4 Types of Writers Who Never Finish Their Novels

[@leehunts4327]

Don't forget the GRRM, who plans, drafts, and revises all at the same time, and is just rewriting the same book in eighty different variations for over a decade.

[@duncanosis6773]

It takes a lot of talent to not finish a book in four different ways, all at the same time

[@tricialee3291]

@@duncanosis6773 My god I must be dripping in talent... I'm doing all four on different projects!!!!!! 😆 Thanks for a little kick in the pants. It helps sometimes to feel a bit exposed, and use that energy to improve.

[@bricesmith102]

This is my method I've been writing a series for over a decade not a finished book. Thrown out tens of thousands of words :D

[@anjaneytripathi6949]

thats... literaly me. although ive only been doing this for a small 4 years

[@randomidiot1232]

Hiiii 😀

[@richardbishop3620]

what about The Talker - they who talk about their novel but never put a word on paper

[@duncanosis6773]

I think the talkers are usually dreamers, usually they're the idea people

[@thiscat4426]

Procrastinating on my writing by watching this video. This counts as productive work, right?

[@tirvine47]

And then there's the reviser who's a perfectionist and always thinks the next draft will be better. Luckily that's not me. I'm a procrastinator and I have it on good authority that tomorrow DOES come, it just disguises itself as today...wait, does that mean I have to go write now?

[@duncanosis6773]

I think you're obligated to... it is tomorrow by your logic

[@TheComfyReader]

😂😂😂😂😂❤

[@thenakedbooktuber-gg4uw]

I’m old school. I wrote a novel which was labor of love which took me 20 years to finish. Only 178 pages long. The longer I worked on it, the thinner it got. For me, I went through all the stages you mention. Ultimately, writing a novel-a good one-is a form of lunacy. There is no system, no formula, no shortcut, no rules. You just kind of… jump off of a cliff which has no bottom. You decide where the bottom is.

[@gst900-mq4og]

My father said always, there are many ways to fail but only one way to success. I need many years to understand this wisdom.

[@thenakedbooktuber-gg4uw]

@@gst900-mq4og Yes, your father was very wise indeed.

[@JaniceSeagraves]

The first one sounds like people who tell me, I'd like to write a book, I have one in mind, but I don't have the time to write it.

[@merrychristmasreaper]

You know. It feels so obvious, when you say it like that. "Oh, you procrastinate because you didn't get it done and as such you never start, but the further you go the more inclined you are to actually do it." Like. It's not rocket science but boy did it get past me. --Let's go see if I can actually put it to use lol.

[@intellectually_lazy]

i skipped the planing stage. total "pantser" which tends to require more revision, and also, i keep going. i write later parts before resolving earlier issues, but that has an upside of being able to weave narrative threads outside of time. plus there's things that require more research. of course, i didn't make the task i set for myself there easy at all. when i finally wrote something else tho', a short story with which i'm thoroughly satisfied and distributing free, i've really experienced a boost in confidence and have been working on other projects

[@Melleanah]

I definitely land in the last one. I’m petrified in sharing my writing. I have however shared my outlines to people and gotten feedback on them and what little writing I’ve shared has gotten good results. My younger brother sends me his writing for my own feedback and I emotionally need to get over the small hurdle. I know logically I will grow as a writer. It’s just getting there. It’s been my dream to publish a book since I was 15, I’m now 33.

[@michelecole362]

That is the perfect age to start.

[@anthonyphan702]

Serial reviser here. I have five full-length drafts done, currently working on a project that I have the most hopes for, but man...the self-criticism is formidable.

[@quartkneek3670]

These cover the main steps in how a book is written but as other commenters have pointed out, there are a number of nuances and hybrid roadblocks left out. Chief among them is the person who pushes past the rumination block and the early drafting block, they've pushed through procrastination but then they're hit with shiny object syndrome and either abandon the WiP for a new idea or go back to square one to make revisions that incorporate their new ideas.

[@jordil6152]

The only thing that stands in my way is work and personal obligations. Unavoidable interruptions that have real world personal and financial consequences if they are shrugged off. All routines are subject to interruption and every sentence is written in stolen time. And by the end of the day, when you do have a few hours, your mind is burnt out and the words aren't going to come. Plus there's sleep which is yet another obligation. Leaves a fella feeling like Jack Torrence tearing up pages and smiling a little too hard at coworkers and loved ones. I really feel bad for the guy. Even in isolation with all the time in the world his wife kept bugging him about the weather. No wonder he couldn't get past that first sentence.

[@HD_Simplicityy]

Pantsers seem to be internally organized. They know how to just follow their own trail and discover where a story heads without getting ADHD tangled up. Good advice btw.

[@duncanosis6773]

Thanks!

[@houddythequeen]

I'm a pantser when I write for myself, I basically come up with some characters, throw them into a setting, create an inciting event and see what happens. The story plays out in my head and I'm just writing down what I see. I usually have no idea how or when it will end, I let the characters tell me. I am currently trying to write a short story for possible publication and getting extremely caught up in the planning and research stage as I want the story to have a point and make sense. It is hard writing something you expect other people to read. lol

[@MelanieNLee]

I'm between a procrastinator and a reviser. Actually, I tend not to revise beyond the first draft, unless you count the revising and editing I do while writing a draft. I bring a project to 75% or 90% completion, then I stop or slow down significantly. Right now, I have a draft of a novelistic political satire (it's not truly a novel, but it has fictional characters) that is three or four tweaks away from completion--and it came to that stage months ago. I also have a series of essays that I started back in 2015, whose full manuscript is "nearly done". I have already received encouraging feedback on both manuscripts. Yet I'm dragging my feet, afraid of the querying and publishing processes, afraid of how the outside world will react.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

I'm definitely a procrastinator. It's taken me YEARS to write my novel, which, when it's finished will likely only be about 200 or 250 pages. I'm in my third major rewrite, which I expect to be the final rewrite, though maybe not the final draft. Every time I start making progress and get into a pattern of getting stuff done, something big disrupts me and it takes days, weeks, months, and at one point about a year, to get back into the thick of it. At this point, I often find myself not even liking the thing anymore, but I want to have it finished. I feel guilty when I work on other projects, but I often don't feel the passion for the novel I did...like 7 or 8 years ago, when the ideas originally came together.

[@unicorntomboy9736]

I am a hardcore pantser/gardener type writer, who only does the most rudementury forms of outlining for my works, and just goes wherever the plot and characters takes me. I am currently 1/3 way through writing a 30,000 word novella, which is going well so far.

[@AprilsMoon92]

I’m definitely the reviser 😂

[@annmyhre]

Me too. We are accordingly tragic types, and that counts for something too, I suppose 😂

[@davidbeveridgejr7089]

Finding a reliable, enthusiastic editor/critic is my major roadblock.

[@michelecole362]

Well i am all four. This is.good to know.

[@Starolfr]

Type 2 for 20+ yearrs now. 😢 (LOTS of world-building, tho...) :/ A bit of 1 & 3 sprinkled in there. I'm watching this to help me get feckin motivated and "butt in chair, fingers to keyboard".

[@momo_genX]

I finished a novel, and am working on the eighth draft of editing. I could see how I become a better writer throughout the novel. Working on my second now, a middle grade/YA piece, which looks about to be 50,000 projected. Lol. My novel was projected to be a short story. Type number six, the phone-facer. Satire!

[@vultureiraq1168]

thank u, i rlly am worried about people reading my work but ik that is part of the process.

[@Fyrsiel]

I'm wary of getting stuck in that loop of "The next draft will be better," and then never querying...!

[@Magmardooom]

This never ends. At least for me. I have managed to get through all four stages and I have a fully written/edited book I'm happy to put out there, but now I'm stuck procrastinating/planning the sequel.

[@butatensei]

You're making a big assumption there about the reviser having a completed draft already 😛 A true reviser revises as they write, sitting on dozens of versions of chapter 1, many of them abandoned part of the way, and knowing full well that the general advice is to push through a draft first, but still unable to bring themselves to write further unless it feels like what's already there is good. Source: this is what I did for many years after starting to write. The partial solution has been outlining, as well as just getting better at writing so I feel more confident about what I've written, but still I doubt I'll ever be able to completely quit revising as I go.

[@m.a.n.e.t.o.p.i.a]

Wow. You are me. I am you. Please share how you outline. I am a pantser, at least that is what I prefer. I will like to venture into outline, the information online is a lot. Please share how you manage to partially solve your issue. Thanks 😊

[@butatensei]

​@@m.a.n.e.t.o.p.i.a I think the hardest part for me is coming up with the ending. A friend has told me long ago, when I was complaining about the difficulty in finding direction in the middle of stories, to think of the ending first. This is unnatural for me, even when I try to start with the ending, I usually get ideas for the start and parts of the middle anyway before I can think of the ending. But once I know the ending, the rest is easier, everything starts to fall into place. Sometimes I have to write a bit of the beginning first to get to know the characters before I can finish my outline. Also sometimes things go differently. Sometimes this means changing the outline, but other times maybe I just found a b-plot, because I usually only outline the main plot and then secondary storylines can naturally emerge along the way. I would say don't go too detailed on the outlining unless you have to. Start with just what the story is about and some major events, then maybe do chapter by chapter, then maybe scene by scene, but if you feel like you have enough to start writing then start writing. When you have at least a basic outline it becomes easier to see the big picture and you can even jump around if you want, write a later scene first, insert a new scene in an earlier part in order to foreshadow the new thing that you thought of while writing a later part etc. But how detailed the outline needs to be or what things need to be focused on depends on what works for you.

[@BigDaddyJinx]

I've always been a 2 with hints of a 3. I start with the dream. I get a REAL great story idea and run with it. Then I try to map it out, and I just go right down a rabbit hole. The deeper the hole, the more I start to lean into Number 3. I have good beats and a coherent story, but I bury myself in an outline and research. I think like a critic before I write my first word, and I think to myself, "Well how would I sew up that loose end? How do I make that plot hole go away? How do I get from here to there without plodding or speeding? Is this technically accurate? How many experts are gonna pick this apart and how do I avoid it?" And I keep going further down the rabbit hole. And then I get trapped with Number 3. But I'm aware of it, so that's a start. As long as I know it's a thing, I might be able to correct it if I catch it quick enough.

[@oracleofaltoona]

Thanks for this bracing talk. I am #3 . BTW YOur presentation is very succinct. Appreciated.

[@fragwagon]

Excellent insight as always. And I'm happy to see King Cat in the background again.

[@duncanosis6773]

Thanks, I meant to swear allegiance to him in the video but forgot.... Or maybe I edited it out, can't remember

[@quickdudley]

I've been procrastinating a bit but I still feel I'm making reasonable progress on my draft. However I don't have a clear understanding of how to turn a first draft into a second draft or a finished novel. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

[@vapx0075]

Asking AI to Beta read. My theory is, if I can get it to stop complaining, it may be considered good enough to share with a human being and I may become a better writer in the process.

[@quickdudley]

I asked AI to beta read the first couple of chapters of my draft and honestly I don't think they're as good as the AI seemed to think, and I don't think the suggestions it did give would have really bought it any closer to what I was actually aiming for.

[@Seldarius]

And then some of us manage to be stuck in all stages on various projects 🤪.

[@preparandoelcamino]

I'm a recovering planner 😂 learning my way through actually sitting and writing all the wonderful stories I've planned 🤣

[@sparksdog8111]

I need a 5th type that includes a little of all the above.

[@stagename2]

Solid advice. Just subscribed. Looking forward to more.

[@duncanosis6773]

Thanks!

[@catastrophicgaming4275]

Good video. You are the focus of the shot, but are kinda small in frame. Maybe move camera closer to you. Also invest in a good microphone. Audio quality is a big part of videos that people subconsciously judge videos on. Good video otherwise

[@stevenroberts4364]

Dude, I love your cat portrait

[@Kobsidian]

This is a good video, and you put your finger on several key factors. But you've overlooked at least one 'type' that is challenged to complete a project, which I know because I'M IT. This is the person who never quite completes a draft because of constant revision, second-guessing, and editing. I thought your fourth category was going to cover my case. But I HAVE presented my work in critique groups, and to other writer acquaintances, from which I've benefitted. Fear of exposure/criticism isn't the issue here. My current best guess about my problem is that I may be trying to cram too much into a single project,. I have well over 200k words of text, and I've organized from 60-100k of that into multiple versions of a complete manuscript. But each version is incomplete in one way or another: a particular theme is under-played, a character or two needs more development, plot elements fail to align, etc. And each time I reorder the chapters or theme elements, I create inconsistencies in plot, logic or flow which then have to be addressed. There have been several times during the last two years when I felt I was within a couple of weeks of putting a bow on my monster, including NOW. I pray that I am in fact seeing the end of the tunnel. But I do believe that this is a category of 'incompletion' that is different than the categories you've addressed. Thanks! Kirby

[@vapx0075]

Sounds a bit like me. "Pretty sure" I have a complete outline. Crrently trapped all the way back at the beginning in the sixth draft.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

I think I'm a reviser. But I have already started my querying journey. It's just kinda difficult because for some reason a lot of these agents are following trends, and I have taken some pains trying not to follow these trends, because they do not feel "true" to my themes, and stories. It's a little extra bitter considering the last time I started submitting actual finished work, it was around 2008-2010 when the Recession was happening and all the different fantasy and horror magazines I wanted to share my craft were either going under or were, again, following trends. I most sharply remember a time when I was submitting a horror story and one magazine editor straight up asked me to put a "romantic subplot" in there because haha get it New Moon was big in 2009. Effing ridiculous.

[@captainnolan5062]

Planning, to the planner, is what "writing: the first draft" is to the pantser. Planning IS writing (however, it is a different form of writing than what the pantser uses (i.e. the crappy first draft). Pantsing can lead to becoming a 'reviser' (since their novel is such a mess, because they failed to plan). Revisers failed to plan enough.

[@merxmiller7469]

we pantsers (speaking only for myself) sometimes need a kick in the tender part of our pants and some kind words such as: "stop enjoying your everlasting pantsing and put an end to the present thing already. Then you can start another project and pants some more!"

[@Holly-kj6rs]

I've been all of these except the Reviser. Haven't gotten that far. My problem is by the time I get to the actual sit down and write the freaking thing stage, I don't like my main character anymore. 😅 No idea why. My secondary characters are fantastic but I don't like the main character. So then it's back to dreaming, planning, and outlining.

[@BloodlightRadio]

I'd recommend joining a dnd or role playing group with your character to develop them. I don't usually like my main character until I discover microquirks/figure out how to love them. Alternately, maybe try writing plot-forward stories that don't require heavy characterization to function. Short stories are good practice!

[@Holly-kj6rs]

@@BloodlightRadio You're not the first person to recommend I try dnd 🤔 Thank you for the advice! I'll try and give role playing a shot and see what happens

[@KVP94Guitar]

I think a good tip (that I find works for me at least) is set a word count goal. I do 500 a day which sometimes works and sometimes does not. But that is the trick to get going because often times I'll end up writing a lot more than that goal. I also find that I allow myself to just write. It doesn't need to be perfect because I can edit later. Once I actually get to editing, I'll allow an edit or two and then give it to my friend who studied English. Where I'm stuck is what to do after I've actually finished. Where do I submit type struggles.

[@rustneversleeps85]

To some people - even famous writers - planning and outlining can take years and be even more important to 'getting things done' than the actual writing, which takes place bc the outlining was so detailed. So to say planning/outlining is not actual work is ballsy. Just ask J.K. Rowling. So yeah I wouldn't take this video too seriousrly, if you are confident in your process keep it up.

[@missmusic4951]

It comes down to motive and intent. If you're a really thorough planner who needs a intricately detailed outline, of course that's gonna take a while and it's a natural part of the process that ends with a completed book. It's only a problem if the writer sits on a perfectly thorough and complete outline by constantly revising and tweaking when it's unnecessary, and the process never ends in a finished product (or even a draft). The only way to know which is which is self awareness and input from people who know you. One person's valid process is another person's stalling tactic. This video speaks to when it becomes a problem.

[@quickdudley]

To be fair the aspects of writing that outlining is supposed to help with are still among the weakest areas of the Harry Potter series, so maybe there are diminishing returns.

[@rustneversleeps85]

@@quickdudley That's an opinion about specific part of a PUBLISHED work, but it was published nontheless. She got it done through thorough outlining. Maybe she wouldn't have written anything at all if she listened to some advice in this video.

[@natewxlfe]

Oh no, I’m all of them

[@hunggarrebel2801]

Your video is awesome and I love your sense of humour but, the instability of your table is giving me anxiety

[@duncanosis6773]

Its actually a piece of particleboard on two stacks of paint cans (Still working on the new set...) but yeah the shaking drives me nuts too so I've tried to minimize it in subsequent videos.

[@jnet1169]

I’m both 3&4 😢 I finished my novel but I’m procrastinating the editing. I have plot holes to fill and fluff to pull out but I keep waiting until tomorrow cause it’ll be easier then?!

[@Barklord]

I'm currently in a cycle of indecision after finishing a first draft because I can't decide on a better POV for the second draft. I don't want to spend money on beta readers or an editor so I have an excuse to let it sit in a file until armageddon happens and there'll be nobody to read it anyway.

[@duncanosis6773]

That's a tough decision, I would look for a critique partner or a group if you can. Or just wait for the apocalypse. Both valid plans

[@andrewfallman7542]

Beta readers shouldn't cost money. Friends and family are an option, although they might not give honest/helpful feedback. There are groups online where you can trade work with someone, or post yours.

[@missmusic4951]

Don't pay an editor until the book is as done as you can possibly make it, and only then if you're indie publishing.

[@vapx0075]

As Chat GPT to beta read it for you first. Just remember it has a short attention span.

[@thedreadlord2156]

I like your videos and I like your cat.

[@jorje0068]

Crap I'm all of those

[@neosapienz7885]

Yay! Which one am I? News at 11.

[@neosapienz7885]

Ok it’s 11. I’m the first 3 and part of 4.

[@suvilienee]

Wise words, thank you

[@duncanosis6773]

Thanks!

[@toddcarney6527]

How would you classify me? About 10 years ago I wrote first drafts of two novels and I gave them to readers (friends and family) for notes, they gave me glowing reviews and notes, and I have done absolutely nothing with the two novels since then.

[@the_anesu]

I’m a reviser it seems 😭. I’m still tweaking the story before I send it out to my editor

[@vcb2553]

so what do you do when you are all 4

[@thebricknomads]

I am procrastinating right now

[@chuckwieser7622]

I recently started a new WIP, a YA Horror-Thiller (think that will be the sub-genere). Would you be able to read the first chapter and tell if it is a marketable concept/premise. And if I'm the write track? I would love to get feed back from a published author in the industry. Thanks and loved the video.

[@greatcoldemptiness]

Imagine wasting time writing YA when you could be using that time and interest in furthering the Western canon. You're not gonna make it

[@chuckwieser7622]

@@greatcoldemptinessplease define the western cannon

[@intellectually_lazy]

i'm tragic. that makes me feel so byronic. thanks for that

[@Bookspine5]

Have you written a novel ? If so, I'd like to read it.

[@salustianoberrios405]

I have! My most recent, Growing Children, is a sci-fi thriller about a father struggling to raise his autistic teenage son--and going to great lengths to "rectify" it.

[@johndoe-rq1pu]

Anything can be grouped into four neat categories. It's just usually kind of reductive and insulting.

[@robertrdbrooks7658]

#5. The Broke $? ¿$? 😔 ¿$?

[@evan_j]

Exactly! Even if I could afford the editing (or self-publishing) I can't be sure I will earn it back.

[@MrNoucfeanor]

I gave up writing because I'm garbage at it and have horrible grammar. That and I spend too much time watching writing videos >_

[@dustyyhazzy]

you are not garbage, random stranger in the internet. horrible grammar can be resolved by seeing grammar videos. idk why i wanted to motivate a random stranger, but if you see writing videos, it means some part of you still wants to write, hasnt moved on.

[@MrNoucfeanor]

@@dustyyhazzy Thanks for that fellow stranger. I might return to it one day, regardless of my capabilities. It's so much fun and is a great outlet after a long day!

[@vapx0075]

I started out having conversations with the spelling and grammar checker in the word program. Twenty years later I'm returnting to having conversations with Chat GPT. Writing is a skill and thus, is a continual improvement process. Read, write, revise, learn, apply.

[@Ghritke]

Sorry but the idea that most people have thought about writing a novel is so completely out of touch I'm having trouble watching the rest. Like dude most people don't even read.

[@highcaliber350]

"writing a novel, or some other kind of story." I think anyone who never thought about writing a novel specifically, might have thought about drawing comics, or making a video game, or idk, making a short film or something. Basically, anything that also requires writing a narrative. I think you might be the out of touch one if you think MOST people don't read or watch ANY type of STORY and at least have a fleeting thought about making something of their own?

[@vapx0075]

Creativity is a human thing. It spurs innovation and is directly linked into problem solving. Everyone has a story in them. Even if it's just an autobiography. Even it's a murder mystery in dot point form. I can understand that the drive for practically in most people exceeds the drive to sit down and plot down a spiderweb of dreaming but that doesn't preclude the idea of doing it.

[@PEGGLORE]

I've never read a full book. And I've got to write a book about my story of spiralling misfortune due to the National Lottery, after a freak event in the decillions to one in odds in the game, that's never happened before, and will never happen again. Greatest, most interesting true story of all time, without any influences from anyone else to pollute and debase my writings. Just got to write the long, complicated thing though. You'd read it though, right?