Kick procrastination to the curb: 5 ways to finish your novel's first draft

If you're a writer, you've probably experienced the dread of procrastination in the writing process. You know the one: where it would be easier to clean your whole house rather than finish that sticky scene?

Sometimes, there's nothing to be done but rest. But if it's the kind of procrastination you need to push through, here are some ideas for how to finish your novel's first draft!

1. Set ridiculously short writing sessions

Long writing sessions can not only be intimidating but energy zapping. It can lead to avoidance. (Guilty as charged!) Instead, try extra short writing sessions or writing sprints. It can seem like a backwards method - I know when I first tried it I thought I wouldn't even have time to remind myself of my plot before writing in a 15 minute span.

Lo and behold, some of my most valuable words have come in spurts of 15 minute writing sessions. It's a whole lot easier to a) find that short period of time to shove words into between other life things, or b) to not get intimidated by how much needs to be done if you only have that short time to write in.

The bonus: if you find yourself in a groove when the timer goes off, you can just keep going! Often, it's getting started that's the hardest part, and this method helps getting started feel more manageable.

2. Embrace the power of music

Some people are able to write while listening to music (I wrote a whole book to the song Swansea by Lemolo), but that's not for everyone. Instead, you can use it to set the mood or find a tone.

Curating a playlist of songs specific to your novel is a great tool to help visualize or to bring up emotions for certain scenes. It doesn't have to make sense to other people, just to you. I know I have certain songs on my writing playlists where readers would struggle to find a connection between the song and the scene. The important thing is that it helped me want to write the scene.

It's also fun to then have a list of songs to remind you of your novel and to get those juices flowing even when your mind is at rest. (Not to mention, it's one of the best feelings in the world when you find a song that fits just perfectly.)

3. Switch up your environment

Sometimes, all it takes to get the words flowing is a change in location. It's easy enough to find a place that you're excited to visit. Writing in coffee shops isn't for everyone, but there are plenty of other places to try. If it's a nice day, you could take your laptop/notebook to the garden, or maybe you're better suited to the library.

I remember hearing about an actress who saw a mother talking to her child on the subway and it gave her an idea into the persona of a character she was playing. The point: inspiration can come from anywhere. Getting out and about might be just what your story needs. (You could even combine it with that fancy new writing playlist.)

By making a day of it, you're already out and you planned to be writing, so why not try for a few minutes?

4. Use writing prompts to jumpstart your flow

It can be hard to jump right into a scene the moment fingers touch the keyboard. That's where writing prompts might be helpful. There are tons of places online to find short prompts in a variety of genres and situations.

Maybe the thing to help get you into your writing flow is to write a few words for something totally unrelated first. This can get the creativity flowing without the pressure of it being related to your current project's word count. If you want, you can even relate it back to your character (How would they respond to X circumstance?), but keep it distant from your novel itself. This is just for the fun of it.

Alternatively to specific prompts, you can try saying to yourself, "literally anything can happen". See what comes of that phrase - related to your scene or not. If your novel is a fantasy, do aliens suddenly descend from space? Does your character's long lost cousin arrive at the top of the mountain? Does the villain decide to switch sides? Sometimes all it takes to get in the writing mood is to think about things differently.

5. Set a completion date and make it public

I'll be honest, this one has backfired on me occasionally. Setting deadlines can add unnecessary stress, but for some, it can be helpful to have that external accountability.

It this method works for you, choose a realistic date you want to finish your novel by, and then take it a step further: share this goal with someone. That could be a trusted friend, a family member, or even your writing group.

If you're wondering what a realistic timeline is for you, time a few writing sessions and track your words written in that time. Grab an average word count from those. Divide your word count goal for the book by the average word count per writing session. That will give you the approximate number of days it will take you to complete your draft. Once you have that number, take a look at a calendar and see how often you could have writing sessions. That will give you a timeline that should be measurable, specific, and achievable.

Beyond that, it can be helpful to have someone checking in with you during the writing process. That sense of urgency can help to keep a writing goal on track.

Just be sure it's not adding extra pressure that's causing more procrastination. If a project needs to breathe, maybe it's time to work on something else for a bit.

Many writers have a love-hate relationship with first drafts. They're incredibly rewarding but also incredibly frustrating (especially if you would rather edit than write, like me). I hope that some of these methods help you to get un-stuck. Maybe they even inject a bit of fun into your writing process.

As always, it's important to find what works for you. The goal is progress, not perfection.

So, kick procrastination to the curb and start wrapping up your novel's first draft. You might find the finish line is closer than you think!

Happy writing,

Erin