Knowing when to stop writing

Writers often struggle so much to get going with their writing, that once they are writing, they don't want to stop, so it seems counter-intuitive to talk about setting an end point in your daily writing. But, knowing when to stop can be a helpful tool in completing your writing projects.

For some people the stopping point is when they have achieved their daily writing target - a certain number of words or sentences. There is a sense of achievement engendered by this, and it feels good to achieve a goal or target. I generally don't allow myself to stop until I have reached my target.

Ernest Hemmingway offered the advice that you shouldn't stop until you know how the story continues. This way, when you return to the page, you can immediately continue writing, and don't sit staring into space, trying to work out what to write next. I have been following this advice for a few months now, and I have found that since doing this, my writing flows - when I sit down to write again, I know exactly what to write.

There is also value in leaving a piece of writing, and then coming back to review it with fresh eyes. For me, this is when I inevitably spot the mistakes I missed first time around. I sometimes find when I'm not consciously working on a story, the crux of what needs fixing will be stirring in the back of my mind, until I have a Eureka moment which presents me with the solution - how to fix or end the story. No amount of persisting achieves the same result.

Once you've started writing, knowing when to stop can help avoid writer's block, improve flow, and improve the caliber of your writing.