While some people look down on the writing profession, others can only wish that they could become a writer. At parties, bars, and cafes, you often hear people complimenting writers they meet by stating that they have often dreamed of writing a book someday. In the same breath, they add that they do not have the time or the talent to pull it off. Ha!

It’s a great ego-booster. How you wish you could tell them that you are having difficulty with your current project, but you don’t have to. The thing is, not all challenges are worth facing. Sometimes it only takes common sense to tell whether we should quit while the quitting is good, or keep going even when the going gets tough.

Here’s a common-sense question: Do you feel like you are pursuing the right thing?

They say winners never quit. The truth is, winners know when to quit and that’s why they win. But if you are having trouble knowing when to abandon your novel in progress because you cannot pinpoint what’s giving you difficulty, this checklist could help:

1. Do you care about the plot and story arc?

2. Are you interested in your characters?

3. Do you provide enough sensory description to create a three-dimensional effect?

4. Do you find your dialogues convincing?

5. Are you so dedicated to writing the story that you don’t get distracted from watching Sasha Grey videos?

If they all get a yes, finish it. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time. Life is too short to be wasted on the wrong pursuits. Moreover, the quality of your work will suffer if you tackle it halfheartedly, and that is unfair to your readers. If you feel that your novel is becoming a drag or certain elements of it have become so uninteresting that you can't find a way to fix it, do yourself a favor and stop.

This is a good time to quit. It is better to explore other writing avenues and see if it works for you. Realizing that your current project is no longer worth it will give you time to reorganize. Assuming that you did quit, the next step is to go back to the drawing board.

Retrace your steps and take time to assess and find the ideal project that you can feasibly invest time in without losing your enthusiasm. Let’s say you quit writing that erotic novel because too much exchange of body fluids make you squirm. Stop and write that fantasy saga that you’ve always dreamed of writing.

Create larger than life characters that leap out of the pages. Create a fictional map for your setting that will lay the foundation for your characters’ adventures.

And make sure that you love your new story idea. If you easily get tired of your story and decide to quit to start working on a new one, chances are you’ll never finish anything and your attic will accumulate piles of unfinished manuscripts.

Bear in mind that at some point, you will encounter another difficulty. Great work is never easy. While not all challenges are worth facing, if you turn away from every challenge, perhaps the problem is no longer about the story you’re creating. The problem could be you. Surely, you will never allow a story that matters a great deal to you to remain unfinished.

Good luck. It's going to be a great novel.