The Rock Stars of Writing, Part 3

What do two immortal baseball players have to do with writing? In the case of Satchel Paige, a perennial star of the Negro Leagues, the oldest rookie to play in the major leagues and an all-star well into his forties, it’s his famous saying:
“Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
​Apply that to writing, and you get:
Keep putting words on paper without looking back at what you've written.That leads to future first ballot Hall-of-Famer, Mariano Rivera. It’s not what he says that makes him a writing rock star; it’s what he used to do.

He was a finisher. For writers, this means:
Finish what you’re writing before you start editing.How many times have you written the first few sentences, then lost all momentum by going back to review what you’ve written?
Editing something you haven’t finished not only wastes time, it derails your train of thought and could sap your writing confidence. By looking back at your incomplete piece, you’re letting all those negative “not-good-enough” thoughts gain on you.
8 steps to becoming a writing closer:

1. Start with an outline to build momentum and stay on track. Check on my prior article about another writing rock star, Frank Lloyd Wright.
2. Don’t edit until you have a finished first draft.
3. Set an alarm clock for a short time, like 15 or 20 minutes, and don’t stop writing until you hear the alarm. (See my other article on Plato.)
4. Even if you think you’re writing a crappy first draft (we all do), keep filling the page. You’ll feel much better seeing words on paper instead of a blank page.
5. If you’re not done after the alarm rings, take a quick break to stretch your legs for five minutes. Then pick up where you left off. If you have to read the last paragraph for context, fine. But don’t review from the beginning since that will put you in editing mode way too early.
6. Write “The End” when you’re finished. Even though you’ll delete it while editing, it will feel good knowing you’ve finished a rough draft like Mariano Rivera finishes ballgames.
7. Celebrate your first draft. You deserve credit for putting all the words you need on paper.
8. Once your first draft is done, take a deep breath and start editing.