Introduction:

After six months of moaning and complaining, I have completed the first draft of my novel manuscript. This journey took me through many challenges, both mentally and sometimes even physically. Yet, after taking a long break from this manuscript, I decided it was time to call it complete—at least for now. My literary baby has reached the 40,000-word benchmark as of a few weeks ago. Yes, this is short for a novel, but its time had come to sit on my shelf and for me to move on to new projects. Whether you’re like me, with a resounding total of one manuscript to your name, or you’re a seasoned author, I hope you find value in the lessons I’ve learned while writing the first manuscript of my life.

How to Reconcile with Falling Short of Your Word Count Goal

Battling with this manuscript’s length has been a big part of my life over the last few months, to the point where I felt a lot of negative emotions around writing this novel. It is so hard to know when to put down a project, but as I continue on this writer’s journey, I realize it’s not a waste of time just because I’m at a standstill with a novel I was once passionate about. Taking breaks from writing your novel is a natural part of the process, and that doesn’t just mean taking a month or two off. Sometimes, it means putting the book down fully for the foreseeable future and starting something else.

I can always revisit this manuscript when I’ve found a spark for it again. As a mood writer, part of the process for me is feeling excitement for the characters and the story. I fell out of love with this story, even if it’s not over. But that is okay, and here’s why:

Boring to Me is Boring to My Reader

If I’m losing interest, so will my readers, and that’s okay. It’s my first book-length manuscript and my very first novel. It was never going to be perfect, and I learned so much from this first literary baby. I know I can always go back to my first manuscript and keep helping it grow to its fullest potential. Meanwhile, book baby number two will not suffer from the same mistakes I made with my first.

A Disastrous First Draft is a Rite of Passage

The first draft of a first novel is going to be less-than-perfect and will commit the most unforgivable writing sins. And that’s exactly what a first draft ought to be. No one writes “Pride and Prejudice” on their first try. I know I had to learn this the hard way, but hopefully, you can learn to accept your imperfect first draft with a little more love and kindness than I was able to muster.

It is not a regression to leave it unfinished, and an unfinished manuscript is not a failure just because you were done writing it before the story was over. In university, I was told, “Save every poem you write, no matter how bad.” Well, this applies to novels too. Save every novel you write. Promise me. You never know when that half-written manuscript will turn into a bestseller ten years after you first started it. It deserves a place on your mental bookshelf—and your physical one someday too.

Manuscript Monogamy Isn’t the Right Fit for Me

It’s normal to write more than one novel at a time. Why this was so hard for me to understand for so long, I’m not sure. I just felt this sense of monogamy to my manuscript, even as another novel floated around in the background of my mind. Monogamy is great if that’s your preference, but for me, it belongs to relationships with humans—not with books. I can read more than one book at a time. I can write more than one book at a time, and so can you. Give yourself the freedom to explore new ideas even while you work with old ones. I promise your characters will forgive you.

Conclusion: All of This is to Say

My wisdom is far from unique or unsaid. What it does, hopefully, is provide some acceptance for what you’re going through in this maze of a writing journey that we’re on. Take as many detours as you like and tell me about them in the comments. I’m always looking for more advice on writing and literature, so tell me your biggest lessons down below and don’t forget to write. Even if you’re just putting one sentence on the page, writing one sentence is better than none.