The great American novelist, Ernest Hemingway, said this once: “I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”
I love this quote and follow it. Some days I struggle to write 500 words and somedays I could probably write five thousand. The key is to always keep a little something in that creative well. Writing a book is a long, exhausting process, and you need to make sure to pace yourself. One of the ways you do that is to end when you have a little more left to give. Don’t end in the middle of a scene. Of course not. But do end when you still know what’s going to happen next, what the next section or chapter or scene will be.
There is something about the subconscious that works even when you’re not working. You might find yourself thinking about the book or about a scene. You might see someone or hear something that sparks an idea. Sometimes you’ll dream something. Somehow, when you leave a little left in your tank, you can start right where you left off. It doesn’t have to be the next day (though the longer time goes by the more difficult it is to get back in the writing mode).
I recently found your blog and as an unpubbed, but hopeful, writer it’s been extremely beneficial. Maybe it’s a good sign that some of your tips are things I’ve already found to be true, especially as I’m working on the middle of my second project. Friday’s post (sorry, I’m playing catch-up) really resonated and was encouraging.
Thanks so much!
Glad it’s beneficial, Melinda. The main thing as an author is to not give up hope. Publishing can be infuriating and bewildering, but just remember the joy (and the pain) that comes from writing. Hopefully more joy!