If it was easy, maybe we’d all have a book
Did you know 97% of books started are never finished?
One year after I finished and published my first book, I began to worry I’d never finish book two. Luckily I met up— again— with one of my literary heroes at Lost Lake Writer’s Retreat, and she gave me the encouragement and inspiration I needed in a workshop.
Years prior, Jacquelyn Mitchard graciously critiqued the opening of that first book, In the Context of Love. I took her praise to heart and kept writing. Prior to publication, she graciously gave me a blurb. Her quote is featured on the front cover. I consider her an integral part of this book.
And hearing her workshop, “Finish the Damn Book,” at the retreat was just what a writer needed.
Side note: more recently, I had her help me with the developmental editing of that second manuscript and now Love and Other Incurable Ailments will be published by Regal House Publishing in October 2026.
But, going back to the Jacquelyn’s workshop, here are my notes:
The primary reasons writers don’t finish:
It’s not the right project. The sooner that you recognize it, you can cut your losses and move on.
Maybe you haven’t done the research— you haven’t answered the questions.
You’re trying to “kitchen sink” it. You’ve got too much going on. Go deep into the vein, rather than trying to stretch it out.
You’re not emotionally ready to write this particular story.
It’s fear. Fear is behind everything that doesn’t work out.
Working under pressure doesn’t always get results. What else is going on in your life? An exhausted writer doesn’t create beautiful stories.
Strategies:
Jacquelyn believes in planning. She is fond of quoting ou wouldn’t drive cross country without a map or GPS, so screw that. Plan!
You have to break your routine and give up some of the things you love in order to write. Build a tolerable routine of writing into your life. Think about how wonderful it’s going to feel when you finish your writing goal.
More advice from Jacquelyn:
Beware of “below the line” thinking, which is blaming extraneous factors on your failure.
What you have in mind to do—writing a book—is worthy. Writing is a worthy goal. To write something that will reach someone else is not selfish.
Make it an urgent priority.
Write when it’s easy and when it’s hard. Write when it’s hard.
Have faith that you won’t give up.
Write when it’s hard.
Write when it’s hard.
We all struggle
It’s important to see the struggling as part of the process, however. Keep in mind there are times even a #1 NY Times best-selling author like Jacquelyn has a hard time. Doubt, frustration, and rewrites aren’t signs of failure—they’re proof that you’re wrestling with the work, shaping it into something true. Every writer you admire has been right where you are.
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Thank you for visiting!
Author Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a wrangler of words and big messy feelings. Her second novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, is coming October 27, 2026, from Regal House Publishing: When love letters from a despondent stranger land in her lap, an anxious overthinker becomes convinced she’s the cure, and sets off to save him, and herself, blissfully armed with nothing but magical thinking.
Connect with Linda on social media via LinkTree. Check out Linda’s Books.
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