On Finally Being Finished
Is a piece of writing ever really finished, and how do you know?
Welcome to Writing and Other Acts of Faith! I’m glad to have you join me as I share my writing journey and offer encouragement for your own journey in writing and life. I’m new to Substack—this is only my third post!—but I’m already so encouraged by other Substack readers and writers. I plan to write twice a month in this space, and you can also find me at AprilYamasaki.com and WhenYouWorkfortheChurch.com. Thank you for joining me on the journey!
My book contract included the due date for my manuscript: December 2. And just to clarify, the managing editor added that the deadline was EOD, meaning end of the day.
Ah, that means the effective deadline is really before she gets to work on December 3, I thought to myself. I could write all night if I wanted to.
But I didn’t want to. I had editing work waiting for me, plus two articles due in mid and late December. I had a sermon to prepare for my church. I wanted to decorate and bake for Christmas, to send a few gifts and make extra charitable donations. I didn’t want to lose sleep over my book.
But what if I didn’t finish in time?
Years ago, I wondered whether I would ever be done with my master’s thesis. There was always one more book to read, one more citation to add, one more revision to make. It’s the same now with anything I—or any of us—might write: there is always more that could be done.
But as my professor adviser said to me about my thesis: “You just do the best you can with the person you are and the time you have.” His wise advice has stayed with me over the years. I’m not some super NaNoWriMo novelist who can write a book in a month. I write slow nonfiction on living each day with faith and hope. That’s the kind of writer I am, and the time I had was until December 2.
So no, I didn’t write all night to finish my book even though I could have; instead, I pressed send just after 6 p.m. By then, my book was as finished as it could be. It was time for me to send it off and have some supper, to rest, celebrate, and have a good night’s sleep. Besides, I’d have more time for revising in the new year once I received the comments from my developmental editor.
Whatever challenges you face in writing and in life, I offer my adviser’s words as encouragement for you today. May you also do the best you can with the person you are and the time you have, entrusting everything to God with prayer and thanksgiving.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.
—Ecclesiastes 3:1
Are you in the middle of a writing project and wonder whether you’ll ever be done? How do you know when you’re finished?
Beyond Substack
Have you chosen one word for 2025? My word this year is Refresh, but of course I added to that on my author website, AprilYamasaki.com: Refresh, Revive, Restore, Renew.
As part of refreshing my schedule in this new year, I’m also re-discovering The Positive Power of Saying No, written for Asian American Women on Leadership and shared also on my When You Work for the Church website.
“You just do the best you can with the person you are and the time you have.” These are wise and holy words, and from the sound of it, arrived to your ears at just the time when you needed them. I'll be printing them out and hanging them up as a reminder. They arrived just in time for me also, as I have a sermon to write, as well as my twice-monthly substack, this week. Thank you.
This is timely, April, thank you! I love that advice.