Abandoning your works.......................

[gudmarsden]

I've been writing for quite some time. About five years to be precise. You won't believe that i've never completed a single book! Each time i remember that, it quite alarms me that i may never complete any. The problem is each time i get an idea of something else i'd like to write on, i totally abandon what i've started and embark on something else, so right now, i've got heaps of started but unfinished work. I got so close to finishing a book but then, i really don't know, i didn't. I'm on one now and i'm really trying to complete it. I hope i do but could someone give me a tip on how finish what i started?

[Rowena Cherry]

How long are your books?
90,000 words is about right for a modern contract.

I've come across complaints like yours quite a bit in the authors' areas on GoodReads.com , and in other places.

Is it possible that you have a boring, bloated middle to your book? It's very common for authors to lose their way. Possibly, you need to go back and identify where exactly you lost interest.

Failing that, maybe you need a Beta reader, or a critique partner. I never have the time for CPs because I'd rather not reciprocate. (Grin). Luckily for me, there are people you can pay, depending on your needs and budget.

Maybe look around on LinkedIn.com which is a great site for professionals to advertise needs/services on offer.

I do happen to know of a bookseller who is looking to do some book doctoring or consulting: Brenda Clark of mystiquebooks.com . I've no idea what she intends to charge, though.

Good luck to you!

Rowena

[gudmarsden]

Thanks.

[Lynne Kelly]

What is your purpose in writing? Do you want to get published? If so, this is a business. Finishing books is really really hard. So you need a deadline and to be businesslike.

Choose the one you think you have the best chance of selling to a publisher, and then start working on the submission proposal. If you don't know how to do a proposal, then get a book on it, such as the Australian book, "A Decent Proposal". Consider the marketing aspects, the concept statement, intended audience etc. - all the things you must do properly for a professional proposal. If you haven't already, check out the potential publishers, their submission guidelines and so on. Make a priority list - your dream publisher down - including any publisher you would be happy to publish with.

Think of it as a business, and you may find the change in mindset makes need to finish is more urgent. I am always working on four or five books, but only one is the focus, scheduled, pressure book with deadlines. When I made that decision, and started saying that I was a struggling author who taught to pay the bills, rather than a teacher who wrote on the side, my whole approach to completion changed. I had two trade contracts (I'd done educaiton before that), one fiction and one non-fiction, within 6 months. Just a thought!

[Lady Lazarus]

You can learn a lot by finishing a novel, even if you think it needs a lot of polishing. You will only learn the craft of writing a novel if you make it to the end. Good luck!

PS I can recommend the WriteWords forum for support and advice along the way.

[Squirls]

I'm on one now and i'm really trying to complete it. I hope i do but could someone give me a tip on how finish what i started?
I suppose you could start by finishing off all the page numbers and then at least you've got something to work on ;)