This is the second in a series of articles looking at the essential things that all fiction writers need to develop. Some, like this second article, will be more about the attitude. Others will dive straight into practical tools. Each article will touch on why I believe they’re effective, and why you should use them. None of these are gospel. Take what works, mull it over, and try different variations until you find what works for you.

Making the decision to write

I recently quit smoking for the last time. Sure, like most smokers, I have “quit” a number of times before, but I have always managed to gravitate back to the habit. What is different this time? It is the same thing that was different when I finished writing and editing my first full-length novel. I made a Decision. Note the capital ‘D’ there. Yes, that rhymes with ‘P’ but we’re not talking pool.

Since publishing my first novel, a number of readers have said something along the lines of “I would love to write a novel, but I can’t seem to finish it,” or “No matter what I do, I can’t force myself to sit down and write,” followed by “How did you manage to finish it?” My answer is always the same. “I decided I was going to finish it, then I put butt to chair and wrote it.” It’s really that simple.

If you want to write, then you have to make the decision to write. There is more to it than that, though. It is not enough to just decide that you want to write. That is a necessary decision, and one that is most often made for us. If we don’t write, it’s like not taking a drag of that sinfully-good cigarette for a day or two. If we don’t write, we get irritable, and all of thoughts seem to wander to “I should be writing,” or “I need more time so that I can write.” That is not enough, though.

Decide to Finish

You have to decide to finish what you are writing. That is the key. You can write every day on a dozen different projects and still feel like you’re getting somewhere, but nothing is getting done. You have to make the decision that, no matter how crappy and worthless you feel like your current project is, you have to finish it.

Why do you have to finish every project? Experience. With every writing project you finish, you learn a little bit more about writing. You learn more about how things fit together, about how to get past the different hurdles, and about how to write better stories. Even if the novel you’re writing never sees the light of day, you have gotten better. You’re one step closer to publication.

The little decisions

Just like someone quitting smoking, every day you have to make another decision. Every day you have to decide to sit down and write that thousand words. Or research how to force a volcano to erupt. Or to edit another 20 pages. Even if you decide not to do your writing for the day, you have made a decision.

Once you have truly decided “I am going to finish this novel,” those hundreds of other decisions are that much easier to make. Remember, unless you’re published, it is just you and the decision that stand in the way of your dreams.

Conclusion

Here’s the good news, and the bad: you are in control of whether your novel gets finished or not. You can’t blame it on the dog chewing the power cord on your computer. That’s just a temporary setback. You can’t blame it on how crappy your boss made you feel today. Yeah, I know it sucks, and it’s hard to write when you’re in a bad mood, so find the Zone, and get started writing. You’ve made the Decision. Now all that’s left is to do it. And that’s the easy part. Once you’ve truly made the decision to finish, the rest is easy.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, reactions, and experiences. Let me know what you think so that we can continue this discussion and create even better ways to get our stories on paper.

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