Thoughts on writing a 350-page novel

The two main challenges I always face in writing a novel are: (1) getting over the page-200 hump, and (2) knowing exactly where I'm headed at all times.

Around page 200, every novel flags a little in my eyes. I have to carry the energy through somehow. I have a bunch of plot twists upcoming, but I have to get to them. . . . So I take a couple-days-long break from it and do other things to reinspire myself. I'll play piano, walk my dog, read other books, and talk to people. Invariably if I stay away from the book for a few days and just jot down notes away from the screen, I'll get inspired.

I can't write without knowing exactly where the plot is headed. So I have to have incremental steps that carry the story forward at all times. If everything is set up right, the book writes itself. The trick is setting it up! So taking that time to note down the plot points and how the events unfold is really worth it in the end.