2 Shares

I was The Wicked Witch of the West in the play, Dorothy Meets Alice. At our first rehearsal the producer of the play handed each cast member a Rehearsal Schedule. On the schedule was a detailed list of objectives.

The script was broken down into sections. Each section of the script was scheduled. The cast members were told what day we had to have our lines memorized by, or be “off book.” We were told the last day we could call for lines. We knew when the dress rehearsal was. We knew when the play opened and what time we had to be on stage.

When the play ended, I realized that the process to produce a play could be applied to any project.

4 steps to complete a project

1. Have an end goal in mind.
What is the end result you are looking for? Is it a book? A play? A published blog post?

2. Set a date to ship.
What is the launch date for your book? When will the play open? What day will you publish your blog post?

3. Break down the process into steps.
Write down a daily writing goal. When do you want to be finished writing the rough draft? When is the final editing due? When will you send the manuscript to the publisher?

4. Be disciplined and follow your plan.
A plan is worthless if you don’t follow it. ( You can tweet that here.)

My unfinished project

On my desk in a black wire basket is the manuscript for my book, The Artist’s Manifesto. The manuscript has sat there for months untouched because I didn’t have a plan.

I have a plan now. At the end of this week, the illustrations for the book have to be finished. The book then gets sent to an editor and a graphic designer.

The Artist’s Manifesto will be published on May 1st, 2013. It will be available for a free download when you subscribe to my blog, i paint i write. I will also send the book to my friends who are already subscribers.

I just needed a plan.

Do you have an unfinished project on your desk? Will you make a plan and finish it?

Please let me know in the comments. I would love to chat.