMo? Schedules get in the way, the ideas fall flat, and it simply gets discouraging to see that goal get more and more out of reach as the daily word goals aren't met. But that's where this episode comes in handy. There are lots of things you can do to help yourself get back on track and keep motivated to write.

If you're setting out to reach the 50,000 word NaNoWriMo goal, the most important thing to remember is that the writing does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be. Ley and Leigh share some of the tricks they've learned from successes and failures during their own NaNo projects. This includes making sure you take care of yourself, find a buddy to help encourage you, and how to identify what's holding you back.

First aired October 30, 2021.

For other episodes and articles on this topic, see below:"
- S1E8: Getting it Written
- S20E4: Myth: Characters Control the Author
- S4E1: Getting the Most from NaNoWriMo
- Series 16: Tricks of the Trade
- Write Terribly
- Series 19: Writing Prompts for Act Two
- Series 6: The Nitty Gritty
- S9E3: I Have an Idea for a Book