Step One for a Great New Year of Writing: Dedicate Yourself to One Project
January 6, 2008 by John Hewitt
As a writer, it can be difficult to let things go. You always think you are going to find time to get back to that short story, novel, article, web site, poetry collection or other project. This year, vow to finish one major project. Just one. Once you complete that one project, you can consider the next.
The key to accomplishing this is to let the other side projects go. Put them in the file drawer and move on. Accept that you cannot finish every project you’ve started, but finishing one of them is accomplishment enough. If you have four novels you’ve started, pick one of them and stick to it. If you are waffling between a novel and a book of poetry, make your decision. Finish one first. Until then, don’t work on the other. Stay focused on that single project until it is complete.
It can be easy to spread yourself too thin. The problem with most projects is that they seem far more attractive and interesting in the beginning, before they get bogged down by the reality of the hard work and time it takes to complete them. Life also has a habit of getting in a way. There are jobs, children, classes, friends, illnesses, parties and a host of other distractions. Having too many projects on your to-do list just adds to your list of distractions.
Remember, that picking one project locks you into a course of action. When the project gets difficult, and it most likely will, you cannot jump off of it for another project. You must see it through. That is how you will have a great year of writing.
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Wow, John! Talk about timely! This is great advice as I was handed yet another reading assignment for my job and I’ve been letting my Nano novel sit way too long. I think I’ll take a few moments and list my projects (personally and professionally) and prioritize them.
Wow. I really like this. Seems so simple, but I really needed someone to put it in my ear. Of course! THank you!
Hi John,
You have hit the nail on the head. I also happen to be one of those writers who want to churn out two or maybe three masterpieces at a time,getting greedy on creativity. The result is however, that not even one major project is completed by the end of the year. Thanks for the advice. Have a Happy New Year.
Regards
Warren
Thanks, John, this was a timely article for me as well. Lately I’ve just had a flood of ideas and no luck pinning down what I wanted to write next. Flitting from one story to the next is getting me nowhere. Thanks for the encouragement to focus!
Thanks. This came in at the right time, when all sorts of good ideas were starting to pile up. I now have a bunch of sticky notes that will let me get back to some of the sideline projects, and I’m now focussed on six new stories for this year.