Stacked in the corner, tattered notebooks, torn paper scraps, and stuffed file folders threaten to topple and fade into forgetfulness. Browser windows with countless open tabs, mock me. Word docs hold accumulated I’s and O’s waiting for their sunny day.

Each holds a mishmash of ideas, epic tales, half-baked notions, diamonds in the rough and unique connections. They linger, hoping for development, nurturing, processing and completion. There are also duds, fragments of a hollow framework, derailed trains, forgotten whispers declared dead. they lie dry as dust.

They are far from silent. I am continuously interrupted by guilt and subtle reminders of my dereliction. The price I pay is self-sabotaging my productivity. I struggle to remember the exact story, justifying the story’s delayed conclusion, I force my mind to concentrate on my current darling.

Distracted by today’s bright shiny object, I realized I have started too many things, bitten off more than I can chew. I should turn over a new leaf and focus on the process of finishing what I have begun. Concentrating on the highest priority stories, I work on moving through to ‘Done’ before considering another project. I must go on to the end.

The time has come for the Harrowing of Hell.

How do you manage your work in process?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer