Wisdom on Wednesdays: Finish the Book

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Okay, now that you're back, we can talk about writing. And one of the most important things you can do - in fact, maybe the single most important thing you can do - is finish your first draft.

I know how tempting it is to go back and revise what you've written, instead of forging ahead into the next chapter. I know how easy it is to think that if we can just write the perfect outline, maybe we'll only need to revise our rough draft once before it will be ready for publication. I know what it's like to be cruising along, words flying from your fingers, when that little internal editor pipes up and says, "You know, you really needed to mention this back in Chapter Three for it to make sense here," and I know what it's like to want to go back RIGHT NOW to Chapter Three and stick it in.

Don't do it.

Finish the first draft.

Make a note of all those things that crop up - maybe in the margin, or maybe in a balloon, or maybe in a separate document. Wherever works for you. But don't let anything stop you from getting to THE END.

What stops you from finishing your manuscripts?