Ep 53: Why You Keep Starting Over With Your Novel (And How to Stop)

About this episode

This episode discusses the reasons why writers often restart their novels and offers strategies to move forward despite challenges.

If you feel like you’ve started your novel over multiple times, this episode is for you. Maybe you keep rewriting chapter one, changing story ideas, creating new outlines, or losing momentum halfway through. In this episode, I’m breaking down why so many writers get stuck in the restart cycle, and why it’s usually not a discipline problem, but a pattern rooted in perfectionism, fear, and uncertainty. We’re talking about what starting over is actually costing you, why clarity comes from continuing (not restarting), and how to finally move forward even when the story feels messy or unresolved. The version of you who finishes will teach you far more than the version of you that keeps trying to perfect it. If you’ve been stuck in this cycle, you don’t need a better idea, you need a clearer path forward. Learn more about how 1:1 coaching can help by booking a free consultation call here: https://calendly.com/joseesmith/book

People in this episode

Host: Josee Smith

Topics covered

• novel writing
• perfectionism
• fear
• uncertainty
• writing process
• coaching

Keywords

• starting over
• novel
• writing
• momentum
• clarity
• coaching
• perfectionism
• fear
• uncertainty

More episodes of The Writing Mom Podcast

• Ep 52: The Biggest Mistakes I See Mom Writers Make · June 3, 2026 · 17 min
• Ep 51: Everything I’d Tell You If You Were Starting Your Novel Today · May 27, 2026 · 18 min
• Ep 50: 5 Truths About Writing a Novel as a Busy Mom (After 50 Episodes of the Podcast) · May 20, 2026 · 22 min
• Ep 49: The Hidden Cost of Writing Your Novel Alone · May 13, 2026 · 16 min
• Ep 48: What to Expect on a Consultation Call (And Why It Might Be the Turning Point for Your Novel) · May 6, 2026 · 24 min
• Ep 47: Why I Stopped Writing During My First Pregnancy (And Why I Didn’t This Time) · April 29, 2026 · 21 min