Ten Ways to Finish (Really, Finish) a Writing Project: Part Four

Welcome back to my series on practical ways to finish your book using the power of psychology. Each one of this ten-part series presents a different method you can try to finally just GET IT DONE and WRITE THE FRIGGIN BOOK. If you haven’t read the other articles in this series, you can check them out below:

Gamify: A Tiny Dose of Dopamine, You Cute Little Mouse Mouse Pushing a Lever

I played a running app called Zombies, Run! for a long time when I first started running. Essentially, it’s an audiobook-type app that gives you a fun scenario to listen to while you run. Zombies chase you—you can even turn on an option that encourages you to run faster to outrun them. It really helps to get me moving when I’m not feeling like running because it distracts me from my negative thoughts. These days, I’m not using the app as much because I’ve learned to find enjoyment in just the act of running.

In psychology, using game-like elements in non-game contexts is called “gamification.” According to psychologists, gamification can help with making work more fun, education, crowdsourcing, data-collection, healthcare, marketing, social networks, and even environmental protection, to name a few (Sailer et al, “How Gamification Motivates”)

Gamification can help you start a new task or motivate you to complete a project. Like my running game, making something more fun is one of the easiest ways to finish a project. We all have aspects of writing that are not our favorite part of the process. For me, it’s revision. I have to literally force myself to sit down and revise each week. It’s one foot in front of the other again the whole way. But when I’m drafting, I’m having a blast.

So, one trick I do is to allow myself to write a shorter, more fun, completely different thing while I’m revising (not at the exact same time, but in the same span of time). I used to think you HAVE to only focus on one project at a time. I love juggling multiple projects (have you read my blog?), so being allowed to work on fun drafts makes me happy while I plug away at the stupid revision.

Another method I’ve tried is to discovery write—but as revision. What I mean by that is that I’m a discovery writer (pantser), so writing to an outline is really hard for me. Revising, which often feels rigid, is also hard. So I allow myself to rewrite portions of my project without looking back at the first version. I literally re-write the project piece by piece. This always surprises me because I usually end up with two similar drafts. My brain remembers the draft.

There are endless apps that gamify writing now. You can try timed apps that make writing fast the goal or more project-specific apps that give you an award when you reach a certain word count. You might even create your own game by coming up with rewards for your goals.

But for me, gamification is more about letting myself have fun.

Gamification can tap into our basic human need for reward. It creates an external reward for writing, which gives your brain a dopamine boost. By associating positive feelings with writing, you’ll feel less dread about the process. Even if you’re just playing the game against yourself, making your writing process fun can make writing less stressful and more relaxing. And, the game process makes “losing” less scary.

A Game Example: Hades

One game I’ve been loving lately is Hades. The game is a pretty simple fighting game, with the story based on Greek mythology. But what I love most is the structure of the game. The goal of the game is essentially failure. Every time you open the game, the goal is to play through a series of different levels, slowly building your skill until you can reach new levels. But your character dies and is regenerated after each failure. The failure leads to skill boosts, plus it’s addictive.

While some gamers might get frustrated with this style of game, the majority seem to love it, despite the constant failure. This is the basis of most games. For example, most arcade games are hard enough yet still fun enough to make you want to keep putting coins in. The fun isn’t so much in each play but in seeing how you can improve.

It got me thinking about writing. What if we could think about writing as a game? Too often, new writers get frustrated when the first thing they write isn’t successful, when they get a rejection (which they perceive as failure), when they get negative feedback, and so on. But when you play a game, you don’t get personally invested, you just TRY AGAIN. I think the try again concept is a huge takeaway for how gamification can help writers.

I often tell my students that submitting work for publication is a numbers game. If you don’t submit at all, you will never get published, obviously. But if you submit less, you will have less of a chance. The best bet is to submit as often as you can (depending on your goals). And when you’ve exhausted the opportunities for a piece, the next step is to write a new one.

If you struggle on a certain step of finishing a project, think of it as a game. You wouldn’t give up because you can’t defeat the boss, right? Instead, you’d grind until you get better, trying again and again. There’s no quick way to win at writing. It’s about building your skill set.

Leveling up Your Project Process

When I work with my freelance editing clients, my goal is to level up the project. A writer might come to me with a fairly decent draft. My approach is to look for how the draft could be stronger. Sometimes, what a draft needs isn’t yet in the writer’s skill set. I might direct writers to workshops, resources, or other places where they can learn how to level up their writing.

Like anything you want to do in life, practice is key. I can’t say it makes perfect (is any piece of writing really ever perfect?), but it does help hone the writer’s craft.

Even the most experienced writers have room to grow and learn.

Here are some ways you can level up your writing skills to help finish a project:

• What does the project need, and how can you get better at that skill set?

• Practice giving critique. By giving feedback, we learn what kind of feedback is most helpful to receive.

• Take workshops centered around your project’s genre so you can grow as a writer.

• Read new authors and take notes. Sometimes just reading how someone else solves a problem can open up a locked door in terms of your own project.

• Read books on writing and find tools that work for your style.

• Become a writing advice magpie: Take what works and leave the rest.

• Get better at mindfulness: Be aware of the choices you make in writing and why they matter.

• Find friends to play with: Gamifying writing is more fun when you’re not alone.

Ask Yourself:

What do you love about writing? What do you love about YOUR writing? How can you channel the parts you love, like drafting or revision or critique, into letting yourself have fun? The reason I harp on process so much is this: If there’s a part of your process that isn’t working, you have my permission to let it go and figure out a better way, even if that way is not how everyone else seems to succeed.

A Gamification Writing Prompt: Find Your Joy

Try this journal exercise: Write a list of what you love about writing. Now write a list about what you love about YOUR specific process and strengths as a writer. Think of this like gratitude journaling—allow yourself to feel grateful about what you enjoy. Writing isn’t a thing you decided to do overnight. It’s a part of your life that matters to you. Why?

Now make a list of rewards you can give yourself for finishing steps toward the final goal. What do you want to accomplish? What smaller steps can you take to get there? Are there any ways you can level up your writing skillset? Find rewards to assign to these goals that might really motivate you—even if it’s something as simple as an ice cream cone. My favorite reward is getting to start the next project.

ou do you.

Upcoming Workshops from Your Host with the Most Writing Prompts, Holly Lyn Walrath

Self-Paced Workshops (Sign Up Anytime!)

Get Your Team Booked on 3.8 Million Podcasts Automatically

It's 2025. Want to finally be a regular podcast guest in your industry? PodPitch will make it happen. Even the beehiiv team uses it!

The best way to advertise isn't Meta or Google – it's appearing on podcasts your customers love.

PodPitch.com automates thousands of weekly emails for you, pitching your team as ideal guests.

Big brands like Feastables use PodPitch.com instead of expensive PR agencies.

Get your FREE personalized demo!