The Art of Finishing
August 16, 2009 by howe
I have never been good at finishing things. Ever. I love starting things; imagining, creating, generating, sparking, kicking off, launching … much fun! But finishing? Blech! So is it any wonder the Hear Us Roar! book has been 85% complete for weeks now? LOL.
I guess what matters in life is knowing your strengths and finding ways to make up for your shortfalls. Vickie and Ashley, my writing partners, have been tremendously helpful. We’re all working on finishing our books, and we regularly schedule time to write together and check in with each other. Even when we all bail, we know we’re there in the background to nudge and support and encourage each other. It helps to have friends to keep your dreams alive with you.
Today my goal is to make my finishing efforts less daunting by completing the sections that only require a tiny little bit of work to be called “done.” I’m thinking the feeling of satisfaction and relief that comes with being complete on those small things will create some momentum for the larger sections that await. I should probably come up with some kind of reward to give myself, too, as added incentive! Hmmmmm … maybe a pedicure. Or dinner at my favorite little Asian cafeteria downtown.
OK, for now … back to writing!
Andrea
85% is awesome! For the remaining (tedious) part perhaps you could pretend you’ve been hired by someone to simply wrap things up … and it doesn’t need to be perfect!
Good luck and enjoy your pedicure.
-Sharon
I’m so with Andrea on this. I’m terrible at finishing things – which makes us all the more dangerous when we are together on a project. LOL!
But this made me think – how about all you contributors to the book. What made you finish your story that you submitted to us? How were you able to tell your story and get it “finished.” I’d love to hear from some of you. Maybe we can use some of your processes.