“Thoughts on Finishing” by Lauren Alwan

An essay by alum Lauren Alwan (fiction, ’08) appears at The Northwest Review of Books:

Most days there are at least fifteen documents open on my laptop. These consist of works in various stages, some newly drafted or in mid-revision, and others that seem close, but remain suspended in a state of near-completion. Generally, the newer works get the attention while the nearly finished are deferred. I have difficulty with that final phase, when the questions narrow and the focus tightens, and as a result, I tend to temporize. This includes looking for answers outside the work—trolling online articles or revisiting well-loved books and essays—though this is nothing more than distraction disguised as research. Yet I do it all the same, squandering time and energy while the work remains undone. “A story can rot,” Jane Hamilton says, and the state of the drop-down list is a stark reminder of how precarious finishing can be. – See more at: http://www.nwreview.com/essays/thoughts-on-finishing.html#full

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