After struggling on and off this summer, I’ve finally hit a groove and I’m really enjoying and am excited about writing. I also finally hit about 50,000 words on my project**, which makes it an offical “novel,” even though I’m currently adding and rearranging more than writing linerally, which also means that some written scenes will probably be reworked or deleted.
Nevertheless, last night I went to bed thinking about how I was potentially so close to being done with the rough draft, and how I could send it to my friends for a first read (after I just read through it again and insert ir change some things I want to make it consistent, as some of my ideas changed halfway through, and some minor characters don’t have names). It was such an exciting feeling, especially as I’ve poured so much of myself into this story.
My struggle with this book–which I’ve been working on for a year and a half–was that I wasn’t advanced enough for it. It’s middle grade, but that meant I needed to keep it accessible and plot-driven enough to keep my audience reading while also telling a character-driven story. I originally began with some magical realism, but then I began rethinking that. Then I wondered if I needed to reshape what I had written all along a more higher-stakes plot. Whenever I got stuck, I would often put it away and move to another project with more momentum. Sometimes, I stepped away from it because the subject matter was often so personal. But I always returned.
This summer I planned on taking what I had and making a chart from which I could then add or rearrange, still thinking I would have a more dramatic plot. Instead, I found I rather liked what I had, more than I’d thought. I came up with more ideas that I liked much better, and I’ve now been working on adding them, and then using that additional background, I’ll move forward. There were only a couple of chapters left, after all.
I’ve still got a lot to figure out, but the idea of working from a draft than from ideas that aren’t on paper is so relieving. I’ve started many projects, but I’ve honestly only finished one book before, and that one was very different (fantasy, 90,000 words) and I was 12. (I did reach 50k on the sequel, but I never go further with other projects because I kept editing that first one, until I realized it just wasn’t what I wanted anymore.) It’s yet another component to this new stage in my life, and like college and being more independent and meeting new friends and finding new opportunities, I’m happy.
**It’s a middle grade realistic novel. It’s broadly about middle schoolers figuring out who they are and who they want to be, perfectionism, mental health, friendship, and how stories and characters as well as the Internet shape our view of the world.
Olivia Anne Gennaro 
Writer problem: I’m never able to finish anything. And by not finish, I mean unable to get past the first few pages. How do you stick with an idea? How do you plan? I want to call myself a writer, but it seems I can’t produce a finish product.
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Well, you don’t have to produce a finished project to be a writer! I totally understand this. The novel I talked about here I didn’t quite finish because there were some things I want to put aside and come back to when I have more experience, especially with middle grade. I struggle a lot with finishing too, mostly because I don’t spend enough time writing and so when I do, it needs to be on something I think will be worth it.
I plan out generally the character and story arcs, but I don’t do too much, though I find writing can come easier if I know particular beats of a conversation or scene. Ultimately, setting aside time to write and building up more and more words is how you get things done and practice!
And if you get stuck and have an idea you think you can tackle more easily right now, go ahead!
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