Saturday, March 10, 2012

Quit Before You Get Ahead

Have you ever stopped writing when you were on a roll?

No!  Of course not!  Those are the best times, right?  When you're in the groove...well, keep groovin'.  Stay there.  Ride it out.  That's probably what most of us do, and there are many reasons why we do it.

We don't find that groove every day, for one thing.  More often, we're slogging it out.  Pushing.  Searching for the details or the next corner to turn.  After having trouble getting started for the day, you sure don't want to lose momentum.

But there is a school of writing thought that suggests you deliberately stop, even mid-sentence, just a bit sooner than you normally would.

I first heard about this strategy when reading Ernest Hemingway back in the day.  He learned to leave himself hanging on the precipice, especially after working in a rhythm.  He said that way, he always knew he had something to come back to. 

Stopping on the verge built motivation.  Instead of stewing or stressing about what to write next, he couldn't wait to get back the next day and carry out the incomplete thought he'd left behind.

Pack that into your toolbag of block breakers, and Write, Dream Writers!  Write!



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