17 Ideas to continue writing your novel when you get stuck
The beginning of a novel may be the easiest part to write. You have lots of ideas, you have a story to tell, and you can’t wait to get going. The ending is often just as easy, because you’re wrapping up all of your loose ends.
But what about the middle? And what happens when you get stuck writing your novel? In this article, we’ll offer up 16 tips to help you get out of your hole and back to writing.
Tip #1: Revisit your outline
For most writers, having an outline is the only way to roll. Before you start on your first scene, you should come up with an outline. Your outline will cover what happens when and why. If you don’t have an outline, then go and create one. If you have one, then you may need to fix it. If you don’t like the way your story unfolds, then you might need to scratch that outline and write a new one.
Tip #2: Put up some roadblocks
Sometimes your writing isn’t progressing because your story is just not exciting enough. Is life too easy for your protagonist? Then add some obstacles for your character. Setbacks don’t always have to be devastating, but if your hero or heroine doesn’t have to overcome anything challenging, then your reader will be bored. And obviously, you’re not thrilled enough to keep writing about him or her, either.
Tip #3: Dust off your other characters
Since we all live life through our own eyes, it can be difficult to tell a story from different points of view. But it might be a good idea to explore your other characters for a little while. Give your reader some backstory if needed, but stop hovering over your protagonist. He or she will be fine for a while without you.
Tip #4: Explore your world
So you’ve told your readers about your protagonist’s first day at school and their first kiss. But do they know what world your character is living in? You might want to take some time and explore your world a little. You don’t have to include every detail in your book, but it helps if you know what you’re talking about in your story. Make it feel real by setting the scene properly. For example, instead of describing what a shop in town look like, talk about the people shopping there and the kind of merchandise they see on sale.
Tip #5: Ask questions
Sometimes it helps if you ask some questions about your story. These should be questions that can’t be answered by a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Explore your main characters’ motivations and why they behave the way they do. What are their goals? Why did they do what they did?
Tip #6: Start at the end
You may not always want to start your story at the beginning. If you’re stuck in the middle, it could be a good idea to write the ending next and work your way back. It may be an unusual way to write your story, but if it gets you going, why not try it?
Tip #7: Set a deadline
It’s easy to get stuck in a story and leave it in your drawer or on your computer for months on end. But that won’t happen to you if you have a deadline. If you need to get something done by a certain date, then you don’t have time to procrastinate and read blog posts online. Give yourself a goal and a deadline. For example, commit to writing another 500 words right now and do that again tomorrow and the next day.
Tip #8: Introduce a new character
If you’re stuck in your story, now may be the time to develop an interesting side plot. Add an exciting new character to draw your reader in. The best books feature a handful of memorable characters the reader gets to know rather well. But you could also have a few quirky minor characters that add something to the story. They could be humorous, creepy, a pain the butt, or all of the above. It’s up to you.
Tip #9: Add subplots
It’s important to have a big story to tell, but you need small plots to keep things interesting. Your subplots don’t all have to feed into the big plot, but they shouldn’t be totally irrelevant, either. There is no limit to the number of subplots you can add to your story, as long as you don’t confuse the reader. Are you not sure what your protagonist should do next? Then make them go on an errand in one of your subplot.
Tip #10: Add an unexpected twist
When you read a story that is riveting, it’s almost always because something unexpected happened. The good guy turns out to the bad guy, and you didn’t see it coming. The main character dies. The protagonist is dead and doesn’t know it. It doesn’t matter what kind of twist you add to your story as long as you keep things interesting. Have fun and experiment.
Tip #11: Add a secret
Someone in your story might have a secret that they can’t tell anyone about. The challenge is for you to find a good reason why they can’t tell anyone as well as finding a secret that’s really important to your story. For example, the secret could have something to do with the character’s past or with their current identity. The juicier the secret, the better for your story.
Tip #12: Add a betrayal
Nobody wants to get stabbed in the back, but it makes for a good story to tell and read. Let the best friend betray the protagonist. Maybe he cheats on his wife. Maybe he steals his money. Maybe he attempts to murder him. Betrayals are fun and exciting.
Tip #13: Add some imprudent romance
Even if you’re not writing a romance book, adding some romance to your story can’t hurt. But ill-advised romance is probably more exciting than an obvious romance story your reader can smell for miles away. Let people get together who shouldn’t get together for many reasons. But make it believable. Oh and they don’t necessarily have to fall in love. You could just stick to the physical act of getting together to spice up the story.
Tip #14: Brainstorm new ideas
A great way to get your story unstuck is to brainstorm what could happen to your character. What if your protagonist lost his hearing? What if your main character got fired at his job the same day that he discovers his wife is cheating on him? What if your protagonist turned into a unicorn? Generate as many what-if scenarios as you can and then keep the ones that make sense for your story or excite you to write about or both.
Tip #15: Follow the worst business advice
There are lots of ways to get your story unstuck. But adding some pain and suffering for your protagonist is always a good idea. Make life really difficult for him if you can.
Tip #16: Don’t be afraid to delete
Ideally, you’ll knock out the first draft of your novel without going back and editing. But sometimes writers create scenes that they just can’t live with. You might have written 5 scenes that pull your story along only to realize that the action was completely out of character for your protagonist. The only thing left for you to do is to delete the scenes and start over. If you’re absolutely sure that the scenes won’t work for your book, then it’s a good idea to delete them sooner than later. If you want to keep the scenes for a different book, you can copy and paste them into a new document. But don’t let the bad scenes stop you from writing that novel. Get back to work right now!
Tip #17: Just write!
Now you have lots of ideas on how to get your story unstuck. All you have to do is write them down. So get to it. Stop looking for solutions on the Internet and move along with your story. The block is all in your head, and your protagonist is impatient to get a move on.
For a more in-depth guide on how to write a novel, check out our 13-week guide to write a novel.