Once More

Why is it that we can be so entranced with what we write at one point in time and so confident in its value — and then begin to wonder whether any of it is worthwhile or even matters? I’ve reached that most dangerous of stages in my YA novel — I’m alm…ost at the end of my draft polishing. But at this stage, I’m just so thoroughly tired of working on it that today, I found myself in a state of near despair about whether it will ever be done. Go figure! I’m 90% finished and yet getting through that last 10% seems really tough.

My friend and mentor Rob Gilbert is fond of saying, “It’s the start that stops most people — and while that’s very accurate, I think it’s also the finish that stops a lot of people as well. And I count myself among them. Completion can be very tough for me and for other writers as well, from what I hear. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s fear of failure? Fear of success? Maybe it’s the idea that a creative project is always a work in progress — it can always be improved.

Whatever the reason — the why — that finishing is so challenging, there’s only one remedy that I can see. Fight through it. Fight through the doubt and confusion — and go that extra round — until you reach a place where you feel you’ve done everything you can. And then push it a little further.

I know, I know. Sometimes you can barely stand pulling a project out and tackling it. I hear you! I’ve been there myself. But there’s often gold in that final go-round. Suddenly, you’ll see that if you just tweak something that extra bit, then everything shifts a fraction and falls into place. So let’s go that extra round and pat ourselves on the back when we hit the finish line. Write on!

About karinwritesdangerously

I am a writer and this is a motivational blog designed to help both writers and aspiring writers to push to the next level. Key themes are peak performance, passion, overcoming writing roadblocks, juicing up your creativity, and the joys of writing.
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