Sometimes when I look back at a work-in-progress, I get the glooms. I visit the dark side of an unfinished work, the side that echoes with regrets at not being further along, memories of promises to write every day that were broken almost immediately, and wishes that getting to the end wasn’t such a long process. Other times, I just take a deep breath and grimly dig in to keep the project alive.
Today was different.
I don’t know whether it was because the sun was shining or because I’d had a good hair day or because my planets suddenly aligned, but when I looked at my WIP, I got a different result. And it’s one I’m going to hold onto for as long as I can.
I realized how far I had come. I realized that I had accomplished a lot, and rather than regret that it wasn’t more, I was delighted about where I was in the process. And I can’t wait to write more.
What a glorious change from the glooms and also a big lesson in perspective. Now when I’m tempted to visit the dark side, I’m going to take a moment to realize that I am making progress, that I’m further ahead than I was before and that even slow progress is progress.
I’m going to work hard to remember this day the next time and the next time and the next time I open my WIP file. For today, I’ll just enjoy the “light” side.