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Today I finally finished my 75000 words challenge for the year. And not only that, I finished my story that I have been writing for three years now. The feeling was somewhat anticlimactic compared to what I had envisioned, because even though I had written down the words THE END, I found it so very hard to belive that it was finally there. I had to go for a walk and tell myself repeatedly that I had finished to believe it. I think 2/3 of me believes it now but the rest still needs convincing.
The part of me that does not fully believe that the story is done is hanging on to all of the editing that I still need to do. That part tells me almost belligerently: "But you are not done! Not done by far! Just look at all of the loose ends, all of the changes that you still need to write in, all of the scenes and sentences that you need to take out. You, done? Dream on!" And I almost believed in the voice, because it was so very forceful in its dismissal of my victory. But after sitting down and thinking for a while I had an answer ready.
If I look at the story from the perspective of what could be better, it will never be done. I don't believe that a single piece of art (good or bad) is ever truly done. I don't remember who said this first but I find it a sharp and true: "A piece of art is never done; we just let go of it". And so I allowed my characters to return home and there was even a home within that home and when they were there, I let them go. The story has a beginning, the mi/uddle and now the end. Whatever changes may happen within it, the story itself is done. I am finished.
The voice was not quite placated, but instead said: "But the story could continue. So many things could still happen. They could take off again tomorrow and start another adventure. They could take an adventure where they are right now. It could happen". At this point I told the voice that yes, it was absolutely right: the story could continue. As a matter of fact, all stories in the world could continue on and on, ad infinitum. It's just a matter of knowing when to take out the scissors and snip the story off. I took out my scissors now and snipped at the point where my characters had returned to where they originally started. I found this circle good.
The voice lost control then, and broke out in rage, yelling: "But it is BAD! The story is BAD!!" Well... no it is not. Is it excellent? No. But bad it is not. And besides that, what does it matter whether it is bad or not? If all stories unleashed unto this world that are bad were treated as unfinished, at least half of them would be left unpublished. And mine is my first try of a full-length book. How does bad equal unfinished?
No, whatever you may say, voice, the story is done. I finished my three-year task today. I wrote the words THE END and the end was there. I did it. I made it to the finishing line and toppled over it and here I am, on the other side. This story is finished and I am done.
I never could have made it without joining the group Get Your Words Out. I didn't make friends there because I wrote in Finnish, and therefore becoming someone's writing buddy would have been somewhat of a one sided task. Still, the times when I did exchange a few words with people there were very encouraging. Also knowing that there was a goal that I needed meet and report to someone monthly really kept me going.
www.getyourwordsout.net/about-us/
I learned so much, let go of so much pride and false assumptions about writing. I have written a Master's Thesis, yes, and that was hard work for me then, but so was this now. Writing a book is difficult. Writing a book is damned hard. It is not a breeze; at least it wasn't to me. But perhaps in the future I get better at it and then the act of writing becomes easier? The future will tell.
The part of me that does not fully believe that the story is done is hanging on to all of the editing that I still need to do. That part tells me almost belligerently: "But you are not done! Not done by far! Just look at all of the loose ends, all of the changes that you still need to write in, all of the scenes and sentences that you need to take out. You, done? Dream on!" And I almost believed in the voice, because it was so very forceful in its dismissal of my victory. But after sitting down and thinking for a while I had an answer ready.
If I look at the story from the perspective of what could be better, it will never be done. I don't believe that a single piece of art (good or bad) is ever truly done. I don't remember who said this first but I find it a sharp and true: "A piece of art is never done; we just let go of it". And so I allowed my characters to return home and there was even a home within that home and when they were there, I let them go. The story has a beginning, the mi/uddle and now the end. Whatever changes may happen within it, the story itself is done. I am finished.
The voice was not quite placated, but instead said: "But the story could continue. So many things could still happen. They could take off again tomorrow and start another adventure. They could take an adventure where they are right now. It could happen". At this point I told the voice that yes, it was absolutely right: the story could continue. As a matter of fact, all stories in the world could continue on and on, ad infinitum. It's just a matter of knowing when to take out the scissors and snip the story off. I took out my scissors now and snipped at the point where my characters had returned to where they originally started. I found this circle good.
The voice lost control then, and broke out in rage, yelling: "But it is BAD! The story is BAD!!" Well... no it is not. Is it excellent? No. But bad it is not. And besides that, what does it matter whether it is bad or not? If all stories unleashed unto this world that are bad were treated as unfinished, at least half of them would be left unpublished. And mine is my first try of a full-length book. How does bad equal unfinished?
No, whatever you may say, voice, the story is done. I finished my three-year task today. I wrote the words THE END and the end was there. I did it. I made it to the finishing line and toppled over it and here I am, on the other side. This story is finished and I am done.
I never could have made it without joining the group Get Your Words Out. I didn't make friends there because I wrote in Finnish, and therefore becoming someone's writing buddy would have been somewhat of a one sided task. Still, the times when I did exchange a few words with people there were very encouraging. Also knowing that there was a goal that I needed meet and report to someone monthly really kept me going.
www.getyourwordsout.net/about-us/
I learned so much, let go of so much pride and false assumptions about writing. I have written a Master's Thesis, yes, and that was hard work for me then, but so was this now. Writing a book is difficult. Writing a book is damned hard. It is not a breeze; at least it wasn't to me. But perhaps in the future I get better at it and then the act of writing becomes easier? The future will tell.
