Does anyone ever get to a stage in the book they're writing and feel unable to carry on with it? I am 3/4 through writing my book and am really struggling to get on and finish it. I know what I need to get done but can't get motivated, although I desperately want to do it. Any tips or advice would be most welcome
Thank you Chhavi, Mark and SG, I have had a couple of days of no writing, I chose wine (good choice SG) and I am now eager to finish writing. Also, I had a rejection letter from a prospective agent which, believe it or not, cheered me up. The last one I sent it to (the initial one) never got back to me at all so I was pleased that this one contacted me to let me know. I now hope to finish my current novel and edit and concentrate for a while on getting both sent out (separately) to agents though this time I will send to more than one at a time (and tell them I've done that). I have found peoples comments on here extremely helpful and have helped me not lose heart. Thanks for being there when I needed some encouragement. It makes a huge difference.
Closing my eyes and sitting or laying down running an entire scene in my imagination is what I do to carry a story forward. That takes almost as much time as the research that goes into the content of the book. And, Gilly, please choose wine. :)
I know this exact feeling and all I did (working from experience) was wait. About a month later (I know it sounds like a devilishly long time) I read through all I had written so far, and the last few chapters trotted out across the keyboard as if they had been waiting in the wings. I can't subscribe to the 'write 1000 words every day' viewpoint - I depend, as ever, upon the muse.
Also, you might have hit a snag because you've got to a point in your story that you haven't fully outlined - as did I. Only when I had properly structured the novel as a whole could I finally put pen back to paper.