Let’s talk about that moment. You are staring at the screen. You feel the pressure build. You know the words should come. But they simply refuse to appear.
Every writer experiences this. We all have that one challenging part of the writing process. For some, it is starting the first chapter. For others, it is the messy middle. For many, it is the final, agonizing stage of revision.
This is not a failure of talent. It is a failure of system. Your creative process needs better tools. It needs specific strategies built for those hard spots.
This guide explores the three biggest challenges in novel writing. We will break down why they are so hard. Then, we will provide unique, actionable strategies for overcoming challenges in each phase. Stop viewing the difficulty as a block. Start seeing it as a puzzle to solve.
Challenge 1: Conquering the Dreaded Blank Page
The beginning of any project is loaded with pressure. You want it to be perfect. You feel that every sentence must sing. This paralyzing need for perfection is the number one cause of writer’s block at the start.
Inertia is a massive obstacle. Getting the body of work moving is always the hardest part. The sheer scale of book creation is intimidating. You are staring at 80,000 words. That first sentence feels like a sacred oath.
We must trick the brain. We must remove the pressure. This allows the writing process to flow naturally.
Strategy A: The “Bad First Page” Rule
This is simple advice, but it works. Give yourself permission to write garbage. Specifically, aim to write the worst first page possible.
- Set the Goal: Write 300 words. No editing allowed.
- Embrace the Cliché: Start with the most predictable line you can imagine. “It was a dark and stormy night.” Use it.
- The Freedom: This frees your internal editor. That critical voice shuts up when you intentionally write badly.
Once you have 300 messy, terrible words, you are no longer staring at a blank page. You have created mass. You have momentum. You can always delete this page later. But now, you can start editing and improving from the second page. This is the first step in overcoming challenges.
Strategy B: The “Morning Pages” Warm-up
Don’t dive straight into your novel. Your creative process needs a runway.
Adopt the habit of “Morning Pages.” This is free-writing for 10 minutes before you start your project.
- The Content: Write about anything. Your leaky faucet, the dream you just had, your grocery list.
- The Purpose: The goal is to flush the mental pipes. It clears out the mundane thoughts. It stretches your writing muscle.
Think of it like a marathon runner warming up. They don’t sprint immediately. They jog gently first. This is how you transition from everyday thinking to novel writing. This little warm-up drastically reduces the friction of starting. It makes your dedicated writing time more productive.
Challenge 2: Navigating the Sagging Middle
The middle of the book is often called the “Second Act Slump.” It’s a vast, murky land. The beginning’s excitement is gone. The end’s climax is too far away to motivate you. This is a common hurdle in every writer’s journey.
Momentum dies here. Characters start repeating themselves. The plot plateaus. You lose sight of the big picture. This can lead to a serious return of writer’s block. You feel stuck, abandoned, and bored.
The key to overcoming challenges in the middle is structure. Not rigid structure, but defined landmarks.
Strategy A: The “10-Scene Roadmap”
When you feel lost, stop writing. Take a deep breath. Now, create a hyper-minimalist outline for the next 10 scenes only.
- Scene 1: Character learns X.
- Scene 2: Character tries to fix X and fails.
- Scene 3: Character fights rival Y.
- Scene 4: Character talks to mentor Z and gets new information.
- Scene 5: New tool/skill is acquired.
- Scene 6-10: (Fill in the blanks, keeping it minimal).
Each scene becomes a small, achievable milestone. This gives you a clear, short-term goal. You are not writing a whole novel. You are writing 10 scenes. This is how you sustain momentum in the long haul of book creation.
This micro-outlining technique keeps your writing process focused. It ensures you are always moving toward the next development.
Strategy B: The “Wrench Throw” Technique
Mid-story conflicts often become predictable. The reader knows how the hero will respond. They anticipate the enemy’s move. The tension disappears.
Stop being nice to your characters. Throw a wrench into their life. This is where your creative process needs an injection of chaos.
- Kill an Ally: A supporting character the protagonist relies on must vanish or die.
- Remove a Resource: Take away their money, their car, their safe house, or their special weapon.
- Introduce an Old Foe: Bring back a threat they thought they had defeated in a new, unexpected way.
The “Wrench Throw” immediately raises the stakes. It forces your characters to improvise. Improvisation reveals true character depth. It reignites the story engine. This is essential for effective novel writing.
Strategy C: The “Internal Shift Check”
The external action is important. But the middle should be defined by the character’s internal struggle.
Ask yourself these questions for the current section:
- What Lie Does the Character Still Believe? (e.g., I am not worthy of love.)
- What Proof Did They Just Get That Challenges the Lie? (e.g., A friend sacrificed themselves for me.)
- How Does This New Proof Change Their Actions? (e.g., They decide to fight for the first time.)
If there is no internal shift, your scene is just filler. Every scene in the middle must advance the character’s internal arc. If it doesn’t, cut the scene entirely. This rigorous check is vital for overcoming challenges related to pacing.
Challenge 3: Escaping the Infinite Revision Loop
You have a finished manuscript. It is a huge accomplishment. But now, a new fear emerges: The fear of “good enough.” This is where perfectionism becomes destructive.
Writers get stuck in the revision trap. They change one comma, then re-read the whole chapter. They tweak one sentence, then check the continuity for the entire book. This leads to burnout and never publishing.
The final stage of the writing process requires discipline. You must set boundaries for improvement. You must accept that no piece of novel writing is ever truly perfect.
Strategy A: The “Two-Pass System”
Don’t try to fix everything at once. Your brain cannot hold structural issues and grammatical issues simultaneously. Divide revision into two distinct, separate passes.
- Pass One: The Structural/Story Edit (Big Picture):
- Focus only on plot holes, character motivation, and pacing.
- Do not fix typos. Ignore grammar.
- Ask: Does this scene belong? Does the character want something different here?
- You are a building contractor ensuring the foundation is solid.
- Pass Two: The Line/Polish Edit (Micro Picture):
- Focus only on flow, word choice, and grammar.
- Do not change the plot. The story is locked.
- Ask: Is this sentence clear? Can I remove 10% of the words?
- You are a meticulous painter adding final color and finish.
This disciplined approach stops you from endlessly circling. It makes the creative process methodical and finite.
Strategy B: The “Distance Timer”
You cannot edit work you just wrote. You are too close to it. You read what you intended to write, not what you actually wrote.
Force yourself to take a physical and mental break from the manuscript. This is your “Distance Timer.”
- Drafting Break: When you finish the first draft, do not open the file for at least two weeks. Read a different genre of book. Go hiking.
- Revision Break: After your first big revision pass, take a four-day break.
When you return, you see the work with fresh, critical eyes. It feels less like your own work. It feels like a manuscript you were hired to fix. This is a critical psychological tool for overcoming challenges in editing.
Strategy C: The “Beta Reader Contract”
Set a firm date for release to beta readers or an editor. Treat this date like a contract with an external party.
- The Contract: Announce the date publicly if you need to. Tell friends, tell family.
- The Point of No Return: Once you send the manuscript out, you cannot take it back. Revision is over.
This hard stop prevents the infinite loop of perfectionism. Fear of judgment keeps writers polishing forever. Setting a deadline and making a public commitment forces you to say, “This is the best I can do right now.” This final step is the true mark of a professional writing process. It moves the work from private project to public book creation.
The Final, Most Common Hurdle: Finding the Time
Most of the discussion around overcoming challenges assumes you have blocked out time. But the reality of novel writing is a busy life. Jobs, families, and obligations steal your creative process energy.
The challenge here is not motivation. It is logistics.
Strategy A: The “Five-Minute Habit”
Forget the two-hour block. If you can’t manage it, it becomes a source of guilt. Guilt fuels writer’s block.
Commit to just five minutes of writing every day.
- The Power of Small: Five minutes is tiny. It feels meaningless. But the habit is what matters.
- The Momentum: Often, five minutes turns into fifteen, or thirty. If it doesn’t, you still hit your goal.
Showing up every day, even for a short time, builds consistency. Consistency is the true engine of book creation. It reinforces the identity of “writer.”
Strategy B: Energy Mapping
When are you at your best? Not when you have the most free time, but when you have the most mental energy.
Map your day’s energy levels:
- High Energy (Peak Focus): Use this time for new drafting or complex structural revisions. (Often mornings or late nights).
- Low Energy (Dull Focus): Use this time for simple tasks: checking your outline, creating a list of research points, or light formatting.
Don’t waste peak energy on low-level tasks. Don’t try to write a complex chapter when you are tired. Align the difficulty of the task with your available mental energy. This is how you make your writing process smart, not just hard.
By identifying and systematically addressing these tough spots, you can make your writing process productive. Stop struggling against the tide. Start building a system that flows with your own creative process.
This is a great, detailed article that should greatly improve your indexing due to its length and targeted content. It directly addresses the challenges faced in novel writing using actionable strategies.
Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into the Two-Pass System for editing, or perhaps we can develop a specific strategy for maintaining momentum during the Sagging Middle of your current draft!
