5 Reasons to Finish Your Projects
As writers, finishing projects is a huge deal.
Finishing projects is the difference between writing as a now-and-then hobby and writing as a lifestyle that produces results.
You may be confused, because recently I talked about why sometimes it might be best to give up on a project. This is true. It is important to recognize when our projects are unhealthy or no longer aligning with our goals.
Yet overall, building the practice of finishing our work has several huge payoffs.
5 Reasons to Finish Your Projects
1. We Learn as We Go
Sometimes we just don’t know on page 1 (or even on pages 10 or 35) what we really want to say. Often we need to complete that first draft in order to discover what our story is *really* all about or what tone it should take.
If we give up on our story mid-way, we may be missing out on its best parts.
2. We Learn By Completing
We will never learn how to write a full story arc if we never get past the first five chapters- even if the first five chapters are polished and perfect. If we never push past the first draft or give up after receiving negative feedback, then we’ll never learn to accept criticism or revise or work.
The more writing we do, the better we get.
3. Nothing Is Wasted
Each completed project, even each completed draft, brings us closer to new and better completed projects. Every time we complete a draft or a project we have learned something new.
Even if the story we’re writing may never be published- it isn’t wasted. None of it is wasted.
4. Finishing is Best Practice
What we do day by day is building our habits as writers. What kind of writer do you want to be?
Learning to finish projects is best practice. It creates in us the practice of perseverance and it teaches us how to consistently complete things.
5. We Get To Prove It (To Ourselves)
Writing a book can seem overwhelming. Writing 50,000 words in a month sounds impossible- until you do it. (Nanowrimo is happening right now if you’re ready for a challenge!)
Every time we complete a draft or finish a project, we are proving to ourselves that we can do it. This confidence is invaluable. We can do six impossible things before breakfast and there is nothing that can stop us!
When we push forward with our work we learn to have confidence in ourselves and in the magic of writing– that when we sit down to write, the words will come.
When we do the work, something will happen.
Another bonus of finishing our projects? Then we have finished projects!! This is actually one of the best benefits, after all 🙂
Originally published November 6, 2020 on Bethany-Henry. com.
