I really like starting novels.
I really, really enjoy the feeling of those first few chapters where I am getting to grips with the characters and their world, and how everything clicks together. Even if I end up cutting those first few chapters (which, almost inevitably, I do), that process is really satisfying.
But when I get to around the middle, it can be difficult to keep going. The initial inertia is gone, and the finale is still nowhere in sight… but soldier on we must, because you can’t get to the end without going through the middle.
But the temptation, my friends, the temptation to stop this novel right now and start a new one… oh, it is strong. I had a glimmer of an idea, a foundation for a new story, a group of characters I would love to get to grips with but having to wait until this novel is finished… that’s gonna be tough!
Who knows, I may change novels. At the very least I am going to jot down the seeds that have occurred to me already, so when I come back to this idea it won’t be from scratch.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!