Few authors consider writing their stories with grit or "gutting it out", but I've heard enough of them express panic when deadlines are approaching and words are hiding in obscure places.
The grit, the down and dirty writing because you have to produce, isn't the prettier side of the novel life. It's the pressure point. Stories can start off with a flourish. Characters pop up with unique qualities and gradually expose hidden stories of their own. They develop on the page almost faster than words can be typed or written. Plot points zing through the brain and bring smiles. Perhaps the ending expresses its desire, and things are on a roll.
Until . . . they're not. The story freeze-frames. Ceases like the flame when the trigger on a lighter is released. Darkness.
Much like "the show", the story must go on. Responsibilities to finish flash furiously. Pressure pulses. Excuses dart through the mind.
Grit-writing. Making that story happen. Some people can do it. Others crumble with the strain. I've heard some authors say the middle of the story always gives them grief. Others it's the beginning, and still others it's the end.
I've had the satisfaction of experiencing all forms of writing a novel – except having to do it. I've written three novels in a year right after finishing one that took me 8 and 1/2 years (my first). Started another, stopped it just before completing it even though I knew the ending. Wrote another one before going back to the one I stopped and finally finished it. And I've lolly-gagged with four of them. Not even wanting to write any more words and then getting bursts of creativity. The gamut of writing novels.
I have no advice for you – other than to do as the Lord asks of you. Ultimately that's all any of us can do. And it's really all that matters.
Father, help me to do as you ask. That's all that matters to me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Into the Fire 
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