About two and a half years ago, Brogan was born. We were in the hospital and this kid was coming and I was in some major pain. Ryan’s rubbing my back, like a good husband, trying to ease my discomfort and I remember, clear as day, looking over at him and saying, “Could you please just not touch me?”
So he stops rubbing my back and starts giving me a pep talk. “You’re doing great, Kate. Keep it up. You can do this.” I’m huddled in the fetal position (not recommended by birthing instructors, but it worked for me) and I say, “Could you please just not talk?”
Poor hubby. He stood in the corner and handed me ice chips.
I’m ninety thousand words into my manuscript and instead of typing more words this morning, I’m avoiding. Because there’s this scene I need to write and I have no idea how to write it. It’s high emotion. My main character is beyond distraught, verging on hysterical. All the while, she’s trying to make this decision and to make matters worse (for me, not her) – the scene involves technology. And I know next to nothing about technology.
So basically, I’m majorly intimidated.
I keep typing a few sentences. Deleting them. Type. Delete. Type. Delete. Pull out hair. Type some more.
And the most frustrating part of all is that I know, once I get this scene written, the rest of the words will flow right out.
Sort of like when you’re in labor.
The hardest part is delivering the baby’s head. Push. Push. Push. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. But once that head comes out, man. The rest of the body is a piece of cake.
So, this post is mostly for me right now. Because I’m in big-time need of a pep talk. I’m convinced this dang baby is never going to come out and I need somebody to squeeze my hand and tell me, “You’re doing great. Just a little bit further. You’re almost there. Now dang it Katie, push!” Only this time I’m not going to make anyone stand in the corner in silence.
Three tips for writers who are closing in on The End:
Visualize. Close your eyes and picture the scene unfolding like a movie. Take some time to work it out in your head first. Let yourself feel the emotion of the character.
Focus. Focus on the goal. Focus on The End. Focus on the satisfaction of saying, “I did it!” I birthed another novel. It is quite a feeling. Breathe in focus. Breathe out anxiety. You can do this. Others have done it before you. Heck, you’ve even done it before. It is not impossible.
Push. Push past the fear. It’s there. That feeling of, “What if I seriously cannot do this?” But don’t let that stop you from pushing. It’s going to be messy. It’s not going to be pretty. That’s okay. It’s not supposed to be. You can go back and clean it up later. Just bear down and write.
Visualize. Focus. Push. You can do it.
Let’s Talk: Where are you in the writing process right now? Plotting? Starting a rough draft? Ending one? Editing? What kinds of things do you do to push through to the end?
