This could be a multiverse, it could be a long introduction to timelines that start at all sorts of places and converge into one eventually, it could be the many lives or incarnations of the main character.

Shove them into one place.

A shitty portfolio. A long list of good ideas. Let them brew in the same place and bleed into each other.

Then have your friends and family guess the endings. Have readers predict how you're planning to end things, and then agree with them. Tell them they're clever and they figure it all out so perfectly. Agree with them and accept that their predictions and suggestions are canon.

You're going to hate their answers. None of them are going to sit right with you. They're missing too many details you hadn't developed into the story yet, they're skipping over some of the arcs you hadn't completed yet, and all in all, they're endings that don't do the characters justice and waste the potential.

Let that dissatisfaction motivate you to write in the proper endings, and bridge the end to where you left off last. Fill in the blanks, but predestine the endings. The middle is where you have the most freedom, so set that endpoint and deal with the middle for as long as you can

Whenever I think of you

I’ll think of that sweater

the one with London written

on it

I’ll think of how much I wanted it

and how you promised

you’d get it here for me

I’ll think of the moment

you showed up empty handed

how you said it

slipped your mind

how easily everything

I ever felt did.

Sweater weather -{renata ferretti}

Do you think we’ll remember

this moment

faces pressed against

the window

breathing in the cold air

do you think I’ll remember

how your hand

took mine

how we looked outside

at two birds following

each other into a big old tree

how we wished we could be

anything other

than who we

were.

Two birds -{renata ferretti}

(I have yet to finish editing it, and I don't plan on letting anyone read it, but I can tell you the writing of it was an excellent learning experience :] )

BEFORE I share with you my questionable pearls of wisdom:

Neil Gaiman talks about having a "compost pile". Have a notebook where you keep all your new story ideas, or write lil short stories with new characters. Like you're allowed to do other projects while you write your main book. If it's just fatigue from sticking to one thing, deem Sunday's your "fun write" day or something where you just write a lil short story in like 1-2 hours to get it out of your system, and then through the week work on your main book.

Include character ideas for new stories as background characters, or introduce them halfway through your novel as a new point of conflict or something.

Now, what I learned from my own writing:

I have found that setting too many rules for myself sucks the fun out of the process. Let yourself "free-write". Be ridiculous. Make yourself laugh. Have fun. Know who your character is, and then just invent madness and pretend its you reacting to those situations.

After some time, you'll develop a style. You may not spot it right away, but going back and reading through 200 pages you wrote, you'll notice where you break your style, at least.

Once you feel like you have direction - whether that's after writing one page, ten, or thirty, take a minute and outline your plot. It's more important to know your characters. How would they react to X, and why? Based on what past experience, and what future dreams/goals? This directs their (re)actions in situations, no matter what you think up!

So, once you've got that, you can make an outline (if you want). This provides motivation for that "middle slump". Make today's goal writing page 102-115. Tomorrow's goal is 116-125. The weekend when you wanna spend more time? SPEED ROUND! pgs 126-140. You can worry about cleaning it up later. So instead of staring down a 250pg manuscript goal you set for yourself back at page 5 when you felt young and ambitious, you only have to write 5-10 pages a day.

Make it a habit, like your morning coffee or your evening tea.

If you're serious about churning out a book, make a rule to only watch TV on weekends or something. Dedicate that 1-2 hours in the evening to your goal. It feels pretty good, I promise. 5 pages a day doesn't seem like a lot, but in a month you've made some real progress.

Make a bullet point roadmap for yourself, in not-too-much detail; you'll fill in the blanks with the finer points as you come to them.

Throw a wrench in your character's plans. Those hopes and dreams they had? Crush them, and then have them recover. Or challenge them in some way. They shouldn't be a broken shell of a person, but they shouldn't be perfect/unstoppable either. Conflict = interest.

Feel free to re-read scenes to refresh yourself, but fight the urge to edit if you're writing your first draft of your novel. Why spend thirty minutes meticulously editing a page, only to decide it doesn't really belong in your story once you're done writing the next five chapters?

So...yeah. Have a blast. Let yourself feel like an absolute bonkers person - no one has to see those pages but you. Once you know you've got some solid material, polish it so it is a diamond and no longer a turd (though I'm sure it was suprememly delightful in its original state). :) [[kind of my take on Hemingway's "write drunk, edit sober" lol]]

Force yourself to write.

1. Make a cup of tea/coffee.

2. Select a playlist--soundtracks and Ludovico Einaudi or Jorge Méndez work well (nothing with words). You can also try binaural soundbeats. Play it while writing and start visualizing your story or empty your mind and listen to the music. You'll figure out what works for you.

3. Give yourself a 1000 word minimum and one chapter theme/story beat to write per day, everyday, except Shabbat. I recommend using pencil or pen and a spiral notebook that you like.Write at a stand up desk if you can, or laying on your stomach in bed. Do not allow yourself to get up until it's done.

4. When you have 5-10 spiral notebook pages, you'll be done. If you want to keep writing, do so until you are done, but never allow yourself to stop early. Type it up, spellcheck, but don't read it or edit.

5. Repeat this process, no excuses, for 35 days, and you will have a novella, 55 days and you will have a novel. This is your rough draft. Save it often.

6. Give 3 days to rest and to decompress. Then print and start reading your story. Use a pencil or purple pen for notes & edits. This is your copy editing phase, don't make big story changes, just grammar & spelling. When you edit it in your computer, duplicate your rough draft and rename it as your first draft. This is the copy you will edit.

7. For the second edit, duplicate your 1st draft, rename it to 2nd draft. Print. Start playing around with your story. Fill in insufficient character background, descriptions, etc. Type these edits into your 2nd draft. Spellcheck and grammar check.

8. Repeat step 7 for your 3rd draft. This is the copy you will workshop.

9. Apply edits, repeating step 7.

10. You are now on your 4th draft. Duplicate and save as Draft 5. Send this copy to a story editor, then a copy editor, then a book cover designer & layout editor.

11. You are now on your 8th draft (once you duplicate the layout/1st proof). Check the font, margins, paper weight. Read it as a customer. Make notes In your spiral notebook. Now read it as the author. Make notes. If you are happy, save the PDF file and upload it at Amazon after you copyright it and secure a barcode for it. Now you get to focuson marketing, publicity, and getting book reviews to help sell your work.

If you are not happy with it, repeat step 11. Send your notes and corrections to your book cover designer &/or layout editor. Get a 2nd proof, and go again until it's right.

Tips:

*Wear orange UVEX glasses for screen time

*Use symphonic music while writing

*Write your rough draft with a pen/pencil in a spiral notebook, unless you prefer a voice recorder. Transcribe to a computer writing program that is easy to save into PDF, and always save in the writing format and the PDF format.

*Take walks before and after writing

*Eat a snack and use the facilities before aitting down to write.

*Do chores, work in the yard, or paint/do photography/doodle after writing. It's good for the body and helps the brain decompress.

*Bluelight, TV, video games, and social media are your enemy and a cololsal waste of time. You will never write anything if you engage in these activities, gossip with your friends, are obsessed over your partner/child/parent/evil neighbor, etc. The craft comes after prayer/meditation--no excuses.

*Do not use a red pen to edit your work. Red is the color of teachers, stop lights, and judgement. You will not encourage your self improvement or creativity with red.

For me at least, it worked to write every day, even when i was feeling frustrated and like i should be moving on and if i had a new idea i'd write it down and save it for when i needed a break from the novel i was focused in. Consistency is key, there is no magic trick and it will be hard but it's important to hold on to that story if you think it's good. Remember no one will be able to tell that story if you don't and the characters will never live if you give up on it.

Several ways a person can stay focused. The first obvious one is to eliminate all distractions. Caffeine, or stimulants would be my next solution. Then I would have to say a good reason to finish anything is the reason for writing it in the first place. The true reason, to help someone, whether it be yourself or someone else. Praying works for me , when I remember to . I am also a fan of writing to do lists. That is all I can think of, hope that helps.