When I’m writing non-fiction, I’m a lean, mean writing machine. At my best, I’m pumping out 3,000 publishable, polished words a day. (If I’m drafting, I can crank out twice that.)
But all my life, I dreamed of writing fiction. The first writing I ever sold? Fiction. My master’s degree? It’s in writing fiction. What’s my hard-drive bulging with? Unfinished fiction.
Why don’t I finish a novel?
I’m not sure, but I have an idea. When I was a kid, excellence was my only option. The minimum acceptible grade? A. The only rank worth having? The best.
When any grade but an A is a failing grade, your best bet is to stick with your A subjects and avoid B, C, or D subjects like the plague.
So I stuck to my strengths: reading, writing, teaching, singing, using my voice. And I avoided:
– sports (D+)
– painting (C-)
– dance (F)
– math (C-).
As an adult, I’m intrigued by the idea of writing a novel. At the same time, I’m terrified of writing a C+ novel.
I’m thinking that’s why I don’t finish novels. If they’re never finished, I never have to turn them in for a grade.
Add comment