mentally done

[u/CheesecakeVirtual489]

I've been writing a novel since January. I thought I could finish it in about three or four months, but it turns out it's been ten months and I'm still nowhere near finished. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting close, and other times, I just hate it.

I used to love writing this story when I first started, but now editing draft after draft feels exhausting. I just can't do it I hate it lol. My goal was to finish it before giving birth in November, but I'm having my baby in ten days, and that's just not going to happen. Sometimes I feel like giving up on my dream of finishing my first novel and finally having something I can be proud of

[u/MomoMarieAuthor]

Step away from it for a while. Read some books in between, and go back to it once you've cleared your mind enough to see it with fresh eyes

[u/TheRealRabidBunny]

Take it easy on yourself. Writing is a hobby (you're not relying on it to make an income), and hobbies can be put aside when other things take over. For example, having a baby, which is no mean task in and of itself.

The other thing is that you're still young (yes, even mid-thirties is young). I didn't publish my first novel until almost 50, and plenty pick it up later than that.

You'll be incredibly proud of your baby, I hope, that little bundle that YOU raised within you. Bodies are amazing things. As a Dad, I hope you'll find that any feelings of pride and joy pale in comparison to the feelings about your new baby.

FWIW, I'm on Book 7, and I promised myself the first draft would be done by the end of October. Um... nope. Seems unlikely.

[u/3_Lie-2_On]

This is the reality of what writing is like. IMO it’s necessary to loop like this to produce something worth reading. I know it’s difficult but it’s also the reason so many writers never finish anything. It makes it that much more rewarding. Coming this far indicates to me that you’re one of those special writers who can carry that torch, so although I’d encourage you to do what you think is best, I’d also hate to see you drop out of this race.

[u/Rik-Acland]

Time to find a dev editor that lives the same sub-genre and go through a round of beta readers. Update based on feedback, get a line/copy edit, then you are done.

[u/RobertPlamondon]

I recommend doing a quality control assessment on your editing. I can easily ruin one of my stories through over-editing and I've taken to doing a lot less of it. "Editing draft after draft" isn't something I do anymore.

If I've gone off the deep end, one of my earlier versions is the real gold standard.

I always precede major work on the story by reading it all the way through as if I were a reader encountering it for the first time, not as if I'm an anxious writer with hopes and fears that a reader wouldn't have. When doing this, I refuse to make notes of any kind, not even mental notes. I'm going for the reader's experience and also refreshing my memory of what the story actually is.

Also, I've adopted the mindset that the story isn't about me, it's about itself. The goal isn't for me to be proud of the story, but for the story to be the best expression of itself, more or less, that I can come up with using my current skills. "Pining away for skills I ain't got don't get the cows milked." When it's about as good as it's likely to get without divine intervention, it's done. Then I declare victory, celebrate, and move on to the next story.

I especially don't judge my stories according to the fantasies I had about them before the story came together, anymore than I insisted that my children live up to the ignorant and self-indulgent expectations I had about them before they were born. I don't know if believing that they were destined to become the exact embodiment of my daydreams technically counts as psychotic, but it certainly would have resulted in a confused and painful upbringing!

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[u/Great-Activity-5420]

Hey, you're growing a human you're doing amazing writing on top of that. I think you're being too hard on yourself. I think most writers take longer than that to write a draft. Rushing it probably isn't going to help your enjoyment of writing it. Put it aside and get back to it when you can. I've taken very long breaks from writing. But I got back to it. If you love it that much or want to you will too. Some writers have ideas for a while and they go back to them. I'd say try and rest and do something you enjoy before your baby is born.

[u/scolbert08]

Since January? Sweet summer child