The Emotional Stages Of Writing A Novel

Novels are big projects.

Even if you’re very fast and it doesn’t take you very long to write one, you’re still talking about a piece of fiction that’s at least 50,000 words.

All of my novels are between 53,000 and 86,000 words and took me between four months and a few years to write. I also call Uncover, my YA thriller and first published book, a novel, but at 40,000 words it’s really more of a novella. (FYI–ebook is 99c.) The ones that took over a year were because I was taking long breaks in the writing process for a variety of reasons. So in general it takes me a number of months to write a novel and in those months I go through a number of emotional ups and downs.

Here’s how I think of them:

The Energetic Beginning

I love to start things and novels are no exception. The idea is fresh, I’m getting acquainted with the characters and their world, and it’s fun and exciting. Because I write without an outline, everything I’m writing is new. The story is revealing itself to me and I get excited about the possibilities for where it’s going.

Also, there’s less to keep track of at this point in terms of details and plot. Things flow out of me quickly and I’m just capturing them onto the screen. It’s like the first stages of a relationship where there’s a lot of attraction and mystery and not a lot of baggage. 🙂

And then…

The Dip Of Doubt

Around a quarter of the way into a novel I come to my first low point. The newness has worn off. I’m well on my way with the story. The characters and setting and plot have become very familiar to me. There’s not as much mystery but there is a lot more to keep track of. And I start to question things.

Is the story progressing well? Is this going to be interesting to readers? Have I made any mistakes? Introduced any errors or inconsistencies? Where exactly is this going? I hope I don’t screw this up. What if I ruin it somehow and everything I’ve written goes to waste? Is the story too weird?

What’s really happening here is that my energy has gone down a bit. I’ve suddenly got 15,000 – 20,000 words of story and things are getting more complicated. Things aren’t as new anymore so that initial excitement has worn off. The mystery has become less mysterious.

The important thing to do here is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. That’s how I get out of the dip. My excitment and enthusiasm aren’t carrying me along anymore. It’s much more important now to simply be consistent and hit my word count goal.

But then…

The Mid-Way Peak

After trudging out of the dip of doubt, things get a little brighter as I near the half-way point because, hey, I’m halfway done! I haven’t ruined the story and I’ve decided that all those things I was questioning are fine. Or, if not totally fine, fixable.

The story is proceeding along, characters developing and, you know, I think I just might have an engaging story. Things look good from up here, and I get a little energy boost just from being at the halfway mark.

The story is very much underway at this point and though I probably still don’t know how it all ends, I’m on the downhill side and I’m thinking about how good it will feel to finish.

The Last Valley

At around three quarters finished I come to another low place. One in which I want to rush through, and if I’m not careful, I will. The novel is almost done, the story almost completely told. My characters have taken their journeys and they are almost at the end. Maybe they are completely different from when we got started or maybe they’ve grown slowly, but it’s almost time for us to part ways.

At this point, I may or may not know how the story ends, but I do know one thing: I really want to get there. It feels good to have a completed novel. It feels good to know that I didn’t screw things up entirely. And, it means that afterward I get to start something new, and we know how I feel about beginnings.

Like I said, my biggest pitfall here is rushing. Trying to drive myself forward to an ending. I’ve learned that I need to take my time, let this part of the story unfold and know that I’m moving forward. The end is in sight.

The Runway to the End

At this point, everything feels great. I’m wrapping up. I know how the story ends. And I’ll have another finished novel. It’s been a good ride and it’s been fun to spend time with these characters. Maybe I’ll write a sequel. Maybe not.

I’ve experienced doubt, excitement, mystery, anxiety, enthusiasm, fear, conflict, love–all the things that make a great story. So while my characters were taking their journeys and sharing that with me, I was taking mine, and, maybe, sharing it with them.

Either way, it feels great to be finished. And then, I can start this all over again…

Do you have a similar emotional curve? Or does yours look completely different?

Photo by Art Lasovsky on Unsplash

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Amanda Linehan is the author of North, about a young woman on the run from her past, the law and an old adversary out to get her. Her newest release is Bored To Death: A Vampire Thriller, about a 300-year-old vampire trying to restore the balance between life and death. She has published five novels. Get a free short story every month when you sign up for her newsletter.