Finishing

There's this great feeling that comes with the end of a project. Being able to cross something off a to-do list. Having a weight, however small and insignificant to others, being shook from your shoulders.

I had a deadline. Self-imposed but those are often the toughest ones, in my opinion. No one else cares if you finish. No one will berate you for turning your work in late or missing the end of the work day or anything like that.

I told myself at the beginning of the week that I'd have a finished draft of the "Good Wife" spec script I've been working on done by Sunday. In time to share it with my writers' group. Those are important words - I told myself. This wasn't a deadline set by anyone else. More often than not 75% of the writers' group doesn't bring pages or anything to share with the group. It would be no big deal if I missed this deadline.

It's been a long week. We finally got heat in the house tonight after living without it in the rain and cold for seven days. I'm starting a new quarter with the University of Phoenix tomorrow and I had to prep two classes. Excuses excuses...

But ultimately, it's all about, it's only about, what I think. If I keep the deadlines for myself, then I prove to myself I can do it. I care enough to do it. Is it a great draft? No. Is it a shooting draft. No. It's what my favorite writing inspiration, Anne Lamott would call a "shitty first draft". But that's okay. In fact, that's exactly what it should be. It's just me getting the bones of the story out and on to paper. Now I can play with them. Now I can form them into the story they should be. This is a draft just for me. This is a draft that will only vaguely resemble the final draft.

But it's done. I finished it. And for that I am ecstatic. One more mile passed. On to the next one.