Finish and Flourish
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Sarah Federman, PhD

How to Finish and Flourish!

Some snippets of writing wisdom to keep you chugging along

This is not your magnum opus

9/24/2015

1 Comment

 
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            Finish Your Writing Project by Keeping the Goal Small

One of the classic ways in which students and all writers get stuck is thinking that whatever they are working on will become their Magnum Opus -- the most important work in their life. 

We get so involved in our writing, it starts to feel like a part of ourselves and once that ego gets slapped in it becomes oh so hard to finish.

You think your work will reflect your greatest achievement or all of who you are. The problem with that logic is that as living beings we remain in a process of becoming. The book can never be done while you are alive. If the book reflects you and you are not dead, there always seems to be more.

Even folks who think they want to be done may suffer from this "magnum opus syndrome." 

The book, thesis or dissertation may well be your magnum opus...But likely not. It's a school paper that must speak to the requirements of the program. Such grand work rarely is born out of such a restrictive structure...in my opinion. 

Also, a great irony is that your work is much more likely to at least lead to your magnum opus if you stop treating it as such. Your writing needs room to breath-- too much ego does to writing what too much water does to a plant... Don't drown your writing in ambition.

Just write the darn thing...
1 Comment
Sarah K.
10/1/2015 08:25:21 am

Having good deadlines really helps me continue to treat my work with balance. If I have in my mind that I'll only have 3 days to work on a piece I find I work much more efficiently. I love to massage out each sentence and braid in images. But sometimes I end up wasting time on the little details. Keeping my deadline helps me to stay motivated to work out the big chunks/substantial issues so that I can move on to working at the sentence level and having fun with it. I never end up having as much time as I want to work on the little things but that where your maxim comes in...it's not my Magnum Opus. It's a process and it's got to end eventually! Thanks for sharing.

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    Sarah Federman, PhD
    scholar, consultant, writing adviser, freelance writer.

    Clients include:  University of Pennsylvania, the American University of Paris, the publisher Bedford St. Martins, and a myriad of students.

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