Guys, this WIP I’m not progressing on so well on, is the
proverbial thorn in my side! I have this love/hate relationship with it that’s
keeping me from finishing it. I’m at 74K. I see the ending. I know what the
ending needs to be. And yet I type words on the page and it’s like that hallway
in Poltergeist, this horribly
terrifying place that stretches on to infinity. IT’S NEVER GOING TO GET A “THE
END!”
Sorry for yelling. It’s just that I’ve been drafting this
book on and off for a year. A year for God’s sakes! My last book only took forty-five
days to draft and six months to edit. That’s the problem. That little factoid I’m
dangling over my head is all the ammunition I need to allow the doubt in. Oh you
evil doubt, if you were a tangible living thing, I’d have you hacked up into
pieces and buried in the backyard. Who’s got a shovel?
Here’s what I want to do. I want to quit this book. Just
resign myself to saying that it’s never going to be published anyway (more doubt
talking here) so move on to that shiny new idea and call it a day.
But if I quit, then doubt wins.
If I quit, it’ll be easier to quit again the next time I
have issues with a book. That’s when I decided, I need to make doubt my bitch.
Making said doubt my bitch will require some level of
acceptance and a bit of attitudinal adjustment. From beginner writers to NYT
Best Selling authors doubt never leaves your side. That’s when I realized doubt
is a necessary evil. Now wait, hear me out. Doubt is that little voice that whispers
we might not be good enough. Without him how would we ever push ourselves? Now, you can let that little guy in, but he’ll
grow into a ferocious paralyzing beast. OR, you can make it your bitch.
How? It’s really simple. Grab it by
the collar and say, “I'm gonna make you say my name tonight!”
You see, when you don’t cower to it, it starts to shrink. Use it against itself. Use your doubt as fuel to push yourself further, harder and more determined. It’s when you give in to it that feeds it. Don't give in. Don't quit. Keep moving forward no matter what it tries to whisper to you. That’s what I’ll be doing today.
