That question makes for the best stories—in fiction and in life.

In either genre (yes, let’s call life a genre, and feel free to substitute “You” for “character”), a character finds themself in the middle of a big mess.

It could be a mess they created or one they insinuated themself into under the auspices of “I was trying to help” or, better, “It sounded like a good time.”

Sometimes, a character will do something just to see if they can.

Why did they climb the mountain?

Because it was there.

Now they’re smack in the middle of, “What was I thinking? This is too hard. I can’t do this!”

Well, what kind of a hero says that?

Buckle up because this is where it gets good.

Imagine your favorite novel or movie.

I’ll start.

Remember in Indiana Jones when Indy made his way into some cave or other and all the snakes and spiders surrounded him and then there was that enormous rock rolling at him?

What if, at that very moment, he yelled, “What was I thinking? I can’t do this.”

And then high-tailed it out of the cave and back into the classroom.

Such a waste of a potentially great story.

What about Harry Potter?

Imagine him meeting Snape and saying, “I can’t do this. What made me think I’d be a decent wizard?”

And then he high-tailed it back to the room under the stairs.

Again, such a waste of a potentially great story.

So, let’s get back to you.

You’re in the middle of a project, a writing project that you’ve wanted to tackle for years, maybe even all your thinking life.

Your entire sense of self is wrapped up in this endeavor.

Then you get to the murky middle of your story—a notoriously difficult part where even seasoned authors get bored, confused, tired, and say, “What was I thinking? I can’t do this.”

And you close up your laptop and high-tail it back to your couch to binge watch Gilmore Girls.

What a waste of a potentially great story.

Your story.

Never mind disappointing your family and friends whom you may have told about your dream project.

What about disappointing yourself?

Everyone knows that’s the worst kind of disappointment.

Because when you renege on a promise to yourself, you undermine your credibility in you.

You owe it to your past, present, and future self to keep going.

See it through!

This is where the magic happens.

Become the hero of your own story, the one who gets themselves out of whatever mess they’re in.

To quote Austin Kleon*, “If you show up every day, the days turn into something.”

So keep showing up, keep going, keep slapping those laptop keys until you can type “The End.”

Now, put your manuscript away for a few days.

When you pull it out and reread it with a fresh mind, you’ll likely surprise yourself by how good it is, or you’ll be able to see what you need to do to improve it and you’ll get excited.

You’ll start to edit and revise and play and then you’ll get to a point where you say, “What was I thinking? This is too hard!”

But now, of course, you know how to handle that kind of nonsense.

*Austin Kleon’s excellent books include Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work, and Keep Going.

Have a wonderful week,

~ Gail

(Tick tock)

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