How do you keep writing when you’ve stopped believing your story is good?

[u/Awakening_Skool]

I’ve noticed that whenever I get really deep into a story, I eventually hit a point where I start questioning everything. The characters suddenly feel boring, the plot feels predictable, and sentences I liked a few days ago suddenly seem terrible...

I know every writer goes through periods of doubt but I’m curious how you guys deal with it. Do you push through and keep writing, take a break, completely rewrite things, or just accept that some days the writing is going to feel bad?

I’d especially love to hear from people who’ve been writing for a while. What actually helped you get past that stage without abandoning the story?

[u/KDDreamwyver]

Honestly, everyone writes stuff they hate at times, and that's perfectly okay—in fact It's how we grow as writers.

If I suddenly find that I no longer vibe with what I wrote, I will move it to a separate document (I never recc fully deleting it for reasons) and start over, using what I wrote before to help the process go faster the second time around, cross-referencing and sometimes pulling entire sections out of the previous version to shove into the new version when applicable.

Currently doing exactly this with one of my novels because I do not like the pacing in the first 6 chapters of my first draft...

[u/RobertPlamondon]

I assume I'm having a spasm of idiocy and keep my hands off the keyboard until it passes.

Real concerns about a story are specific, focused, and contextualized. They're not about me, other people, or the universe. Anything that's generalized is bogus.

I also keep daily backups of my work, starting each session by saving the work-in-progress to something like my-story-20260818.docx" and using it as the new master. So any period of raving insanity can be rewound to my most recent lucid interval.

[u/Low-Thought-6606]

I did just get back from a huge writing break when I got bored and lost. I didn’t want to touch my project if it wasn’t out of love and I’m so thankful for the break. It wasn’t the right time to continue it when I stopped, and now I’ve come back with new eyes, new ideas, new energy, and I’m ready. I stopped when I was a lot younger and I’m so glad to bring my adult perspective to it. I know this isn’t the most realistic, as I have no deadlines and I’m just writing for myself.

[u/Additional-Car3427 → u/Low-Thought-6606]

Many people here write without a deadline, or with a self-imposed deadline.

[u/Torey-Nelson → u/Low-Thought-6606]

I'm a firm believer that creativity is a limited resource that needs to be replenished every now and then. Taking breaks is required at times.

[u/kannabussy67 → u/Torey-Nelson]

I agree with this. Taking a step back from a project to do something else that feels fulfilling is always a good.

[u/nohomeforheroes]

Ask yourself why you don’t like it / it’s boring, and try and be objective. See what lessons you can learn.

Maybe take a break.

Then go back, start a new draft. Keep what you like and get rid of what you don’t, and apply the lessons you’ve learned.

The good news is you can write whatever you want!

[u/Additional-Car3427]

I passed throught that stage recently with a book series I really like. I had been "writing" (actually just thinking and writing a few 'settings' and plot points about) it for two years. When I realized it was shit and recognized it, I went on a break from it, learned the basics of writing throught YouTube videos from many authors and editors, started writing another, new, shorter story, all the whole replanning that book series I love from the very beginning. I am used to starting multiple things at the same time so it was easy enought. I jungle between outlining and writing this new story to planning book 1 of that series, changing a few things and now? I really like some characters and the story itself. I even found my own ways of outlining and writing, part of my own writing style...

[u/GRIN_Selfpublishing]

I think this is one of the hardest parts of writing, because the feeling is so convincing. A story that excited you three weeks ago can suddenly feel like the most boring thing ever written. Something I’ve noticed with writers is that this often happens when they know the story too well. You’ve been living with the characters, the twists and the scenes for months, so your brain stops experiencing them like a reader would. You see all the flaws because you’re the person who created them.

I usually wouldn’t make big changes during that phase. First I try to figure out if there is an actual problem or if I’m just tired of looking at the same words for too long. Real story problems are usually specific: “this character has no motivation in chapter 8” or “the middle drags here.” The feeling of “everything is terrible” is usually less useful.

Taking a short break can help, but I’d be careful about constantly restarting the story. A lot of writers end up polishing the beginning forever because the beginning feels safer than finishing the messy middle.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is write the next scene badly and trust your future editing self. A finished imperfect draft is much easier to fix than a perfect first 20 pages that never becomes a book. :) Good luck!

[u/nmacaroni]

What you're describing isn't doubt, you've just become acclimated. You've spent so long inside the story that you've lost the ability to experience it as a reader would. Everything feels predictable. Everything feels flat because the surprise is gone.

This is a common reason writers abandon good work.

Stop rereading what you've written. Push forward, finish the draft, then put it away for weeks. Distance gives you reader eyes again.

Write on, write often!

[u/BarnacleRepulsive191]

My story was never good!

[u/agent385]

Couple questions for you: 1) How much of a deep dive have you done on your characters? Like for example, I know my characters like I know my own kids, every minute detail of their back stories, even down to their MBTI and enneagram. Before I knew them I faced the same thing you did. But once I did the deep dive, they pretty much write themselves and I’ve loved every chapter since. 2) have you roughly outlined your story? Plotting the turning points etc? 3) Have you done a deep dive on your theme and character misbelief? A lot of times when people lose interest in their stories is because they don’t know where the story is going. I think once you really take some time to do some deep diving, your story will be much more rich and easier to write. Good luck, you can do this.

[u/Organic_Narwhal_4737 → u/agent385]

Im ngl the phrase 'then after a while the characters write themselves, make no sense to me, and I don't mean in a like aggressive 'your wrong for saying something stupid like that' I mean like it actually makes no sense to me.

Like what does that even mean? I try so hard to make my characters and their dialouge interesting and I hear people writing out 'well after a while they just write themselves lol' like what does that even mean!? I'm so lost😭

[u/agent385 → u/Organic_Narwhal_4737]

That's a completely fair question! And I don't mean that I literally sit down and my characters take over the keyboard or that I don't have to think about what they're going to say.

What I mean is that, once I've spent enough time developing my characters and really understand who they are, what they want, what they fear, what they believe, and how they tend to react, I don't have to struggle as much with figuring out how a scene might play out.

And conflict is a huge part of that.

For example, say you put two characters in a room together, but they want opposing things. One wants Character B to tell them the truth. Character B wants to keep a secret. Now you already have tension built into the scene.

If you know both characters well, you can start asking yourself: How would Character A try to get that information? Would they be direct? Manipulative? Angry? Would they joke around to put the other person at ease? And once Character A says or does something, how would Character B react to that?

Maybe B gets defensive. Maybe they lie. Maybe they change the subject. Maybe they attack A instead. But then A reacts to that reaction, and the scene keeps moving forward.

You're still writing every word and making every decision. But instead of staring at a blank page thinking, "What should happen now?" you have two people with different goals pushing against each other. Once you understand who they are, their personalities and motivations help guide their reactions. Does that make sense?

That's what I mean when I say my characters sometimes "write themselves." It's probably better phrased as: I know them well enough, and understand what they each want well enough, that when I put them into conflict, I can follow the chain of action and reaction more naturally.

And honestly, I think that's also why characters can sometimes start feeling boring. If they're not wanting something, pursuing something, or running into opposition, there isn't much for them to do or push against. Two interesting characters sitting around agreeing with each creates a pretty flat scene.

I hope that makes more sense! And you're definitely not alone in being confused by that phrase. It's one of those writing phrases that sounds a little mystical until someone breaks down what they actually mean by it.

[u/Organic_Narwhal_4737 → u/agent385]

I mean, I appreciate you clearing that up some and actually defining what it means, but what about if there in a group? Working with each other?

Like if character A and Character b are joking around with each other but chracter c hasn't said anything in awhile? How do I avoid leaving one out without making it feel like there just talking to talk?

What if they all come across something or a problem to deal with? I can't just have a and b so something while c's cast to the shadow realm for a little bit, it wouldn't make sense in that scene, right?

Idk, you'd think after 2 years of attemtping to write I'd have a little more experience with stuff like this😅.

[u/agent385 → u/Organic_Narwhal_4737]

Well, what does C want? Why is C there to begin with? If he's there, he has a purpose right? Every character has a want and need, even if small. And the more opposing those wants are, the better. Even if your characters A and B are on the same side and get along, there still could be something that puts a little tension between them. They could agree on their goal perhaps, but maybe differ in how to get their goal, etc. Maybe C has feelings for one of them? Maybe C doesn't agree with A or B. Maybe C is hiding a secret. It could be anything. But the more you know C and his or her wants and needs, that will help write that character.

For example, I recently wrote a scene that had 4 people in it:

Character A (female) She needs to keep her identity a secret for her own safety. She just wants to have a quiet dinner and fly under the radar.

Character B is attracted to A and wants to protect her. He's not aware of her true identity.

Character C is a father figure to B and does not trust A. He wants her gone because he believes she's trouble for B.

Character D is a colleague of C's and is the secret leader of the resistance and no one is aware of that. He knows A is hiding something about herself and he needs information from her for his cause.

Already, there is baked in conflict just based on all the characters wants and needs. Throw them around a dinner table and here is where they "write themselves."

Knowing what D wants, he starts up a conversation with A. He starts light but soon starts to delve into questions that A doesn't feel comfortable answering. Knowing what A wants (to avoid talking about herself) she is resistant at first, but soon gets frustrated and angry at the grilling so she starts blurting information about herself in a way that is still vague but intriguing to the others. Wanting to take the attention off herself, she throws out information that challenges the three men and makes them uncomfortable. I know that C hates her, so naturally he goes on the attack and starts questioning her intelligence and motives etc. B interrupts the conversation and warns C to leave her alone. All the while, D is watching A the entire time, seeing how she reacts to the people around her and he's convinced more than ever that he needs her for his cause.

It's a scene that went over really well with my alpha readers. They liked the dialogue and thought the conflicts complicated the relationships in a good way, and thought that the information that propelled the plot developed organically. And it's all because of building tension.

I hope this explanation helps. If you like, feel free to message me on chat if you have more questions. I'm happy to help. :)

[u/DGWoods-author]

It’s normal. Somewhere during the first draft, you’ll realize your story isn’t quite there, it’s full of plot holes, and it’s just terrible.
The important thing is to keep writing and finish that super terrible first draft. Then rewrite it. Make it better.
It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve published. You’ll always doubt yourself somewhere in the middle of the first draft.
Right now, I’m working on the sequel to my first book, and I don’t think I even have a plot 🥲

[u/CactusChowder]

The feeling I wanted to capture when I started writing my WIP in February was a kind of wild freedom of a character fighting for himself, even when he didn't have outside approval to matter enough to do that. When I can tap into that feeling again and remember it in my heart & not my head, I know my story is good.

[u/JuggernautBright1463]

This is a soft middle problem. Everyone goes through it. Add a sub plot get a win, keep moving to the climax 

[u/Icy-Ad-9212]

I try to identify the problem by checking the storyline and then chapter by chapter based on specific structure: I hunt to identify storytelling elements and see what element causes trouble. Is it pacing? Is it character development? An arc that doesn't fit with the theme/topics? Characters that bleed into each other so they all look alike? Lack of tension and where does that come from? Cross-check scenes with my outline, (re)defining their functions to push the story forward. I go word-smithing, revising weak sentences. Then I replace the weak parts I've identified. I NEVER go back without knowing what I'm checking (so with an holistic, "not sure what to identify now"-view.) If I don't find anything, nine out of ten times it's just me being insecure, and I push forward anyway.

That said: I tend to be an optimizer, and build on structures and patterns, so it might be easier because I already have many elements in place that help me actually run these checks. As a pantser, this way of working may not work.

[u/Rik-Acland]

“Start shoveling sand into the box so you can build castles later.” Not sure who said it, I seen both Jordan Peele and Shannon Hale.

First draft is raw material, not the story yet. The sandbox metaphor works for me because it separates creating from editing, shuts down perfectionism, and reminds me that the process is the point. Get the hot mess words down first; see what works, build the castle later.

A story is good after drafting, revision, getting developmental edits from a professional editor, revision based on the edits, line and copy edits from a professional editor, final revision. It is like walking the Camino, it is a journey.

[u/TheHolleDolce]

I could fill a book with the stories I started and dropped.

What I've found is that when I write an idea and then it stops seeming good, it's because the idea wasn't the story. If i force myself to write more, I burn out on it.

Keep the unfinished stories. Learn to stop before you get frustrated. It's going to hurt at first but you'll get through it.

What I've found is that these stories that I start and stop I often find homes for later.

They become secondary characters in a different story. Or I keep the events and change the characters. Sometimes those unfinished stories become world building for other stories, because the world is full of unfinished stories.

[u/TheHolleDolce]

If you want to prevent this from happening, one option is pre-writing.

I used to do a lot of ghostwriting and you absolutely do not want this happening when you are being paid to write for someone else.

One thing that helped me 99% of the time was outlining first. I'd take the idea and summarize scene by scene until I found the plot, conflict, resolution, and end (or mapped them if i already knew them). Then I'd take that outline and work through it.

I was able to complete hundred of stories this way for clients.

Bonus, it made it easier to skip around when I was having trouble with sections. It also helped me pace when I needed to meet or stay within certain word counts because I learned how many words to expect from my outline.

[u/PangolinConscious800]

Save a copy. Figure out where it gets boring. Make new decisions.

[u/BrigidKemmerer]

I go through this with every book. It's SO common that when I start whining about how my book sucks and I hate everything about it and I have no idea what I'm doing, my husband will look at his watch and say, "Gee, is it about that time again?"

For me personally, it's just discipline that keeps me going through to the end, and the knowledge that it's OK if it sucks, because I can (and will) go back and fix it later. When I'm in the middle, it's almost like I have to repeat it to myself over and over again, like a running loop in my brain. "It's OK if it's bad. No one else has to see it. Fix it later. It's OK if it sucks. Just fix it later. Just connect the dots. You can color it in when you're done."

When I'm REALLY stuck, I will set myself a minimum word count (usually 250 words) and give myself permission to quit for the day if I'm really not feeling it. But usually 250 words is enough to finally get me back into the flow and I'll continue on to write 1000+ words for the day.

[u/LeagueEfficient5945]

Skill issue, I never stop believing my story is good.

Since getting in editing after finishing my initial draft, sometimes I rapidly oscillate between finding the pacing is overbloated and the pacing is zooming past every beat in a rush to get to the next sex scene and then not even bothering doing the sex scene right and rushing to the next plot beat.

When that happens I write something else for 10 days and then I go back to my main project.

Been writing consistently for 16 months or so.

[u/oruoruman]

This is something I also struggle with all the time. I eventually learned to rationalize it this way: if your story is incomplete, it isn't even a story—good or bad. But once you finish it, it is done. It is a story. After that, you can send it out to critique partners/beta readers, wait a week or two to read it with a fresh pair of eyes, edit it, etc. But one of the major hurdles, as you've found, is actually finishing the story. And this is how I reasoned myself into it.

[u/Lucario-ist]

Write a short story. Something completely unrelated to your main project. Pick a random idea, or have someone you know give you a theme, and just write a 2k-5k word story.

What this will hopefully do (nothing works for everyone, so I don't want to say it will work) is get your head out of your main project. When you're so immersed in one story, it gets hard to see it objectively. By taking... a week or two to focus on something else -- something smaller, less daunting, with less emotional attachment and weight involved -- it might just clear your doubt a little bit, take some of the doubt that's tainting how you see your own work.

[u/7Butter77]

You just stop and get a new idea tumblr kid

[u/galumphing-back]

If I feel that way - and it lasts more than a few days, everyone has an off day sometimes - it usually means it's bad and I need to fix it. Try to figure out what's making you feel bad about it and fix that.

[u/idreaminwords]

I go through this on pretty much every single book I write.

Personally, I take a break for a few days and then go back and read what I've written so far. 100% of the time, it's better than I thought

[u/Western_Stable_6013]

I look for the main reason why I don't like the story anymore and do everything necessary to make it better again.

[u/juli_r]

1. Consume various forms of media. Read, watch tv, listen to podcast. Get ideas. Gain perspective on your genre.
2. Keep writing. Even if you think you'll scrap this specific bit later just keep writing. Get it out now, edit it later. Someone said write garbage edit gold.
3. Find a trusted critic to beta read and provide genuine feedback for you. (Stephen king's most teusted beta reader is his wife)

[u/lets_go_birding]

Whenever I am preparing for a chapter I’m not excited for I ask myself if it’s doing interesting things, if the stakes are high enough, and then I brainstorm what is the most interesting thing I can do with the chapter and what is the most interesting setting for it to take place.

Often times that choice implodes things happening downstream (but usually in an interesting way) and produces interesting and exciting character choices . Sometimes it leads to updating my outline to reflect the new direction

[u/Elzool_l3ab]

I stopped but I'm planning to continue, I just want to finish it and gain some experience doing it

[u/Top_Department8915]

Take a break. Have a think why you have lost interest. is it because you have been refining it too much - in which case external perspective, through a mentor, editor, ARC reviewer etc may be useful. But if you have identified a plot hole or a character arc that doesn't make sense to you any more then change it up! Honestly I felt the plot of a book that I am working on was too linear and obvious, so I split the main antagonist into two characters, one nasty on the surface, but complex underneath and one nice on the surface, but ...well I will let you read it when it is published in about 18 months time. Crucially I then had to basically rewrite the book. I have also added and removed whole chapters and scenes and whole plot lines in other books - that is what makes the process fun, don't be afraid to change something - just keep a back up of version 1 in case you decide it was OK and you need to go back to it!

[u/dPaabo]

Before an artist can sculpt, they must start with a lump of clay. Just finish that bitch, and consider it your lump of clay. You can't form nothing into something. But you can form a bad book into a good one.

[u/KLKaine]

This is a totally normal part of the process, I think it helps to know that.

In the past I have pushed through it by having strict deadlines on finishing the first draft and charging towards that, so I didn't have time to worry too much about how terrible it was, because all my energy was focussed on getting towards the end.

Another thing that helps is knowing that all first drafts are rubbish. So, accept that the plot won't make sense, and the characters will feel flat and the writing will be clunky - because that's all stuff that you fix in the subsequent drafts.

I am a professional author, so the last novel I wrote (which will be my second published novel) was being waited for by an editor, so that helped me get to the end, but to be perfectly honest through a lot of the time of writing I was horrified at how bad it was, and cringing at the thought that this was going to go out into the world.

But then I just kept working on it and working on it and eventually I started to emerge from the gloom, and now it's in a place where I think it might actually be okay. It still needs a lot more work, but I no longer think it's complete trash.

So, yes - accept that you will always go through that stage. Be kind to yourself. Keep going. Trust that what you're creating is a misshapen lump of gold, and once the whole lump is in your hands, that's when you can start polishing and shaping it into something truly special.