The Practical Guide to Completing Your Novel

“Ink, Blood, and Joy is an honest look at common writer struggles and how to battle them. It equips and inspires with actionable tools and a secret weapon: finding the wonder and fun in storytelling. Written with warmth, humor, and clarity, this is a must-read book of solid strategies and freeing advice.”

— Deborah O’Carroll, copyeditor and author

You have a story burning inside you. So why can’t you finish it?

Most manuscripts never make it to “The End”—not because writers lack talent, but because they lack the right tools and mindset. Writer’s block isn’t a mysterious curse. It’s a solvable problem with three components: craft issues, motivation challenges, and loss of enjoyment. This book tackles all three.

Ink, Blood, and Joy is your practical battle plan from blank page to finished novel. E.J. Kitchens draws on her experience completing over a dozen novels to reveal the three keys that separate aspiring writers from published authors: mastering the craft (asking the right questions to guide you forward), mastering yourself (discovering your writing process, building motivation, and defeating perfectionism), and mastering the fun (reviving your joy). You’ll discover how to write in layers instead of agonizing over every word, how to use goals and conflict to propel your story forward, and how to enter the motivation cycle that keeps you writing even when inspiration fails.

Whether you’re staring at Chapter One or stuck in the “sagging middle,” you’ll find specific, actionable guidance to move forward until you can finally type “The End” on a novel readers will love.