THE END-NO, REALLY...

How much tweaking do you – or can you – do? Knowing when to finish editing is as important as knowing the best way to finish your story, and can be just as much of a problem. Zubin says this is a familiar dilemma for visual artists – there always seems to be another brush stroke or bit of sanding or chiselling you could do. At some point you have to say ‘enough’ and bring the re-working to an end. In No Plot – No Problem, Chris Baty speaks of ‘the most awesome catalyst that has ever been unleashed on the worlds of art and commerce ... a deadline’ . As we have discussed in previous chapters, a time limit can indeed focus the mind and speed up production. I have found it also helps with the problem of when to ‘walk away’. If I am not restricted by a deadline, I often impose one and bring my rewrites to an end when the time is up – as it is now.