Don’t Stop When You’re Finished… a Chapter that is
I know that there is often a great feeling of satisfaction when a chapter has been completed. I finally got that scene nailed – what a relief!
But is it?
Now you are potentially faced with something worse – starting again! Now you have to deal with ‘where do I go next’? Even if you have a great outline (I’ll talk about that another time), I personally find starting a new chapter much more difficult than ending one in progress.
So my recommendation is wrap up that chapter neatly in a bow, at least until the read-through, and dive into the next one. I find that if I can get a few paragraphs started, or the beginning of some intriguing dialogue initiated, it is much easier to jump back in again when time once again avails itself. And since I’m not a full-time author, time doesn’t always play nice and let me get back at it the next day. Or the next week. By leaving the chapter started, it gives my brain something to chew on in a constructive fashion, such as how I want to write the next bit, not what will the next bit be.
By leaving the chapter just started, it gives me motivation to come back and get that one finished. And the next chapter started. And so on.
Do what works for you …
Thanks,
Dale Moore, Author of Ubiquitous Medical
Windsor Essex Authors 