12 Ways to Commit to Writing a Book

How do you actually commit to writing a novel? How do you follow through?

If you’ve never written The End on a story, this is a question that haunts you. Surely, other writers must be performing miracles (or something darker) in order to consistently produce hundreds of words that somehow all fit together, like they were supposed to be in that order all along.

Well, I have completed novels. I have watched friends and acquaintances finish their books, too. I can tell you from experience that there is no dark magic compelling authors to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. It’s unwavering commitment—commitment to the craft of writing, to the WIP itself, and to the dream of seeing your (pen)name on the cover of a book.

And your commitment does not have to be life-altering or maniacal; it has to be methodical. Shift your mindset and choose how you’ll commit to writing a book this year below.

1. Don’t start with your magnum opus.

1a. Start with a practice novel.

There are certain story ideas that have us in a chokehold the second they enter our lives. There is a school of thought that says the best thing to do is to leap into its welcoming arms. Life is short (see #7), so of course we should take the opportunity to write what sets our soul on fire the moment the flames present themselves, right?

Maybe. There certainly are writers who can write a work of art on their first try. But I am nothing if not practical. The more logical thing to do, I’d argue, is to take on a practice novel. This way, you aren’t focused on crafting the most elegant, airtight bottle to capture lightning. Instead, you’ll focus on what you should be focusing on: teaching yourself how to get to the end and tell a cohesive narrative over tens of thousands of words.

I hadn’t considered it before writing this blog post, but now I’m thinking I should expand on this idea in another blog post or workshop. Let me know in the comments if that’s something you’d like to see!

1b. Commit to writing (and finishing) something shorter, like a novella.

This was one of my keys to successfully learning how to power through and finish a project, though admittedly that was not my intention. I chose to start writing a series of novellas because I wanted to connect other stories I wanted to write into a singular universe. The nature of those sweet romances (and the fact that I wanted to write so many!) lent themselves to lower word counts.

I finished four of them. Four! Plus another novella and a novelette under another pen name! That’s a far cry from the original vision, but that’s six more publications than I had before I tried writing novellas—and now, I have a lot more confidence in my ability to finish projects, even if writing novels takes me longer than my author friends.

1c. Don’t commit to writing a book. Commit to stringing together a series of short stories through which a character arc can be glimpsed.

This is a funny little mindset shift that can work wonders. So often, we’re focused on the plot. We stress over how to get our characters from Point A to Point Z. We outline, re-outline, and then stress when our characters want to pull us in another direction.

Well, as any listicle of famous authors’ writing habits will tell you, we don’t all write the same. It’s possible that what you need is not the outline to end all outlines, but a different kind of plan for your writing: a well-thought-out character arc. Focusing on arcs over plot can help you conceptualize what each chapter in your story is actually meant to do—get your protagonist closer and closer to healing their Wound, abandoning their Wrong Idea, and accepting their Right Idea. Finally, you’ll be able to relax if the events of your story are turning out differently than you imagined. As long as the arc remains intact, you have yourself a readable story.

Want to give this technique a try? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free Character Arc Sparker Worksheet!

2. Get it out there before you’re ready.

2a. Publish scene by scene, or chapter by chapter.

If you’re the type who needs external pressure—or if you think you’d enjoy the performative aspects of publishing online—then this may be the way to go. Commit to writing, editing, and publishing a chunk of the story—a thousand words, for example, or whatever feels comfortable for you to finish inside of a week. There are multiple paid and unpaid publication platforms you could use to distribute your work: Ko-Fi memberships, Patreon, Tumblr, Substack, or even your own website. With a little research, you might find platforms that cater to your genre, like Ream or Radish for romance.

This isn’t advised if you’re planning to be traditionally published, since most publishers will want first publication rights. But if you’re going the indie route, this can be a great way to get yourself writing regularly while also building a fanbase and training yourself to let go of perfectionistic tendencies.

2b. Schedule a release date in advance—before you finish the book.

Remember the novella I talked about back in #1b? That book sat unedited for a couple months. I had other projects I was working on and other deadlines I wanted to hit, so it fell by the wayside.

I don’t remember what convinced me that it was a good idea, but I decided one day to set up a pre-order a handful of weeks in advance. My plan was to edit the manuscript, get it proofread, and publish. And I actually made it! It was my first-ever independent publication, and it has paved the way for the rest of my writing career, even if I have since pivoted from my initial plans.

I was able to pull that off a few more times, and then life happened, and I missed two upload deadlines more or less simultaneously.. That soured me on this strategy for the longest time.

I can’t say whether or not I’d attempt this again with a novel-length work, but there’s no doubt it can push you. If you’d like to give this a try, give yourself more time than you’ll think you’ll need, and to plan a day-by-day breakdown from now until the deadline that accounts for what your average self can accomplish in a couple hours of work.

3. Find or invent accountability.

3a. Commit to writing events happening near you (or online).

Does that sound more daunting than opening your laptop while home alone? That’s exactly why this could be the right move for you!

If you have a full-time job, a collection of part-time jobs, or stay home wrangling kids, it is incredibly difficult to find time to write. Hell, even if you don’t fit into any of those categories, it’s still hard to force yourself to sit at the keyboard when you’re in the middle of a tricky scene or don’t know how the hell you’re going to get your protagonist to the midpoint in a timely manner.

So outsource the decision of when to write. You can find regular write-ins hosted inside paid or free online communities, on Discord, and possibly at your local library. If those don’t work for you, there will almost certainly be a Shut Up & Write! event that does (or, see #3c!).

(This also helps if you live with people who take events on calendars more seriously than verbally-set boundaries.)

3b. Commit to writing streak maintenance.

Writing a draft in 30 days, or finishing a book in a year? That might induce anxiety. But you can write a couple hundred words a day, I bet. And that’s how writing a book is done at a time anyway—drop by drop, bird by bird, by the headlights.

Will you feel like writing what you’re “supposed” to be writing every time you sit down in front of your draft? Absolutely not. On the days the Muses refuse to grace you with their presence, don’t write prose. Write in bullet points. Press the little microphone button and start rambling about what you’d like to see happen next. Write dialogue only with stage directions in brackets. Whatever you have to do to meet that word count goal, do it! Because progress is progress, and you will be shocked at how quickly it all adds up.

This is the part of the blog post where I namedrop 4thewords, the website that completely changed my writing life for the better. In order to maintain your streak, you have to write just 444 words a day. In doing so, you’ll battle adorable monsters, collect loot, and level up just like a video game. It’s an especially great program for the dopamine-production-challenged like me (I’m on a 987-day streak as of now!), and they recently added a free tier.

By the by, from now until June 2026, you can use my referral code UBUAA18317 and my Store code FUENTESPENS to claim free goodies for your account!

4. Habit stack your novel writing.

One easier (because, let’s be real, writing is never easy!) way to keep a commitment to writing is to tack on the commitment to another.

If you’ve read Atomic Habits by James Clear, you’re already familiar with the concept of habit stacking. For the uninitiated, habit stacking just means adding a habit to another, stringing the habits into a ritual. Doing this means you can use the momentum of the previous habit to propel you forward into the habit you want to start. You’re probably already committed to a few habits—now, intentionally add writing.

Here are a few examples of habit stacking you might want to try:

• Already take a daily morning or evening walk? Try dictating while you do it.
• Take public transportation? Take out a notebook or your phone and get some words in.
• Have coffee or tea every morning? Open your laptop once your drink is ready and write until your mug is empty.
• Regularly use the oven or air fryer? Cooking time is now writing time. (I do this with banana bread, cookies, and dinner!)

5. Commit to writing a second project at the same time.

Disclaimer: this is not for everyone. But if you get bored with a story easily—not disheartened or unmotivated, per se, but just plain bored—then intentionally switching over to another project when you need some novelty is a good way to keep your momentum.

The keyword is intentionally. You have to commit to writing both. Abandoning projects is a hard habit to break, but I have broken it before, and you can, too. Limit the number of projects you have going at once to two or three, keep inspiration (Pinterest boards, playlists, etc.) for both close by, and if possible, pair this tip with one or two of the others on this list to ensure you stay the course(s).

6. Invent a pen name and a persona to go with it.

Writing is deeply personal. As I discussed in a recent blog post, the stories you write say something about how you see the world—whether you’re intentional about crafting that statement or not. This can make writing attached to our own name intimidating.

“You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed,” they say. I don’t know about you, but I don’t love the idea of someone else analyzing my on-page bloodstains like some Rorschach test.

This is where creating a pen name can help you separate yourself from the work. It’s not you writing the book—it’s your writing persona. With this little bit of distance, you can give yourself permission to take risks and make decisions you wouldn’t if your name (and your “brand”) was attached to it. Your steamy contemporary romance persona can actually write the innuendos that pop into your head all the time, and your historical thriller persona can dive into the dark parts of the human psyche that secretly fascinate you. There’s freedom to be found in pen names.

If you’ve never considered a pen name before, this might sound a little out there, but give it a try with a short story written under a pen name with a genre you’re curious about, and see if you don’t approach writing a little differently!

7. Make a worthy investment in your writing career.

So many writers are told they don’t have the talent to write a book, or that they should do something “real” with their lives instead. They get laughed at for daring to want something.

Or, in this day and age, they’ve been told AI will make them obsolete anyway, so why bother?

Let me be clear: whoever tells you shit like that is wrong. No one gets to decide your story’s worth but you—not your high school English teacher, not some jackass on Reddit, not your bitter aunt, not even Jeff Bezos. No one.

What you can decide is whether you want support getting that story told—and told well.

Because your writing is meaningful and valuable and important. Even if no one else has laid eyes on it yet, it matters because it matters to you. That’s reason enough to commit to it and take it seriously.

If you’re ready to finally get that story told the way it deserves, I’m your person. I help writers find the truths at the heart of their story and build an unshakeable structure to support them.

Ready to stop second-guessing? Then book a story coaching session with me and let’s get to work!

PS. Not sure if you’re ready for coaching? Grab the free 15-minute fix or sign up for my newsletter below for more from me!