I'm stuck on my story. How do I finish?

This is very common. Sometimes you lose interest, or you hit a wall. Here are some things I do:

• Figure out the end of your story. You don't have to know the exact scene or final line but have a sense of where you want your main character to end up. The best way to do this is to know how you want your main character to grow. For example, in Click Here, Erin starts out insecure and moves toward self-confidence and standing up for herself and what she wants. Because I knew that, I knew that the end she have a scene showing her confidence and feeling better about herself. If you can, write the last scene first so you know where you're going.
• And then what happened? One question I have up on my wall is: And then what happened? If things are slowing down or your losing interest in what you're writing, it may be that you're just writing "filler." Examine the scene. Is there any conflict? Conflict inside the character (she's really frustrated) or between the character and someone else (he's fighting with his mother) or a physical challenge to overcome (she has to climb out of ditch with a broken leg to save herself). Conflict drives story. You must have your character overcoming obstacles. If s/he isn't overcoming obstacles, get those obstacles in there!
• Plan it out. I stink at planning my books or pre-writing. I get an idea I'm excited about and want to jump right in and start writing. But I've found that I waste a lot of time that way. More than once I've written 30-40 pages and realized I don't have enough story for a whole book. So now I've actually started planning before I write--I know, the horror, but it really does help. With the Click Here unsequel, I jotted down every scene I thought needed to be in the book in 1-2 lines and any bits of dialogue or scene conflicts that came to me. It's also a good idea to put these scenes on index cards so you can shuffle them in any order before you start writing.
• Free writing. Try some free writing that has nothing to do with your story. The Internet is full of writing sites that offer writing prompts to help get you started. Sometimes working on something else opens your mind to moving your story forward.
• Know when to move on. This isn't always easy and usually comes with lots of writing practice. If you give up on a story, it may just be because you aren't willing to invest the energy and time required to finish it. Or it may be the story just isn't working and you need to put it aside work and on something else. If you find that you can't finish ANY story or book you start, you may have to look at your own writing practice and your motivation for writing.

Where can I find someone to give me feedback?

If you are a student, consider asking a teacher or check around for a youth writing class. If you are an adult, ask around to find out who else might be writing. Attend writer's classes, workshops, and conferences--these are goldmines for connecting with other writers. I met the writers in my online group at a conference.

How do I make my characters more interesting?

Try not to copy characters you've seen in movies or on television. Make your characters unique in some way. Think of people in your own life. What makes you roll your eyes at your mom? Why do you think that kid in your science class is weird? Add these traits to your own characters.

How can I make my story more interesting?

Make your characters unique and interesting (see above). If you've already done that, make sure your main character has problems, conflicts. What does Jo want? Now make it very harder for Jo to get it. Conflict is what makes a story interesting. If the characters get everything they want, or get it too easily, the reader is bored. And make sure Jo changes and grows throughout your story -- goes from shy to assertive, not caring to caring, etc.

How can I get published?

There are a ton of sites on the Internet, as well as books and magazines, that describe how to break into publishing. Before you try, make sure your manuscript is as good as it can possibly be. Then make sure you're sending it to magazines or book publishers who publish your sort of story. For those of you who are young, you can also check out the Young Writers Resources page at the end of this page for more information. Good luck!

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