Finishing What I Start
February 1, 2010My husband and mother often point out that one of my biggest flaws is my inability to finish most projects. Now, while I think half the time they do this out of some brand of frustration, I do know that they also want to use those little nudges to push me onward. They want to see me succeed. A little reverse psychology never hurt anyone, right? ;)
The older I get, the more frustrated I get with myself when I see that I'm not finishing my works in progress. It could be writing or knitting or crochet. Sometimes it's not even "craft" related exactly. Regardless, I have a problem with putting too many irons in the fire at a time and not seeing everything through to completion. But, what I'm happy to see, is that I've been getting better about this little problem over the past year or so. The fact that I now have a few publishing credits is a case in point!
What works for me is the back burner. It's okay to put stuff on the back burner so long as you are prepared to revisit said stuff and make a decision about whether or not it's a dish worth spicing up or something that needs to be tossed. And now it's time for me to put a couple of projects on the back burner and bring an old pot to the front of the figurative stove. This year I'm gearing up, as I said in a previous post, to finish my fantasy pirate m/m romance novel A Prince's Ransom. I started writing this story back in 2007 and I finally figured out how to get my main characters through a bad situation so they can get their happily ever after!
I knew I'd have to chop out some of the story I'd already written, which always makes me cringe, but luckily it's only about 1,300 words. It will be very worth it. Like pruning a plant so it can have a happier and healthier future.
Plotting is now my friend, and I wouldn't start writing any long fiction without a plot anymore! Because, while the back burner method is great... I just can't stand the idea of waiting three years for a plot epiphany every time I get stuck.
Tags: novel, a prince's ransom, process, writing, gay romance, fantasy.
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