I recently left a lot of novels in the middle, and it gives me insights on what NOT to do as a writer

It kills me when I have to leave a Book in the middle. Because I know how much effort it takes to finish a story. Then get it published. Market it.

After all of this, if the book isn’t good enough for me — it isn’t a great feel.

Here are three lessons you can take as you DNF books so your readers don’t do the same!

Golden Rule 1: If we don’t care, we lose the motivation to continue

Night had fallen, with stars scintillating from the dark roof, and the ABCDers attacked from all four corners. Raj, Mahesh, and Suvesh took out their XYZ magic stuff, their backs touching, ready for the Yellow-heads to attack. Just then, another villain, Mrs. Traff, appeared. Her laugh was terrible.
“We are screwed,” said Raj.
“I have such a fantastic plan …” said Mahesh.

— This writer’s terrible and random creation

I was yawning by the time Mahesh got to explain his brilliant plan. Most probably, so were you.

Because you had been bombarded with tons of information about people you barely knew.

80% of the books I have DNFed had the same problem.

Even though they had “unique” plots, an arduous journey ahead, and high stakes, I realized I just didn’t give a flying freak about what was going to happen next.

Reading a book is an investment of one’s time.

The Reader should care about what’s occurring in the book to grant it time.

If you roll in the conflict immediately without first making the reader comfortable, or if you go on and on about the descriptions of the furniture, the reader will fail to see the point of reading.

As Brandilyn Collins writes, here are a few ways to create immediate character empathy,

1. Displaying a valued trait such as loyalty, love, or courage.
2. Particularly good at something.
3. Treated unjustly.
4. Wishing for something universally understood.
5. Thrust into danger or grief.

Do not start your book without getting the reader attached. If you love the characters, you can even slog through the boring parts to see them through (which usually is the case of Classics)

So, use any one of the above to keep the readers hooked!

Golden Rule 2: Sharpen your prose till your satisfaction

“OMG!!” shouted Suvesh, eyes wide in awe. “That’s an amazing plan, Mahesh. Totally.”
“It’s my plan after all,” grinned Mahesh.
The ABCDers growled and circled around them, showing their yellow-as-a-banana teeth. Mrs. Traff swayed her red cloak, which looked lush as blood.
Raj gulped and trembled as she smiled.
“Let’s hope it works,” he nagged.

— This writer’s terrible and random creation

Another reason I DNFed several books was the flimsy quality of the prose.

An example that comes to the top of my head is 50 Shades of Grey. I tried such books only because of the number of copies they had sold, only to give them up because of the flimsy and pathetic writing.

I am not saying you have to take your writing to Tolkien’s level.

Brandon Sanderson has basic prose, and it works because it is refined and rewritten several times.

As Stephen King says, you have to kill your darlings.

Learn to say more in fewer words.

King’s On Writing is my favourite non-fiction book because it comes from a successful writer and contains proven advice. This rule jotted below stayed with me exceptionally, and is helpful here.

Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft — 10%.

I write my first draft without editing. I thrust as many words and mistakes into it without caring. After leaving my work for a few days, I revisit it to kill my darlings — or my words.

Take this example King provides:

Mike sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. He expected Ostermeyer to sit behind the desk, where he could draw authority from it, but Ostermeyer surprised him. He sat in the other chair on what he probably thought of as the employees’ side of the desk.

After applying the 10% rule:

Mike sat down in front of the desk. He expected Olin to sit behind the desk, but Olin surprised him. He took the chair beside Mike.

This act exterminates useless words, helping to add value to the remaining ones.

Mark Twain also said, “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.”

However, this tip can also backfire. King writes:

‘Hello, ex-wife,’ Tom said to Doris as she entered the room.

This sentence gives a lackluster vibe by only “telling”. Not that telling is bad in all cases, but here he wants readers to feel Tom’s state of heart. He expands the sentence as:

‘Hi, Doris,’ Tom said. His voice sounded natural enough — to his ears, at least — but the fingers of his right hand crept to the place where his wedding ring had been until six months ago.

See what I mean?

So, refine your book till you feel satisfied. Anybody can publish a book, but that doesn’t make you a good writer. The quality of your prose can have a great impact on the tone and pace of your story.

Golden Rule 3: “Keep the ball rolling”

Mahesh, Raj, and Suvesh entered the city of PQRS. Tall and white pillars of marble rose around, making the three of them crane their necks, which were, by the way, parched as hell. With their ragged clothes on due to their never-ending 500-mile journey, no wonder people looked at them with horror.
“When does the journey end!” moaned Suvesh rightfully.
Mahesh rolled his sleeves back. “Don’t be such a coward. There are 300 pages left!”
Raj whimpered and bowed his head.

— This writer’s terrible and random creation

I bet you would be ready to throw this book shut and gift it to your worst enemy by now.

Because the balls ain’t rolling, Mahesh!

To keep the ball rolling means to keep adrenaline rushing in the reader, by reminding them about the conflict, the stakes, and the danger. Several fantasy novels get boring because, after a while, the journey seems endless and pointless.

Pinch points can help you here.

In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it ‘got boring,’ the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling. -Stephen King

There are moments in your novel in which the endless journey gets supplied with more and adequate panic — when the toil makes sense. You can increase the danger or introduce a surprising element.

It can be by reducing the time to achieve a task or getting outsmarted by the villain again.

Make sure that every scene in your book has a point.

If you let the ball stop, the reader will vanish.

To conclude,

Think about the last book you didn’t finish.

Jot down the various reasons, and make sure they aren’t present in your novel. It can be lackluster characterization or a repeated plot. After all, without reading books, you cannot be a writer.

So go on, analyze books, and don’t repeat the same mistakes!

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3 Writing Lessons You Gain As You “DNF” Books was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.