Finish the book!!!

by Joe Torres

You know you need to. You know that you have dawdled. You know that you have dragged your feet. And you hear the voice plain as day: “Finish your book!”

So what’s taking so long? And what is more important? Is this really something you want to do? Is this really something that motivates you? Does it drive you? Is it the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about when you go to bed?

If it’s not, then why are you doing it? Is it just a hobby? You’re just playing around, huh?

No, you’re not. This is what you want to do. This is your calling. You have a story to tell. You have a message to send to the world. You refuse to have failed without even trying.

So stop talking about it, and just finish.

You’ve planned and plotted. You’ve developed and researched and invested. It’s time to get off your lazy duff and just finish it.

You’re not too busy. You don’t have too much going on. Other people with the exact same challenges and requirements are passing you by. You have fellows who are working faster than you. They have made the time, put in the work, and are outpacing you.

You have made all your excuses: You’re tired, you don’t feel good, you’re busy … you’re lazy??

Face reality and finish.

You’re slightly afraid that it’s going to be terrible, and that’s OK. Every great artist has worried that their work was awful. Some of them might have been right. But you know what? They finished. And you haven’t … yet.

Time to stop procrastinating – go splash some water on your face. Give yourself a kick in the pants and sit down and finish your book. You have no one to blame but yourself. And when you finish it, you’ll also have one person to thank … you.

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Joe Torres writes sci-fi adventure with heart. He is currently working on his first novel, Force of Nature. Joe lives in Gilbert, Ariz., with his wife and either the most amazing child on the planet or a demon from the depths of hell, depending on which side of nap time you find yourself.