As a writer, it can be difficult to let things go. You always think you are going to find time to get back to that short story, novel, article, web site, poetry collection or other project. This year, vow to finish one major project. Just one. Once you complete that one project, you can consider the next.
The key to accomplishing this is to let the other side projects go. Put them in the file drawer and move on. Accept that you cannot finish every project you’ve started, but finishing one of them is accomplishment enough. If you have four novels you’ve started, pick one of them and stick to it. If you are waffling between a novel and a book of poetry, make your decision. Finish one first. Until then, don’t work on the other. Stay focused on that single project until it is complete.
It can be easy to spread yourself too thin. The problem with most projects is that they seem far more attractive and interesting in the beginning, before they get bogged down by the reality of the hard work and time it takes to complete them. Life also has a habit of getting in a way. There are jobs, children, classes, friends, illnesses, parties and a host of other distractions. Having too many projects on your to-do list just adds to your list of distractions.
Remember, that picking one project locks you into a course of action. When the project gets difficult, and it most likely will, you cannot jump off of it for another project. You must see it through. That is how you will have a great year of writing.
