If you’re an aspiring author who is struggling to finish writing a first draft, I want you to know you’re not alone. So many talented first-time writers get stuck (and fail to finish their drafts) not because they lack good ideas or creativity but because they’re only focusing on one piece of the novel-writing puzzle. What do I mean by this?

In this post, I’m going to share the 3 things you need to write your book in 2025—but really, this episode is not time-dependent. These three things are timeless, in my opinion, and they’re KEY to finishing your draft and having the kind of writing life you want. So, what are these 3 things? Let’s take a look!

3 Things You Need To Write A Novel In 2025

#1: The Right Mindset

The first thing you need to write your novel in 2025 is the right mindset. This is probably the most overlooked aspect of writing a novel, but it’s absolutely crucial.

Your mindset determines whether you'll push through when the writing gets tough or give up at the first sign of resistance. It affects whether you’ll get stuck in the planning stage (or writing those first three chapters over and over) or whether you’ll trust yourself enough to move forward even when things are still unknown. And it even influences how you’ll handle asking for—and accepting—feedback, too.

The good news? Mindset is something you can actively work on and improve. 

Here are a few episodes of the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast that can help with the most common mindset blocks:

• Perfectionism vs. Procrastination: What's REALLY Going On?
• How To Overcome The 5 Types Of Imposter Syndrome
• 5 Time Management Strategies To Write Your Novel In Less Time

Now, let me tell you about a writer I worked with named Laura.

Laura had been dreaming of writing a Young Adult Fantasy novel for years. She’d always been an avid reader who, on some level, instinctually understood the shape of stories but had trouble turning her ideas into one. Laura had notebooks full of worldbuilding details, character profiles, and inspirational photos from Pinterest but struggled to start writing. She’d sit down at her desk, hands over the keyboard, and freeze. Thoughts like, “I’m never going to write a book like [insert famous author here], so why am I even trying?” Her inner critic was so loud—and it was preventing her from even getting started on her novel.

Does that sound familiar? If so, you are so not alone.

Now, let me share what happened with Laura. She made one small mindset shift and started seeing big results. 

After learning about the idea of writing a “discovery draft” (or a story you discover as you write it), Laura was able to let go of her self-doubt and perfectionist tendencies to not only start but FINISH an 83,000-word draft in six months. 

Yes, she still felt nervous about writing. And yes, she still had moments of self-doubt. But she stopped letting that nervousness and her inner critic control how she showed up at her writing desk and how she took action.

Now, was Laura’s first draft perfect? No, of course not. No first draft is ever going to be perfect. But here’s what Laura told me when she was done. She said, "For the first time ever, I feel like a real writer. Not because the draft is perfect—I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me—but because I finally proved to myself that I could do it. I wrote a freaking book!"

And this is exactly what I want for you, too.

So, in addition to honing your craft this year, make sure to also pay attention to your mindset. Because without the right mindset, it doesn’t matter if you know how to write solid scenes or develop a character’s backstory. Without the right mindset, you’ll likely stall out at the starting line and fail to finish your book.

#2: A Proven Process

Now, let’s move on to the next thing you need to write your novel in 2025, and that is a proven, reliable process to follow. Think of this as your roadmap—it’s what you need to do and when you need to do it. 

And just like you wouldn't set out on a cross-country road trip without some kind of navigation, you shouldn't start writing your novel without knowing the major milestones ahead. 

Now, don’t let the word “process” scare you—it doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, simpler is usually better. But you do need one.

Without a clear process, you'll likely find yourself stuck in what I call the "endless brainstorming loop" or the "revision spiral." 

I've seen many writers spend months (sometimes even years) brainstorming and planning their stories thinking they have to get everything perfect or figured out right out of the gate. Or even worse, writing and rewriting their first three chapters instead of moving forward with their story. 

These behaviors are all rooted in two things—one of them is an unsupportive mindset, and the second is a lack of a proven process to follow.

Now, let me tell you about a writer I worked with named Jenny.

Jenny had been working on her story for about twelve years (on and off) but could never get to the end of a draft. This was for various reasons, but the biggest one (according to Jenny) was a lack of time. 

And to be fair, Jenny is (still to this day) a very busy person. She has a day job. She has children. She volunteers in her community. And she’s caring for one of her elderly parents. As you can probably imagine, those twelve years she spent working on her story went by very quickly.

But Jenny also had a little bit of imposter syndrome going on, too. Whenever she’d find pockets of time to work on her novel, Jenny’s inner critic would pop up and cause her to either abandon her writing for the time being or procrastinate. 

Now, here’s the thing… 

Jenny didn’t lack talent or imagination or dedication—she simply didn’t have a roadmap to follow that would help her turn all of her ideas into a story. 

And this is something I find to be true for most aspiring authors. They have good ideas. They want to finish their drafts and become published authors, but they don’t know how to get there.

So, anyway, back to Jenny. After Jenny enrolled in my Notes to Novel course and we talked about how a lack of time was holding her back, I had to give her some tough love. I told Jenny that, in reality, the amount of time she has to write isn’t going to change. There might be a season or two where she’s more or less busy, but in general, she wasn’t going to magically find more time to write. 

What Jenny needed was a process to follow so she could make the most of the limited pockets of time she did have.

Once Jenny learned the step-by-step process I teach in Notes to Novel, she finished the first draft of her novel in just six months. And here’s the thing… Her schedule didn’t change. Jenny didn’t suddenly get more hours of time in her day or week—she just learned how to use her writing time more efficiently.

And this is what I want for you, too.

Having a proven process to follow can become your secret weapon. 

When you know the exact steps to take to write a novel from start to finish—from the initial idea through the final draft—you’ll never have to wonder what to work on next. You can sit down and immediately start making progress because you have that roadmap to follow.

Now, here’s something really important to understand. Using something like the Hero’s Journey or Save the Cat! to plot out your novel isn’t the same as having a process. These methods are fantastic for helping you shape your story’s plot, but there’s more to writing a novel (and being an author) than just that.

So, this is why I’m such a firm believer in having a clear roadmap (or process) to follow. Think of it like having a GPS versus wandering around just hoping to find your destination. Yes, you might still get there, but one path is significantly more efficient!

#3: Craft Knowledge

Moving on to the third thing you need to write a novel in 2025—knowledge of the craft! This is what most aspiring authors focus on exclusively—the actual writing techniques and storytelling skills needed to write a story that works. 

And while craft is important, it's not everything. 

If you don’t have a process to follow to help you turn your ideas into an actual full-length story, it doesn’t matter if you know how to write technically good sentences or beautiful prose. If you don’t have the right mindset to stay in the game when things get tough, it doesn’t matter if you know how to develop your character’s backstory or build a story world from scratch. 

So, here’s what this boils down to…

I see too many writers focus on just learning the craft of writing—and this is what leads to perfectionism and procrastination. 

We know what we need to do, in theory—we see examples of stories that work, and then we try to write our own stories only to feel disappointed that our stories don’t live up to the examples we see or to our own expectations.

I also see too many writers discount the importance of mindset—and when you’re not in the right mindset to write a book and deal with all the ups and downs that happen to everybody (not just first-time writers), this is what makes us spiral into self-doubt.

And then I also see too many writers without a process to follow which leads to overwhelm and trying to do way too many things at once.

And here’s the thing… 

All of these feelings I just mentioned—self-doubt, overwhelm, perfectionism, and procrastination—this is all writer’s block. 

And just because you feel writer’s block… 

That has nothing to do with your capabilities or the quality of your ideas. 

It all boils down to trying to write a book with an imbalance of the three elements I covered in this blog post—process, mindset, and craft.

You need these 3 things working in tandem to be the kind of writer that finishes and publishes their book. And when these three things work together, magic happens. But when they're out of balance, that's when writers typically struggle.

This is why I get frustrated when I see advice telling aspiring authors they just need to "write every day" or "learn proper story structure." Those things matter, yes, but they're not the whole picture. 

Writing a novel is a journey that requires all three of these elements—mindset, process, and craft—working together in harmony.

Final Thoughts

Now, if I could summarize this entire article in just a few sentences, I would say this: If you've been struggling to write your novel, it's not because you're not cut out to be a writer. It's likely because you've been trying to build a three-legged stool with only one or two legs. And you can’t really sit on a stool with one or two legs, right? 

Once you have all three elements—mindset, process, and craft—working together, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

And if you want me to be your guide through the entire writing, editing, and publishing process, come join me in the next cohort of the Notes to Novel course! 

Notes to Novel is my LIVE 8-week online group coaching experience where I’ll teach you how to brainstorm, outline, and write your draft (while giving lots of guidance, feedback, and support in real-time). Learn more and enroll here.