Finishing
The first step is to get to the end.
Writers, have you ever heard any of this advice?
Sit in the same place every day to write.
Don’t edit as you write.
Send out a new pitch the same day you receive a rejection for your last pitch.
I bet you have. These are solid tips often repeated right after we are reminded to show don’t tell, and omit unnecessary words.
But a couple of weeks ago, novelist, screenwriter, professor Wendall Thomas offered a piece of writing advice I’ve never heard before.
And I can’t believe it.
It’s so obvious. I’m certain it’s been said before, billions of times. But in all these years I can’t recall hearing it.
If you want to be a writer, Thomas said, you’ve got to finish something.
Finish the work.
Until you finish something, you have nothing. Nothing to revise or pitch. Nothing to practice on and improve, nothing to publish.
Keeping On
I’m experimenting with a new genre. It’s different than the other work I regularly publish, the stuff I’ve been writing for years. I’m not very good at it.
It will take work and practice. It feels hard. Self-doubt pushes in. I question my ability. The writing is rough going somedays. Delightful on others.
Writing can be like this. Hard. Unrewarding. Slow. It can feel like a slog. And so, to escape the discomfort we talk about writing, instead of actually doing the writing. We take classes, research, read, and daydream about agents, publishers, and bestseller lists.
The most important thing we can do in our writing life is to finish a piece of writing.
Write. Revise again and again. Rewrite. Edit. Polish. Finish.
Do the work.
Finish something.
-p
Wendall Thomas is fab. Hear about her writing journey, which includes her Cyd Redondo series and screenwriting, and tips for getting the work done in this episode of the Simply, Write podcast.