Top Tip For Writers. Don’t Finish.

Summary

The article suggests that writers should stop writing in the middle of a sentence to maintain mental engagement with their work and ease the process of resuming writing the next day.

Abstract

The article addresses the common issue of writer's block by proposing an unconventional approach: instead of finishing a thought or paragraph, writers should stop mid-sentence. This technique, inspired by Ernest Hemingway, is designed to keep the brain actively involved with the project, as the mind naturally seeks closure. By leaving work unfinished with a clear idea of what comes next, writers can more easily pick up where they left off, avoiding the struggle of re-engaging with the content. This method also leverages the unconscious mind's tendency to continue working on problems subconsciously, potentially leading to new ideas and insights. The article emphasizes the importance of discipline in implementing this strategy, suggesting that writers set a specific time or word count to stop writing, even when the work is flowing well.

Opinions

The natural inclination to end writing at a neat point can inadvertently put the mind to sleep, making it harder to resume work.
Stopping writing at a point of high engagement, as advocated by Hemingway, ensures that the mind remains tied to the project.
The brain's discomfort with unresolved issues works to the writer's advantage by keeping the project at the forefront of thought.
The practice of stopping mid-sentence can lead to a more productive writing session the following day, as the writer already knows what to write next.
Roald Dahl, influenced by Hemingway, also recommended stopping while still in the flow of writing to maintain enthusiasm and momentum.
The article suggests that the unconscious mind continues to work on the writing project even when the conscious mind has moved on to other tasks.

“When you are going good, stop writing.” Ernest Hemingway

When it comes to writing or creating anything, people always talk about the fear of the blank sheet of paper.

But it’s not really a fear of paper unless you’ve got Papyrophobia and then it is.

It’s the fear of a blank mind.

But there’s an easy way to hack your way out of having a blank mind. When you sit down to work on a project, don’t finish.

Say, for example, you’re writing a long work document, the natural inclination would be to stop where you find a natural ending: at the end of a thought or, at the very least, the end of a paragraph.

You’re dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s and leaving it neat and tidy for tomorrow. But the trouble is, putting your project to bed like this also puts your mind to sleep and that’s the last thing you want.

The project might only be halfway through, but to your mind, it’s done and dusted. The next day when you come back to it, you really are starting afresh.

You need to re-engage your mind in the project and this can be hard. You can’t really grasp that thought that seemed so clear the night before. And then because it’s not coming easily, you start to feel blocked and negative emotions start arising about your own ability. You get distracted by emails and then when you come back to it later, getting into it again seems an even more daunting task.

Well, Ernest Hemingway had an answer to this problem. When he stopped writing he didn’t leave it at a natural neat ending point of a chapter or even a paragraph. He wanted to leave his writing with a sharp, jagged edge so it couldn’t be ignored. So he would always stop mid-sentence.

This is what he said about the practice: “You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again.”

Firstly and most obviously, stopping when you know what you want to write next, makes it a lot easier to start again the next day.

But more importantly, you’re engaging your brain and tying it to the project. The brain doesn’t like unfinished business, so by stopping mid-sentence you’re keeping it involved. That’s what Hemingway meant when he said, “you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again.” Your mind is actually desperate to get back to working on it.

And what’s even better is when you switch off, your unconscious won’t. It’ll keep thinking about it, so when you sit down to write, not only will you know what to write, but new ideas might start bubbling up from your unconscious as well.

Of course, the hard thing is to stop writing when it’s going well. You want to make the most of this purple patch. But you have to be tough on yourself. Pick a time or a number of words and after that, stop.

Hemingway passed on his writing hack to another great writer, Roald Dahl, who said this about it: “Make yourself stop, put your pencil down and you walk away. And you can’t wait to get back because you know what you want to say next and that’s lovely and you have to try and do that. . . . If you stop when you are stuck, then you are in trouble!”

It’s simple really. When you are going good, stop wri