I read a terrific post today in Scott William Carter’s blog series called Games Writers Play. His suggestion challenged me, and I think it is a big reason why I haven’t written very much more on my novel, play, short stories … (can you tell I like to start writing projects but have a hard time finishing them??).

In a nutshell, Carter recommended putting down your pen – or closing the laptop, as the case may be – when you are really on a roll and the words come easy. Instead of waiting for a stopping point or finishing a chapter or scene, stop while you still have ideas anxiously floating around in your mind!

That is my problem, in a lot of cases. I write and write until I get to the end of my thought, and then I stop until a new idea pops into my head. Unfortunately, that usually means strumming my fingers aimlessly on the keyboard and going cross-eyed looking at the blinking cursor or not even trying to write at all for days or weeks. I’m going to take Carter’s suggestion and stop writing while I’m in mid-thought; that way, when I come back to the manuscript, I’ll be eager to pick up where I left off and be much more productive with my writing time.