Alex's+Response

Out of Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules for Writing, I believe that number three is the most important. It states: "Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it."

Many times I have started a story with this interesting idea, but as I wrote, I found myself stuck halfway through a sentence because I couldn't find the right word. I constantly kept deleting what was written and editing my work as I wrote. Normally, that may be considered a good thing, but it prevents me from ever finishing. Though I realize that I can always edit afterwards and it may be better to write a synonym if I can't find the correct word, my endeavor for initial perfection makes writing difficult.

Because of this problem, I am even having trouble writing this sentence. //Do I want to use "struggle?" No, that sounds like I'm fighting with the paper itself.// That is why I stress this rule over the others. Not that they aren't important, but that one may never finish a story, poem, or other piece of writing unless they do what it takes to break down barriers and push themselves to finish it. For example, I could never finish the story unless it was assigned, so I set due dates when I write "for fun" and reward/punish myself when those dates are met or missed, respectively.