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TECH: How to Finish What You Start – Every Time (Moldy Oldie) (1350 words)
Original Posting 10/24/2019
Writer's Digest, July 1992, on pages 22-25, had an article by Marshall J. Cook with that title. The subtitle was, "You have a problem – either physical or psychological – and it has brought your writing to a grinding halt. Here's how to get unstuck and get on with your work."Marshall starts with a problem that many of us encounter. You were writing, ideas were tumbling, words and metaphors going, and then… Something happened. The flow stops. "You're stuck in mid-project, and you don't know why."Maybe you've got a barrier, or it's a shipwreck and you're lost? Maybe it's a technical issue, do you have the best point of view, did you start in the right place, should you be writing in present tense? Basically, you're worried. But, here's some ideas to get you going again.First, getting through the impasse. You started okay, but then you're not quite sure how to keep going? Well, try one of these.1. Have a chat with your characters. That's right, start another document, and write a scene where one or more of your characters come in and sit down with you. Then talk! Get to know your characters. You may get some revelations, or maybe it's just simple speech patterns and manners. Then take another look at that outline, and see how the people fit. Some people prefer a character chart, and you can try that if you want. But just talking to them in a scene often does the job.2. Make a bubble map. [I've seen these called idea maps!] This isn't really for exploring characters, but for exploring ideas. Write the subject, idea, topic in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Then brainstorm, free associate, writing down words and phrases around it. Let it sit for a little while, and then look at it again. Put circles around main ideas, connect them up with lines, and see if a pattern starts to come out.3. Start someplace else! We tend to keep beating her head against the wall in the same place. We've invested so much time and energy, you don't want to waste it. But… Try another character, try another scene, see what else you can tackle. You don't have to write your story step after step, especially when there's a wall in the way. Just go around it!Now, what you do if that doesn't shake it loose. A.k.a, the formless furies? Everything just stopped? Well, let's stop and see what happened. Take a look at these, problems and suggested cures.1. Plato's dilemma. You had this great idea, but the words don't seem to be quite as good. The ideal in your head, and what you got on paper just doesn't match. Don't give up! "The words on the page never match the initial inspiration." But, until you get it on paper, you can't read it, react to it, and improve on it. So keep going.2. Critic on your shoulder. "This stuff stinks. You've got a sarcastic critic perched on your shoulder." Well, who invited that critic! Create first, then judge. Don't get wrapped up in commas, spelling, and all the little niggling details until after you finish the rough draft. Later you can revise, rework, and re-create!3. Writer's blank. Whoops, you don't know what comes next? Well, drop back and do some research and development. Take a look at the overall project, fill in the outline, try out some alternatives.How about nodding doing? Ideas are spewing, you can't wait to get started, but... when you start writing, suddenly you're sleepy, the energy is gone. Well, Marshall suggests thinking about a minor shift in your schedule, or maybe a big shakeup. First, don't do your writing last. If it's the thing that is struggling for every left over minute, it's no wonder it's hard. Give it prime time. Figure out what is the best time for you, and fit your writing in there. Lots of people have two uptimes and two downtimes in their day. Marshall does first drafts during one of those uptimes, and then research and revision at other times. Make sure you've got enough rest, and your diet. You may also want to think about some exercise. Keyboarding really doesn't give your body enough exercise. But, if you schedule your writing times into your productive peaks, and get yourself on a healthy schedule with enough rest, diet, and exercise, you may be surprised at how much energy and enthusiasm you'll find.Fear of finishing! This is a biggie, with two big variations. First is the fear that if you finish this project, you won't have any more ideas. It's a leap of faith time. Usually, struggling with ideas, characters, and plots on one project suggests lots more ideas, characters, and plots for future projects. "Rather than exhausting the well of ideas, writing tends to replenish it." Second is the fear of being an undiscovered writer. Obviously, this is a big concern with traditional press. Luckily, with the indie press, you can publish yourself. But the key things here are Marshall's three points. One. "If you write, you're a writer. You need no one else's validation." Two. Whether your work is rejected or hits the bestseller lists, "If it pleases you, your writing has value." Three. "Writing is a fundamentally healthy, worthwhile, and affirming way to spend time. Do it, first and foremost, for the doing. Fame and fortune are the pesto on the pasta."Marshall finishes up with a brief look at how to decide when to pull the plug on a project. He suggests two questions. First, "Have you retained your enthusiasm for the project?" Not fear or fatigue, but really lacking enthusiasm? Second, "What will my reader get for reading this? Am I offering her something of value for her precious time – useful or interesting information, a few laughs, good company, a glimpse of a world she would otherwise never know?" A sense of purpose, and the commitment to never bore the reader…Write!There are two sidebar articles, both by Marshall J. Cook. The first one, on page 24, suggests some preventative medicine to avoid getting stalled in the first place. First, face and resolve your self-doubts. Talk back to your demons! Think about a writer that inspires you, remind yourself that you want to do this, and ignore the people who think writing is a waste of time. Second, realize that a novel is not written in one day. You write one scene, one bit of dialogue, one step at a time. Break the project into chunks, and give yourself a realistic daily goal. Third, don't tell the story to other people! Fairly often, if you tell the story once, your muse is going to decide you don't need to tell it anymore. So, tell it on paper first. Fourth, don't over control. Bullying your project, trying to force a theme, and so forth are likely to kill the inspiration. Leave room for detours and sidetrips. Now, Marshall adds one little piece of advice from Hemingway. When you stop your work for the day, stop in mid-thought, even midsentence, where you know exactly what comes next. "That way, you'll come back to your writing eager to plunge in. You'll finish that sentence and be off and running."The other sidebar on page 25 is a very brief one about outlining or not outlining. Some people find some sort of outline or map very useful. Other people find that writing from the seat of their pants, spontaneously, works best for them. Marshall's advice? Whatever works for you.So, there you have it. Some advice on restarting when the project seems stuck in the middle. Some ideas about how to handle a frozen project. A little about scheduling. And a few words about fear of finishing. Along with preventive medicine, and a quick look at the never ending controversy between outlining and discovery writing. Quite a lot for a five page article!And, now that you've absorbed all that, let me remind you…WRITE!
Writer's Digest, July 1992, on pages 22-25, had an article by Marshall J. Cook with that title. The subtitle was, "You have a problem – either physical or psychological – and it has brought your writing to a grinding halt. Here's how to get unstuck and get on with your work."Marshall starts with a problem that many of us encounter. You were writing, ideas were tumbling, words and metaphors going, and then… Something happened. The flow stops. "You're stuck in mid-project, and you don't know why."Maybe you've got a barrier, or it's a shipwreck and you're lost? Maybe it's a technical issue, do you have the best point of view, did you start in the right place, should you be writing in present tense? Basically, you're worried. But, here's some ideas to get you going again.First, getting through the impasse. You started okay, but then you're not quite sure how to keep going? Well, try one of these.1. Have a chat with your characters. That's right, start another document, and write a scene where one or more of your characters come in and sit down with you. Then talk! Get to know your characters. You may get some revelations, or maybe it's just simple speech patterns and manners. Then take another look at that outline, and see how the people fit. Some people prefer a character chart, and you can try that if you want. But just talking to them in a scene often does the job.2. Make a bubble map. [I've seen these called idea maps!] This isn't really for exploring characters, but for exploring ideas. Write the subject, idea, topic in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Then brainstorm, free associate, writing down words and phrases around it. Let it sit for a little while, and then look at it again. Put circles around main ideas, connect them up with lines, and see if a pattern starts to come out.3. Start someplace else! We tend to keep beating her head against the wall in the same place. We've invested so much time and energy, you don't want to waste it. But… Try another character, try another scene, see what else you can tackle. You don't have to write your story step after step, especially when there's a wall in the way. Just go around it!Now, what you do if that doesn't shake it loose. A.k.a, the formless furies? Everything just stopped? Well, let's stop and see what happened. Take a look at these, problems and suggested cures.1. Plato's dilemma. You had this great idea, but the words don't seem to be quite as good. The ideal in your head, and what you got on paper just doesn't match. Don't give up! "The words on the page never match the initial inspiration." But, until you get it on paper, you can't read it, react to it, and improve on it. So keep going.2. Critic on your shoulder. "This stuff stinks. You've got a sarcastic critic perched on your shoulder." Well, who invited that critic! Create first, then judge. Don't get wrapped up in commas, spelling, and all the little niggling details until after you finish the rough draft. Later you can revise, rework, and re-create!3. Writer's blank. Whoops, you don't know what comes next? Well, drop back and do some research and development. Take a look at the overall project, fill in the outline, try out some alternatives.How about nodding doing? Ideas are spewing, you can't wait to get started, but... when you start writing, suddenly you're sleepy, the energy is gone. Well, Marshall suggests thinking about a minor shift in your schedule, or maybe a big shakeup. First, don't do your writing last. If it's the thing that is struggling for every left over minute, it's no wonder it's hard. Give it prime time. Figure out what is the best time for you, and fit your writing in there. Lots of people have two uptimes and two downtimes in their day. Marshall does first drafts during one of those uptimes, and then research and revision at other times. Make sure you've got enough rest, and your diet. You may also want to think about some exercise. Keyboarding really doesn't give your body enough exercise. But, if you schedule your writing times into your productive peaks, and get yourself on a healthy schedule with enough rest, diet, and exercise, you may be surprised at how much energy and enthusiasm you'll find.Fear of finishing! This is a biggie, with two big variations. First is the fear that if you finish this project, you won't have any more ideas. It's a leap of faith time. Usually, struggling with ideas, characters, and plots on one project suggests lots more ideas, characters, and plots for future projects. "Rather than exhausting the well of ideas, writing tends to replenish it." Second is the fear of being an undiscovered writer. Obviously, this is a big concern with traditional press. Luckily, with the indie press, you can publish yourself. But the key things here are Marshall's three points. One. "If you write, you're a writer. You need no one else's validation." Two. Whether your work is rejected or hits the bestseller lists, "If it pleases you, your writing has value." Three. "Writing is a fundamentally healthy, worthwhile, and affirming way to spend time. Do it, first and foremost, for the doing. Fame and fortune are the pesto on the pasta."Marshall finishes up with a brief look at how to decide when to pull the plug on a project. He suggests two questions. First, "Have you retained your enthusiasm for the project?" Not fear or fatigue, but really lacking enthusiasm? Second, "What will my reader get for reading this? Am I offering her something of value for her precious time – useful or interesting information, a few laughs, good company, a glimpse of a world she would otherwise never know?" A sense of purpose, and the commitment to never bore the reader…Write!There are two sidebar articles, both by Marshall J. Cook. The first one, on page 24, suggests some preventative medicine to avoid getting stalled in the first place. First, face and resolve your self-doubts. Talk back to your demons! Think about a writer that inspires you, remind yourself that you want to do this, and ignore the people who think writing is a waste of time. Second, realize that a novel is not written in one day. You write one scene, one bit of dialogue, one step at a time. Break the project into chunks, and give yourself a realistic daily goal. Third, don't tell the story to other people! Fairly often, if you tell the story once, your muse is going to decide you don't need to tell it anymore. So, tell it on paper first. Fourth, don't over control. Bullying your project, trying to force a theme, and so forth are likely to kill the inspiration. Leave room for detours and sidetrips. Now, Marshall adds one little piece of advice from Hemingway. When you stop your work for the day, stop in mid-thought, even midsentence, where you know exactly what comes next. "That way, you'll come back to your writing eager to plunge in. You'll finish that sentence and be off and running."The other sidebar on page 25 is a very brief one about outlining or not outlining. Some people find some sort of outline or map very useful. Other people find that writing from the seat of their pants, spontaneously, works best for them. Marshall's advice? Whatever works for you.So, there you have it. Some advice on restarting when the project seems stuck in the middle. Some ideas about how to handle a frozen project. A little about scheduling. And a few words about fear of finishing. Along with preventive medicine, and a quick look at the never ending controversy between outlining and discovery writing. Quite a lot for a five page article!And, now that you've absorbed all that, let me remind you…WRITE!