Novel Writing Tips: 6 Simple Steps to Finish Your Book

If you’ve ever sat down with your laptop, stared at a blank page for 20 minutes, and thought, “How am I ever going to finish this?”, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. The good news? Finishing a novel is less about inspiration and more about having a system you can actually follow on an average day.

In my experience, the moments that helped me most weren’t the big motivational speeches. They were the boring, repeatable choices: setting a real target, writing on a schedule I could keep, and having enough of a plan that I didn’t spiral when a scene went sideways. Keep reading and I’ll walk you through 6 simple steps (with templates and examples I’ve used) to help you draft and finish your book.

And yeah—by the end, you’ll have a clearer path from “idea” to “first draft,” and then a practical plan for revisions and getting your work in front of readers.

1. Set a Clear Goal and Commit to Finishing Your Novel

The most important step isn’t plot. It’s deciding what “finished” means for you. For me, vague goals (“write a novel this year”) turned into stalled drafts every time. But once I picked a number—like a 70,000-word target—it became way easier to plan the work instead of just hoping I’d feel inspired.

Here’s the approach I use:

• Choose a finish line: 70,000 words, 90,000 words, or whatever fits your genre. If you don’t know yet, pick a range and choose the lower number to start.
• Break it into weekly milestones: 70,000 words for 20 weeks = 3,500 words/week. If that’s too high, extend the timeline. No shame in adjusting.
• Define your “minimum day”: mine is usually 250–500 words. It keeps the streak alive when the rest of life gets loud.

And when motivation dips? It will. That’s normal. My trick is to tell myself I only have to do the minimum day. Once I start, I usually keep going anyway. You’d be surprised how often that works—because the hardest part is just getting your fingers on the keys.

2. Develop Consistent Writing Habits to Keep Moving Forward

Consistency is the whole game. Not constant productivity—just steady progress. I try to write every day, even if it’s small. Fifteen minutes won’t feel like much, but over a month it becomes real pages.

Instead of waiting for the “right mood,” set up a routine that makes writing the default:

• Pick a time window you can protect: mornings, lunch breaks, or evenings—whatever you can keep.
• Use a timer: 20 minutes writing, 5 minutes reset. When the timer ends, you stop. That way you don’t burn out.
• Turn off one major distraction: I keep my browser closed and use Focus mode. If I can’t see it, I’m less likely to chase it.
• Leave yourself an “on-ramp” for tomorrow: before you stop, write the next sentence or the next scene’s first line. Future-you will thank you.

Quick example: if you’re aiming for 3,500 words/week, that’s about 500 words/day for 7 days. If you can’t write 7 days, do 5 days at 700 words/day. Either way, you’re building a rhythm you can maintain.

3. Plan Your Story with a Simple Outline and Key Beats

I used to think I needed a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline before I could write. What I actually needed was a map for the story’s momentum. A loose outline does that. It keeps you from wandering, but it still gives you freedom when the draft surprises you.

Here’s the outline template I recommend (and I’ve used it for multiple drafts):

• Protagonist: what do they want (goal)? What do they fear (flaw)?
• Central conflict: what’s in the way?
• Inciting incident: what kicks the story into motion?
• Act 1 turning point: the first major “no turning back.”
• Act 2 turning points (2–4 beats): each one escalates the stakes or changes the plan.
• Midpoint: a reveal, reversal, or new information that shifts everything.
• Final act setup: the moment the protagonist realizes what they must do.
• Climax: the choice and the outcome.
• Resolution: what “new normal” looks like after the dust settles?

Key beats are your checkpoints. When you start a new scene, ask: Does this scene push toward a beat? If it doesn’t, it might still stay—but you should know why you’re keeping it.

One thing I noticed when I started mapping beats: my subplots stopped drifting. I literally wrote one line for each subplot beat (what changes, what escalates, what connects to the main climax). That simple step prevented a ton of “wait… why are we here?” moments later.

4. Focus on Creating Strong Characters and Settings Quickly

Let’s be honest: if you try to perfect every character detail before drafting, you’ll stall. Don’t do that. Draft first. Refine later. Your job right now is to create enough clarity that the story can move.

What I do is build quick “working versions” of characters and settings—sketches I can revise after I see them in action.

Quick character questionnaire (copy/paste):

• What does this character want right now?
• Why do they want it? (their real motivation, not just the surface reason)
• What do they believe about the world?
• What do they fear will happen if they fail?
• What’s their flaw? (the behavior that creates problems)
• How do they change by the end? (even if it’s small)
• What do they do when they’re stressed?

Quick setting sketch:

• What’s the setting’s “vibe” in one sentence?
• What can characters do there? (places that matter)
• What’s the biggest obstacle the setting creates? (weather, politics, geography, money)
• What detail will readers remember? (a smell, a sound, a recurring image)

Then I write scenes like I’m telling a friend what’s happening. Keep it simple. Memorable beats beat perfect paragraphs. When you revise, you can go back and add the deeper texture.

9. Embrace the Power of Self-Editing and Feedback

Drafting is messy. Editing is where you make it readable. Once I finish a first draft, I don’t try to “fix everything” in one pass. That’s how you end up stuck, changing the same paragraph forever.

Instead, I do self-editing in a few focused rounds. Here’s a checklist that’s saved me time:

• Round 1: Big story check — does the plot actually move beat to beat? Are any scenes “stalling” without paying off?
• Round 2: Read for clarity (out loud helps) — if a sentence sounds awkward when spoken, it probably needs rewriting.
• Round 3: Character consistency — would this character do this if nothing else changed? If not, adjust motivation or scene goals.
• Round 4: Tighten and cut — I look for repeated information, slow transitions, and any scene that doesn’t change something.

One personal example: I once stalled at around 25,000 words because I kept polishing dialogue. The draft wasn’t progressing—it was “pretty but stuck.” What fixed it wasn’t better writing. It was changing the structure: I went back to my outline beats and added one missing turning point in the middle. After that, the scenes finally started building toward the climax instead of circling the same moment.

Feedback can be great, but only if you ask good questions. Don’t just say “What do you think?” I ask things like:

• Where did you get confused?
• Which chapter felt slow?
• Did the character’s decision make sense?
• Was the ending satisfying, or did anything feel unresolved?

Take the notes seriously, but don’t let one reader’s taste rewrite your vision. Use feedback to find patterns, not to chase every opinion.

10. Understand the Business Side: Publishing Options and Marketing

When people talk about publishing, they usually focus on the writing part. But finishing your novel is only half the job if you actually want readers to find it. Here’s how I look at it: choose your path, then treat marketing like a series of small tasks you can repeat.

Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing

• Self-publishing: you control the timeline, cover, pricing, and formatting. The trade-off is you’re also responsible for marketing.
• Traditional publishing: publishers handle distribution and typically some marketing. The process can be slower and harder to break into.

About those “percent of writers” stats you sometimes see online—those numbers are often vague or hard to verify. I’d rather give you something you can actually use: compare your genre’s current market and learn from what’s already selling.

Marketing basics that don’t require guessing:

• Cover: make sure it communicates genre at a glance. If your target reader can’t tell what the book is in 2 seconds, you’ve got a problem.
• Description: I like a simple structure: hook (first 2–3 lines) → what the story is about → what makes it different → stakes → credibility/last line call to action.
• Keywords: research what similar books use, and match your metadata to reader search behavior. (Not “everything,” just the most relevant terms.)
• Pricing: check comparable titles and test. If you’re pricing too high compared to similar books, you’ll struggle to get traction.
• Posting cadence: pick a rhythm you can sustain—like 3 posts per week or 1 post + 2 story updates. Consistency matters more than going viral once.

If you want a practical starting point, you can use tools like keyword research and description helpers. If you’ve got genre comps, you can also reverse-engineer what works by reading the top-selling books’ blurbs and looking at their cover style.

11. Keep Learning and Growing as a Writer

Writing gets better when you treat it like a skill you practice, not a talent you either have or don’t. Here’s what I’ve found helps most:

• Read with a purpose: don’t just read—notice structure, scene transitions, and how characters reveal themselves.
• Study craft in small chunks: one workshop lesson, one technique, one application in your draft. Then move on.
• Use prompts to unstick yourself: prompts keep your momentum alive when you hit a wall. If you want something ready-made, try winter writing prompts.
• Keep a journal: I track what I tried and what happened. “I changed the POV and it improved clarity” beats “I think it was good.”
• Experiment on purpose: try a different tense or POV for one short scene. You’ll learn faster than you would by only writing the “safe” version.

And honestly? A writing community is underrated. Even one accountability partner can turn “I’ll write tomorrow” into “I wrote today.”

12. Celebrate Your Achievement and Prepare for Your Next Project

Finishing a novel is a big deal. I don’t care if it’s your first book or your tenth—you should celebrate it. Seriously.

• Share the win with someone who gets it (another writer, a friend who reads, your critique group).
• Do a quick reflection: what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d do differently next time.
• Update your author bio and profiles so the achievement is visible.
• Decide your next move: sequel idea, new project, or deeper revision of the same manuscript.

If you’re ready to go further, consider contests, literary magazines, or pitching small publishers (depending on your goals). And then—keep writing. The best time to start your next draft is usually right after you finish the last one, while you still remember what it felt like to keep going.

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