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Please get ready for an extended running metaphor that I, an absolute nerd and non-athlete, never thought I would use. A few years back, I broke my knee. In the process of getting back my mobility, I realized running was the one exercise that kept my knee from hurting. So I started running two to three miles a week, and earlier this year, I ran my first 5k race.

Here’s what I’ve learned about running: You don’t have to be fast. I started out caught up in how slow I was (I am very, very slow). I got so mad at myself. I was trying to run a ten-minute mile, but I would never be that fast. One day, I let go of the arbitrary goals I thought mattered, which really had come from some ill-advised Google searching, and I instead focused on just enjoying the run. It was then that I was able to run longer distances and meet my goal of the 5k.

No one starts out being THE BEST at something.

Something I hear repeatedly from my writing clients as a freelance editor is that they want very badly to finish their book, but they just can’t seem to get it done. Life gets in the way.

The writer gets bored with the project but can’t convince themselves to move on because they’re a perfectionist and can’t leave a project unfinished. They start to feel self-doubt or fear that they will never be able to get it done. They can’t seem to let the project that really should be considered done actually be done (it’s been edited, it’s been beta read, it’s been revised to death, and the project is smooshed like a dead bug, but they just keep stepping on it again and again until it resembles nothing that ever looked like a book...) They write a book for ten years and then can’t let go of those ten years to write the next book. They get mired in worldbuilding details and never finish the plot…

This is starting to sound depressing, but it’s the reality of being a writer. Our emotions are always inextricably tied up in what we create. Imaginative creations come from a beautiful inner place that isn’t quite explainable or really understandable. It’s kind of a personal mystery—but as humans, we are given this magical ability to imagine. Warping that imagination to fit, say, a publication plan, a 10-point goal system, a specific genre, or a (god forbid) deadline can be a huge squee dampener.

I think this is why so many people say they don’t want to become a professional writer. It’s the fear that the hobby, which gave so much joy and release, will become WORK. The reality is that writing is a lot of work. Like running, Writing is hard.

They say writing is like running a marathon. It’s not about one book but the overall process of writing several books, revising, submitting, and so on. It takes stamina. The goal shouldn’t be “How fast can I do this?” because a rushed book isn’t very good. The goal is to keep writing, to keep trying, and to just make it across the finish line.

After all, what is done anyway? How does one define DONE? Is it when the book is with the agent? Because it’s still going to need revision when it hits the hands of an editor. When the book is published? Some writers re-release books years after they’ve been published.

Putting aside the existential dread of the never-ending project, let’s just say that a book is done when it’s published. In this series, I’m going to lay out ten different ways to approach finishing a book—from draft to publication. For each one, I’m going to give you a journaling prompt to help you practice. Hopefully, one of these will be useful to you in getting across that eventual finish line.

What’s more, I’m going to give each of these tips a grounding in psychology. Because finishing a book is not just the simple process of completing the draft, revising it, getting feedback, and submitting it. What stops us from finishing the book as writers is psychological—because all writing comes from the mind and the heart.

If you love these prompts, check out my upcoming journaling workshop in December:

Journaling for Writers
DATE: 4 Weeks Starting December 2nd, 2024
TIME: Asynchronous, Self-paced via Writing Workshops Dallas
Price: $299
Journaling is proven to boost your mental health and help focus your thoughts. Learn different techniques for journaling specifically geared toward writers. Writers are observers. One way to keep track of your observations and ideas is through a writing journal. In this workshop, we'll cover the basics of journaling for writers. Not just as a method of processing and keeping track of your thoughts, but as a method of improving your writing life and working towards a career as a writer.
​We'll cover tracking your writing, how to manage large ideas or projects, tracking submissions, creating goals, revising in a journal, and more, all while exploring popular methods of journaling to find the one that works for you. If you feel out of sorts or disorganized in your writing life, this workshop is for you!

1. “Just Do It”: Challenge Negative Thoughts About Your Writing

If you push yourself hard enough, you can do anything. That’s a saying I hate. The reality is that pushing yourself in most things, from physical to emotional aspects of your life, can often result in injury. The reality is that “just do it” really means “just take the next step.”

When I started out running, I hated it. I hated how hard it was. I hated how people would honk at me in cars or yell things out the window. I hated the way people made disparaging remarks under their breath. (Once, a woman on roller skates muttered at me: “Skating is more fun.” I think about that woman a lot, and one day, I hope to see her again and trip her.) Mostly, I hated how in my own head I was about the whole situation.

To get past the internal monologue of “I hate this, why am I doing this, this is torture, someone run me over already, why am I doing this, I suck at this…” and so on, I started a little positive mantra to drone out those thoughts. I began thinking: “Just put one foot in front of the other.” I didn’t even have the wherewithal to think positive thoughts. “Just do it” became a way of getting past that. I repeated this thought over and over until it became second nature. Now, when I go for a run, I think, “Just one more mile”.

This is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy in psychology. These kinds of negative thoughts are called automatic thoughts. They are often outside of our control, at least at first. The idea is that we come up with what is called self-concept, ideas like “I suck at this”. Sound familiar?

Maybe you’ve thought to yourself: “I will never finish this project,” or “I am a bad writer because I gave up on this project,” or “I am a failure if I get rejected.”

The next time you find yourself thinking this, try instead: “Just write one word.” Then, make yourself write one word more. And so on. One way to finish a writing project is to break it down into little goals. Give yourself permission to complete the next task. Instead of thinking: “I need to finish this task,” think to yourself: “I am going to take one step toward finishing this task.”

Let’s imagine this for the process of writing a book. Here are the “just one step” points in writing a book:

• Come up with an idea

• Outline the book

• Write the first chapter

• Write the first draft

• Revise the book

• Get beta readers

• Write a query letter and synopsis

• Send the book to agents

• Land an agent

• Send the book on submission to publishers

• Get published

Any one of these steps can be broken down into even more detailed next steps. Take the nebulous “come up with an idea”:

• Brainstorm ideas for a book

• Consider what you’ve written in the past and figure out your voice

• Read similar books in your genre

• Decide who the main characters are

• Come up with the main setting for the book

• Make a list of potential conflicts and obstacles your characters face

Do you see how these quickly start to look like writing prompts?

The greatest part about this is that research already shows that breaking down a task into smaller pieces makes it easier because it’s satisfying to check things off a to-do list. The more ways you can break a task down, the more checkmarks you get.

We are all just little rats pushing a button for a treat, aren’t we? Sigh.

By allowing yourself to focus on the next immediate task in your book writing process, you can get past the negative thoughts you have and instead just take the next step, which also results in making a list of tasks to finish the book.

Here’s a journaling exercise to try: Brainstorm what negative thoughts you’ve had about your writing. See if there are any positive things that you can replace those thoughts with. Give yourself permission to let go of the negative beliefs you have about who you are as a writer. Come up with one mantra that you can use when you start feeling bad about your writing. Write that mantra and stick it on a wall over your desk. Come up with one step, one task, that you can complete today to reach your goal. Then, just do it. Sit down and finish that one task.

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Browse Upcoming Workshops from Holly Lyn Walrath

Writing the Speculative Novel
DATE: 4 Weeks Starting May 5th, 2025
TIME: Asynchronous, Self-Paced via Writing Workshops Dallas
​Price: $299
Learn how to write (and finish) a speculative novel from outlining to revising to submissions.
Learn tips from a freelance editor who has worked with successful speculative writers to edit their books to perfection. With over ten years of experience in editing both self-published and big fiver writers, I know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to longform writing. In this class, we’ll explore techniques for outlining, critiquing, and revising the speculative novel. Learn how to create your own outline that you can re-use for future projects. Learn how to take on revision from the big picture to nitty gritty proofreading. Craft your book so that it has the best possible chance to get published!

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