: Re: Where to go next in the writing process? I'm a new writer, have been working on a novel length piece of work for the past couple of years, and I have always been the kind of person to

@Nimeshi163

It sounds like you've tried being both a planner and a "pantser". Planners tend to do a lot of upfront planning, while "pantsers" tend to write "by the seat of their pants". Neither approach is wrong, so long as it feels natural to you and helps you achieve your goal of finishing the novel. Stephen King is known to be a "pantser" and needs no introduction.
As for where to go next, I think the most important step is to finish your first draft. As established screenwriter and novelist C. Robert Cargill likes to say, "a finished thing can be fixed." It might be that your first draft is your final version; however, it's more likely you'd want to do a couple of rewrites to get it polished to a sheen. You might:

Do a character pass. Focus one or more of your rewrites on specific characters, following their journey through the story and fine-tuning their arcs.
Do a dialogue pass. In one of your rewrites, concentrate cleaning up the dialogue. Take out extraneous words, expressions like "you know", "um". These can be distracting for readers. Streamline it.
Cut out the clutter. Similar to a dialogue pass, every time you rewrite, think very carefully about what each scene in your novel does. If it doesn't move the plot forward or develop your characters, maybe it's time to cut it.
Once you're satisfied that you can't improve your novel further by yourself, get some beta readers. Consider their feedback carefully. If there's a common criticism between readers, it might point to a deeper issue that you might want to focus on in a future draft.

These are simply suggestions. Personally, I would recommend listening to the Write Along podcast by Cargill and Dave Chen. Each episode is a treasure trove of writing advice, and it's entertaining too!
I don't think it's necessary to start with "what does your novel want to say". This message often reveals itself as you write, from your subconscious mind, as your unique voice tells your story.

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