The Writer’s Coin

Writing a story is like flying a hot-air balloon: getting off the ground is a lot of work, but once you’re off it can be really cool and exhilarating. The ride is a lot of fun and you get to see some cool things from a different perspective. But —like writing stories — landing is a problem: you go where the wind takes you and picking a spot to means relying on the wind, what the landscape looks like, and how much fuel you have left. So in a lot of ways, you’re not in control all that much when it comes to landing. Lately I feel the same way about my writing.

I often have trouble finishing my stories but lately it’s been especially hard. Once I have an idea I’m excited about I’ll start writing and then it’ll all just take off and before I know it I’ve been writing for an hour and a half. It’s a great feeling and it’s one of those “magical” parts of writing I really enjoy. You start to explore different ideas and subjects you had no idea you were going to before you began.

But then I get to a point where I’m thinking about the ending and I start to have some trouble. Usually it takes me two “sittings” to get through a first draft of a story. And that second sitting is where I have a lot of trouble — it’s tough to get back to that groove I was in originally. I think what gets me in trouble is that I ask myself, “What’s the perfect ending here?” I don’t think there is anything like the perfect ending but it’s something that bothers me enough that I kind of freeze up and don’t go any further. The usual questions start coming at me: “Is this any good?” “Why did you pick this to write about?” “And you call yourself a writer?”

I have a couple of stories I’m working on right now that are going just like this. I really like them (at least the beginning of them) and can’t wait to try to get them published (which is bad because it can rush me). I have tried to step back and think about how I want to close them out but it’s just not happening.

Luckily, I just finished reading a great book about the act of being creative: The Creative Habit by famed choreographer Twyla Tharp. It deals with a lot of the problems and issues I’m going through right now. I’m going to give it its own review later on, but it’s incredible how similar all these different creative acts are: writing, painting, dancing, etc.

The good news? I know what I need to do (and not do) to get through this and finish my stories. I need to focus on the story and block out all other thoughts of perfection, publishing potential, and all that stuff. As long as I’m true to the story and I believe in it, I think I’ll eventually touch down somewhere that I’m happy with. I just hope it’s soon because I have a feeling the longer I wait, the rougher the landing will be.

Tags: Creativity, finishing a story, hot air balloon, the creative habit, twyla tharp