I wrote an entire novel a few years ago, and then I shelved it, because it never quite felt right.
Today I was thinking about my character and her "I want", and I realised I never really defined it. Well, I did, but it never was more than a passing thought. But upon further reflection, that is the entire crux of the story. If what she wants is something she discovers she can have, and the rest of the story is obstacles stopping her from getting that thing, it just writes itself.
Every single issue—and I do mean every single one, major or minor—that I was having with my story has been completely fixed!
The manuscript will require some major rewrites, and I have to rework my outline, but the first draft was only ever getting it to exist on paper anyway.
I'm quite excited about diving into rewrites and editing now that I've figured this out.











