Sometimes writing a novel is a lot like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It can be messy and confusing. That being said, thank god for Hemingway Bridges.

What is a Hemingway Bridge?

If you haven’t heard of Hemingway bridges, here is the basic idea. Near the end of your writing session, while you’re still in a flow state and your creative juices haven’t run dry, you take a moment to write down your ideas and intentions for your next writing session—kind of like a TV show’s “Next week on…” but for writers. This gives you a place to start when you return to the page.

Hemingway bridges can also help with editing.

I can’t be the only one who hops around to different sections of their novel, if only to keep the writing process interesting. Here is how I’m using Hemingway bridges to piece together my mess of a novel.

How to Use Hemingway Bridges

Before I get into this, here is a quick snapshot of what I’m working with in terms of drafts.

Eighteen different drafts spanning over five years. Without a doubt there are more out there somewhere in the ether, but I decide to start here.

Because there are so many drafts, and because they span over half a decade, each of these drafts are different for one another. The main character has different names, love interests are different, and characters have wildly different personalities.

The biggest issue with these drafts is that none of them are complete drafts. Most of them are separate sections of my novel that I couldn’t wait to start writing. And now I have to piece them together.

Que the Hemingway bridges.

As I’m compiling all these sections in one doc, I use Hemingway bridges to bridge two sections of writing that may not yet connect. In these bridges, I typically address three questions:

1. What happens next
2. What changes need to be made to the following section to maintain continuity
3. How these two sections are going to be bridged together

Whenever I write Hemingway bridges, I change the format of the text and enclose the text in brackets so the bridges stand out a bit more on the page.

Here is a little look at what some of my Hemingway bridges look like.

Hemingway bridges are incredibly useful. I suggest giving them a try on your current writing project. When you reach the end of a writing session, take some time to write out what you’re next writing session will look like. Prompt yourself by asking the following questions:

• What happens next in the story?
• What am I most excited to write about?
• Or what edits to do I need to continue working?

I hope you’ve found this information useful. Now if you’ll excuse me. I have some bridges to build.