Firstly, there's a saying in Japan, "Even monkeys fall from trees."

Every writer, I don't care HOW seasoned, has an unfinished manuscript.

People say the hardest part of writing is finishing. I disagree. I think the hardest part is STARTING. It's a pretty daunting task to sit down and try to write a novel. Nerves win out; noise win out; distractions win out; procrastination wins out. There's an endless list, but once you get over that hump of STARTING, there is a danger in the middle. The abyss.

What is the abyss?

It's about that midway mark where things are going GREAT. The ideas are coming back-to-back-to-back and then...nothing.

Poof. They're gone. No matter what you do, you can't advance.

So how do you overcome this? Well, all the methods I'll tell you here are going to make you clutch your pearls, get weepy, and throw a fit. But it needs saying. So I'll say it.

There are a few culprits.

The muse isn't cooperating. You're a slave to the muse and it's just not the time to finish this book yet. Let it simmer for a bit then come back later and see if you don't get some fresh ideas.

You're too young to tackle the topic you've broached. Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew and need to grow emotionally to finish a story. All you can do is set it aside and come back. If you're writing about marriage but have never been married then (🤷‍♀️).

The MC's got what he/she wanted with no looming consequences. A story is a game of 'keep away.' There is something the MC wants or wants to achieve and it eludes him/her. Once they get it and nothing threatens it or takes it away, the story is OVER. So if that last chapter you wrote gave your MC all he/she needed, you need to go BACK into the story and RIP it from his/her satisfied, trembling fingers. RIP!

You've left the plot and written fluff. Been there, done that. There's an absolute HILARIOUS (MOVING, BEAUTIFUL, HEARTFELT, EXCITING, AMAZING) scene that simply MUST stay. Yeah, great, but it's just killed your story because it's now so far from the plot that you've lost the through line (the clear path your story was taking). Sorry. But it has to go. Your absolutely amazing, best writing you've ever done, so beautiful you cried while writing it scene HAS TO GO. Fluff can be fun, and nice, but not if you can't continue your book.

Your "plot twist" broke the stories neck. Again, been there, done that. A great (😁 😏 😈) plot twist...that nobody saw coming because it was poorly done, has now changed the tone of your story unexpectedly and you can't get this genie back into the bottle. Save it for another story and chop it out. It's not worth it if you've written yourself into a corner or hit a wall.

The plot starved. Every chapter MUST feed into the plot, no matter how small or indirectly the contribution but it is heading in a set direction. The story can take one or two detours but be careful it's not going off the rails entirely. If you were doing well up until a certain point, chances are, that plot needs to be strengthened.

And those are the main reasons I've found for a stalled story I've begun. Usually if you feed that fire (that plot) constantly, it'll take you to the very end.

Should you let it die, well...it's cold out there.