Around three this morning, I finished the latest [bigger] writing project.
I say “[bigger] writing project” because I usually have quite a few things going on at the same time. This project is bigger than the blog entries, short stories, and other things I write; however, I can’t say it’s a “big” writing project because the story ended up as a novella — not a novel.
Novels are big.
Novellas are…just kind of bigger than most other things I do.
Finding Balance
Finishing things feels good. With returning to the office full time at the day job (I previously worked at home for 10 months), and some other things going on — as well as just getting out and doing things — finishing feels really good!
Finishing things is a reminder that I make a choice more days than not: Do I watch TV, or do I write? Do I take it easy, or do I write? Do I work some overtime, or do I write?
There are definitely those weeks I catch up on TV shows with my wife, go for longer walks or relax on the couch, or put in some extra time at work.
But I’ve finished enough small, bigger, and even big things to know that in order to finish writing projects, I must decide to make time to write.
I don’t have to write — it’s a choice.
The Finish Line
I’ve run in races with physical finish lines and done enough things with symbolic finish lines to know the satisfaction that comes with working toward something, following through, and finishing. It becomes addictive.
Granted, in the case of writing, when you cross the finish line, it means there are other races to be run: rewrites, edits, and proofreading. Promotion if your goal is to share or sell what you write. And other things.
The first time I ran a 5K race — just like with writing — there were things I didn’t account for along the way. The looooooooong, gradual hill right around the first mile, and the steep hill near the end that winded even some seasoned runners. There were times on the last hill that I wanted to walk, but I kept at it. What followed the rest of the race was no problem.
Don’t Stop
I almost stopped writing last night, but the end was in sight. I could have put it off for today, but just like hitting that steep hill in my first 5K, I knew it would feel good to keep moving until crossing the finish line.
There’s no fanfare when finishing a big writing project (maybe it’s time to buy a confetti cannon and pay people to blow noisemakers and set off fireworks when I finish things), but the satisfaction I get with finishing a big writing project is the same feeling I get when finishing a race.
I might do something to celebrate, or I might go home and take it easy.
One thing that’s always the same, though: somewhere later in the day after finishing something, the inevitable creep settles in…and I can’t wait for the next big challenge.
Wow! Congrats! Its not easy you know. And all the best.
Before this year, I probably finished less than a third of the stories I started…which made for a very packed writing folder on my computer. Taking a creative writing class has been really helpful though. When there is more than just personal satisfaction on the line, I am more motivated to finish the things I start. Also I think I’ve really learned what it takes to finish something, especially this semester when our teacher has been making us do “genre pods,” where we basically write a short story of a different genre every week. Talk about stretching the writing muscle! Thanks for another thoughtful post, and it’s so true what you said about finding balance. Writing a short story every week is good for my self esteem (and my creative writing grade) but writers have to live, too! Where else would we get our ideas? 🙂
Laura: Thanks for the reply. The one creative writing class I’ve taken helped me so much, for similar reasons that you mention. I went in, I suppose, expecting to learn how to write. I quickly found out that learning to write was something I had to figure out…and I figured it out by the best things the creative writing class offered me: deadlines!
Having to produce gave me the confidence to trust that I had plenty of ideas. The criticism received helped me find where I could improve and work at getting better. And I totally agree with you: once I realized I had it in me — once most of us in the class realized we had it in us — it definitely helped with self esteem!
I’m glad you’re having a great experience with your creative writing class. I know there are people out there who haven’t had great experiences, but everybody I’ve known who’s taken a class realized the same thing: they have it in them to finish things!
And that’s a powerful realization! Have fun!
Congratulations on finishing! It’s such a good feeling, isn’t it?
Is this a project you’ve talked about on the blog? I remember you started the circus story, can’t recall if you’ve mentioned other works in progress. I look forward to hearing more about it.
The finish line, to me, is when I can wash my hands of the book for a couple of weeks — whether that means sending it to Beta readers or my publisher. Just a bit of time away — that’s the end of the first leg of the eventual triathalon (revision and editing come next). Still, finishing the main skeleton of the story — having a cohesive narrative with a beginning, middle, and end — is one of the best feelings I get as a writer.
Lisa: I set A Magic Life aside for a month to crank this story out. It’s a novella called Old Man; it’s about a teenager who acts like an old man in an effort to get to know his dying grandfather better. After his grandfather dies, he takes the old man act even further.
Shawn: I usually let things sit a little bit, too. But I often write several drafts of things before passing stories on these days, so it’s usually a bit longer before that first round of readers gets a peek. In the case of Old Man, though, it may get to beta readers after a quick polish.
It’s also interesting to me how the size or time involved in something affects that feeling of completion for me. My second novel comes in around 75K words and was written in a couple months on lunch breaks. Old Man is about 25K words and completed in a month. It felt good to finish both stories, but nothing felt as satisfying as finishing Promise, which comes in at a little over 100K words and took years to finally get into reading shape.
I don’t intend to take as long with A Magic Life…and I’m already looking forward to that rush of finishing something else!
The premise sounds great. I’d be happy to be an early reader whenever you’re ready for that step.
Thank you, Marvin. By the looks of your blog, it looks like you’re hitting a good stride yourself!