I Can’t Seem to Finish My Book

Procrastination

 

This is a tough one for authors and creatives of all kinds. There comes a point in your career where you will hit a moment where you realize you are procrastinating on your book! All of a sudden all those things that never bothered you before are URGENT and need to get done NOW. You know the ones I’m talking about. 

The laundry needs to be folded NOW.

The bathroom needs to be cleaned NOW.

The bookshelves require dusting, you got it, NOW. 

We have been plugging away on our book, humming along with increasing word count we’re 80% of the way complete with the manuscript and boom. We are distracted, fidgety and can’t see to just sit our butt in the chair and write the %$@! book. 

Ah.

That’s the rub.

No, it’s not writer’s block persay, but you’re welcome to call it that if you wish.

You’re Creative Side is at War with your Professional Side. 

Oh, you think that just becuase this is your first book and you haven’t told a soul that you’re writing it (Oh, okay, just your few close friends). You think that means you’re an amauter? Fine. Keep believing that, but what this really means is this. 

You’re going to have to slay a few dragons (or demons, you’re preference) that are wandering around your mindscape laying obstacle all about your creative mental map. Time to break out the magic wand and enchanted mirror to blast those dudes into that space time portal you’re building so you can get back to writing. But before you don your robes of invisibility. Let’s look over a few things. 

Your procrastination is a sign that you are protecting yourself. It is not laziness. Some part of you is trying to protect the dream, the work or yourself from the vulnerability of becoming real.

Your book is slowly bringing you, the real “you” into more and more exposure. And when the work get’s “real” you will procrastinate. Here are a few tips to help you slay those dragons or magic spell those demons back into hades. 

  1. When the work became real. While your book is incomplete it is alive! The possibilities are endless, the options are infinite. But now you’re closing in on the end of the adventure. It is about to become a thing that people can evaluate. Your brain revolts! Uh-uh, we’re not doing that. We’re folding laundry and it has to be done NOW.
  2. The love of writing got replaced by teh fear of finishing. This is a big one. While you’re working on your manuscript you’re safe. But once you finish. This requires decisions. The public will see how imperfect it is and while it stays in your imagination, it is perfect. This is a tough realism to face. But Plato warned up with The Cave. You must step out of the Cave to see things as they truly are. 
  3. External support can accidentally increase pressure on you. Having a team or community of support should help. But it can also create that silent chorus in your head. 
          • They are waiting. 
          • They believe in me.
          • What if I disappoint them.
  4. The creative self and the professional self are at war. The creative self wants to explore, play, discover, and wander. The professional self needs pages, structure, deadlines and deliverables. Neither side is right or wrong, but if the professional tries to bully the creative too hard, the creative will hide under the bed wtih snacks.
  5. You may be protecting your dream. Before your book is finished, it can be anything. Once it is finished, it becomes specific. Completion can carry with it a feeling of grief. Grief that requires the creative to let go of all the possible versions of the book. 

My recommendation for you is this. If you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself this simple question.

What does finishing this book now require me to face?

It is an intense question when you are in the throws of running from your dragons. The shadow demons want to distract you from this sort of question. 

Possible Answers You can Listen for:

      • I am afraid it will not be as good as I hoped.
      • I am afraid it will be good, and then more will be expected of me.
      • I do not know who I will become after this is done.
      • I miss when this was just mine.
      • I do not know how to write with people waiting on me.  
      • I have confused finishing this book with proving my worth.

So what do you do now?

Here are some ways to re-enter into a relationship with your book.

Here are some options:

  • Open your manuscript for 20 minutes and only read.
  • Write one ugly paragraph on purpose.
  • Make a list of chapters that feel alive versus chapters that feel dead.
  • Write a private letter to teh book, “Here is why I have been avoiding you.”
  • Separate writing days from editing days.
  • Send a fellow author one messy section and ask for containment, not judgment.

I don’t think you need motivation. I think you need permission to make the book imperfect enough to finish it. I know that you normally don’t procrastinate because you don’t have any ideas. LOL! I think you may procrastinate because the work is carrying fear, exposure, obligation and perfectionism under a trench coat that is pretending to be writer’s block. 

What do you think?

I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this very common problem. Join me and my community of readers, writers and soloprenuers at our next OPEN Friday Coffee. You can register here.