I've been trying to write a novel at least 20 chapter but I keep failing. Somehow, I just can't bring myself to write. Maybe I'm too lazy but what about you? How do you guys persist on creating another chapter consistently?
I've been criticized by my style, but here are my ways to 'persevere':
- Before I write my first chapter, I plan my story from start to finish. As in, I already know the ending before I get down to write the story, up to the chapters' contents.
- Once I got myself done with planning (since I'm a planner-type of writer), I tend to isolate myself from everything that distracts me. This includes watching anime, playing games, reading manga, and even looking at my Discord.
- Connected to the second tip, I give myself three weeks to a month of deadline to finish an entire manuscript of the novel. I don't work chapter by chapter, I do my stories in one book/volume.
I'm lazy by nature, so this is my way of doing things. Any longer than that (let's say two months), and I tend to not finish it. The self-isolation part is so that I can focus on finishing my stories.
Another is a sliver of 'self-discipline' once I get into my writing mood. As you might stumble in some threads here, once I'm in my writing mode, I can write as many as 12k words per day. Downside is, I write in bursts, so there are months where I write nothing at all (and is taking a break).
And how about 'perfecting' my prose? No, I don't mind it. I still look at the rules for guides, but if those rules hinder me, I'd rather drop those and wing it. Perfecting proses require consistent writing, and the more you write, the more you develop (and recognize) your style. (Not forever doubting what you write...)
Proof? I have 14 volumes for my main story, the Human Saint is Bored, 300 chapters since there are 100 chapters per (the early) arc. You can check them in HoneyFeed, Syosetu, Pixiv, WebNovel, WebkomPH and Wattpad (though the updates are a bit late in these two latter sites).
P.S.: Popularity? Stopped caring for it. Nowadays, I just write to tell a story, and take good care of writing my 'complications'. So far, my dedicated readers loved it.