Finishing School: The Happy Ending to That Writing Project You Can't Seem to Get Done

by Cary Tennis, Danelle Morton

All too many people start a writing project with grand ambitions but reach a crisis of completion. Finishing School helps writers reignite the passion that started them on the project in the first place and work steadily to get it done. Untold millions of writing projects—begun with hope and a little bit of hubris—lie abandoned in desk drawers, in dated files on computer desktops, and in the far reaches of the mind. Too often, writers get tangled in self-abuse—their self-doubt, shame, yearning for perfection, and even arrogance get in the way. In Finishing School, Cary Tennis and Danelle Morton help writers overcome these emotional blocks and break down daunting projects into manageable pieces.      Tennis first convened a Finishing School so that writers could help one another stay on track and complete their work. Since they weren’t actually critiquing one another’s writing, there was no jockeying for the title of best writer or the usual writing group politics; there was only a shared commitment to progress. Without guilt, blame, and outside critique, students were more productive than they imagined possible. Through this program, they were able to complete novels that they’d been struggling with for almost two decades, finish screenplays drafts, and revive interest in long-neglected PhD theses. In this book, the authors share this proven and easily replicable technique, as well as their own writing success stories.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Self Help, Crafts, Productivity

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2017

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this under the misapprehension that the term 'finishing school' was being used as a catchall for a strategy of, you know, finishing your work. I did not realize it refers to The Finishing School, with caps: an in-person or online weekly class run by the author/s, along with writing retreats. So the book is about a specific format of class, and, in fact, reads like one long ad for the class. There are strategies for using the same techniques with a writing buddy, but still, it's not entirely what I thought I'd be reading.

I did find the first sections useful, particular the reasons we don't finish. Which, Yes.

"Those people who say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger are liars. What doesn't kill you destorys some piece of you. What doesn't kill you makes you want to go crawl into a hole and never show your face again. If I never finish, at least I've never failed."

So, interesting, but not as useful as I hoped. 2.5 stars.

[Cindy Pham · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book is distracting with its rambling, stream-of-consciousness writing style, acting more like the authors' personal venting rather than organized advice. The actionable tips are given at the very end, and even then, it's not anything earth-shatteringly new. I don't believe it was necessary to stretch this 'buddy system' idea into a book, which is even more obvious by the extremely short sections of each chapter. This would be much more appropriate on a single webpage, not framed as an entirely new way of approaching a writing project. I also think it's ridiculous to charge $75-$100 for these "workshops" - ultimately, they're just group discussions that you can easily do for free, and it didn't seem like the author had much success with her "class" since only two students remained once she charged money.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are like me, you have various unfinished writing projects in notebooks, tucked away in bottom drawers. You may have even been a part of a writing group, as I was. Yet the works remain unfinished.

Reading Finishing School has inspired me and made me believe there is hope to finish projects I have started. I know I can set aside a realistic number of hours a week and set achievable goals. The next week I can report on what I did or didn't accomplish and set realistic goals for the coming week.

Writers have so many obstacles to finishing. The authors have identified six major ones: doubt, shame, yearning, fear, judgment, and arrogance. They help identify the emotions underlying these blocks. I can recognize them and release them, getting back to work. This book helped me to not believe in those awful things I tell myself. (“I'm a terrible writer.” “I'll never get published.”)

The finishing school idea came out of a class to help writers with unfinished projects. Participants would get together once a week, not to critique their writing, but to focus totally on the commitment to write. The idea was accountability without judgment. The authors, one the teacher and the other a class participant, share here their ideas and experiences revolving around the concept.

We are given practical suggestions for forming our own “Finishing School for Two,” including finding a buddy to help with our accountability. I am encouraged that the concept is that of being committed to writing, not to critiquing the material produced. (The authors do include, however, how to benefit from a critique.)

I really appreciated the section on the six obstacles to finishing. I could identify with several of them and learned how to work through them to get back to writing. I was surprised but encouraged to use whatever is in my head. “This is the great power of being a writer, that anything that comes in our heads, however screwed up or crazy it is, can be used as material.”

I recommend this book to all of those writers out there with unfinished projects. This book gives a realistic framework within which you can make progress. It gives you the resources you need to break through those blocks and set realistic writing goals. You'll also be encouraged by the personal writing experiences the authors share.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Anne V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be just another of the thousands of books that try to help authors finish their manuscripts, but maybe it is a book that can do what it promises.

In that spirit, I pulled out a lingering half-formed novel idea I can’t forget about and put Finishing School to work. Over the past two years I have gone so far as scribbling a rough outline and summary draft of first five chapters before I put it away because I was drawing a blank every time I opened the document. I know what I want, but the execution just isn’t happening! This should be a perfect test subject for Finishing School. No pressure Tennis and Morton, none at all.

It is a good sign that on the first page of the Introduction they write:

“You may unconsciously expect that by ignoring your project you can make it disappear, and that the obligation to complete it will fade. That is not the case. Partially completed novels, short stories, and personal essays seem to become proof of your personal limitations. You did not keep your promise to your story.
As you gradually abandon the effort, as the weeks, months, or years pile up, the project becomes your adversary. When you think of it, you cringe. You start to wonder why you began it in the first place, yet, you cannot let it go.”

Ouch, truth! It is embarrassing how true this is. The answer to this problem is a promise to restore order and progress to your project. The Finishing School method is not interested in judging the worth of the work, just in getting away from the emotional aspects (in part 1 they detail six emotional pitfalls-doubt, shame, yearning, fear, judgment, arrogance) of writing in order to get the writing done. Best of all, they write:

“The Finishing School method does not require you to change, to become a better person who is more organized, more disciplined, and has life under control. It asks only that you take a few simple steps.”

Oh, thank goodness!

Parts 2 through 5 get into the meat of the program and how it is supposed to work. I found that these people share many of my own beliefs regarding how best to support and be supported both as a writer and a teacher of creative writing. Some of the advice is expected, such as commit to realistically scheduled sessions of writing, break projects into manageable pieces, and learn about time management.


“Just remember, five minutes of doing is better than thirty minutes of ‘meant to do.’”


Some ideas reshape how we look at the process. For example, it is easier to meet your goal if you have someone holding you accountable. They are not talking about traditional writer’s group shark tanks, but a buddy that is not interested in competition or judging you, (in fact, you don’t share your actual writing with anyone) who sees you as a fellow writer, someone who is doing the same thing they are, fighting the same fights, reaching for the same kind of victories in an environment where both of you can focus on getting things done.

Unfortunately, there was a moment in this book that I had to put it down. In her chapter on How to Create Your Own Finishing School, Danelle Morton declares:


"In my three months teaching Finishing School, I’ve come to see that it is not a class for everyone who wants to write, only those who are serious about their work and willing to face what they learn about themselves in the process of completing it. This turns out to be a small but dedicated number of people."


She goes on to classify the students who have fallen out of her class and the cherished few who have not:


"The students who remain in class are dedicated to their craft and to the goal of writing every week. In mood, spirit, and word count they are making strong and steady progress. The class has given them a place where people take their dream seriously and never question how they are going to accomplish it. Not everyone is ready for that. Not everyone truly wants to finish."



Yuck. This smacks of the same kind of smugness that drives writers away from writing groups that contain ‘real writers’ who have an opinion about other writers dedication or talent. It seems to be actually paradoxical to the rest of the Finishing School philosophy. Of course every writer, professional or amateur, who starts something wants to finish it. While I get that a writer who does not finish is never going to get the work out there, I do not believe that every writer who can finish is the epitome of authentic writerliness.

I personally know many talented and skilled writers who just have not and may not ever finish a particular piece of work (for many of the reasons outlined in this book) even if they really want to and are recognized for their talent or skill. I also have read many a ‘finished’ piece of garbage. Not finishing one piece does not mean you are not talented or dedicated to writing, it means you have not finished the piece—which is something the Finishing School method can help with. Let’s keep it real. Finishing only grants a writer the opportunity to sell, it does not mean you are more of a writer than those ‘less dedicated’ unfinishers.

I refuse to let this moment smudge my overall view of this book, which is positive. I disregarded the garbage about the above example and the part about it being okay to quit on a dream-- since no one needs permission to do that, and the admirably efficient and aesthetically pleasing, though unrealistic time management example given by Danelle. Then, I ferreted out the sweet path to finishing as Cary describes it in the most practical chapter Finishing School for Two and went to work on my novel again with renewed interest.

Since I did not have a buddy for the first month, but I did not want to wait until I found one, I let my journal be the buddy. I kept appointments with it as I would a real person. I asked and answered the questions a buddy would. I was accountable. Now I have been going on for long enough to say that for such a simple method, the result of embracing the Finishing School philosophy is that I am looking at my project with different eyes and producing again. On my way to, and a heck of a lot closer to… finishing.

As far as Finishing School, the book goes, it starts strong with a few chapters that are worth the whole, collapses into a little bit of meandering just short of unnecessary cuckoo chaos about classes that don’t really add to the experience, then finishes with feel-good. If you are a writer, you may identify more with Danelle’s personality or with Cary’s, but both have a lot to offer. I hope every writer stuck in a project reads this book. Just reading it may be enough to identify why you are stuck and conquer it, but you might try out the method too, just in case it works for you.

A copy was received by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review and more at annevolmering.com.

[Annette Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m frankly surprised that there aren’t more books out there like this one. Books on how to stay motivated, or keep up a writing practice, when all you want to do is let your doubts or fears or procrastination drag you to a halt.

It’s almost like these books on writer’s block or inspiration or habits are the *why*. And all the books on writing good dialogue and plot structure and all that are the *how*. I was missing more instruction on the *why* side of things, so I’m really thankful for this book.

The first half is incredibly insightful. Each small chapter was readily digestible in a short sitting, but I did find myself needing to read some of them over again to make sure I really understood the depth. That’s what happens when you’ve got such useful content compressed into such efficient chapters. You could probably do a book each on doubt, shame, yearning, fear, judgment, and arrogance, and how those emotions manifest in and impact writers. But the format here is quick with excellent examples so that everything is relatable and you’re encouraged to think about how that concept shapes your own writing life.

The second half of the book details how “Finishing School” works, and there’s some useful stuff in there. I briefly considered running my own Finishing School, because they make it sound so straightforward and helpful. But then I remembered I probably shouldn’t take on additional projects, and I can perform a modified one-on-one Finishing School with a writing friend or two on my Discord server.

The emphasis in the second section on not reading each other’s work and *not offering advice* cannot be overstated. I think that’s the one area where people are most likely to fumble the whole thing, and the one most important quality that will determine if any Finishing School is successful or not. Creating that safe environment for everyone to be honest and accepting is crucial. Finishing School isn’t about critiquing each other’s work. You can have other writing workshops for that. In fact, let’s call those *writing* workshops and Finishing School is a *writer’s* workshop. Key difference being that Finishing School is for the writer’s soul, not for the words they put on the page.

I recommend this book to any writer who sometimes struggles to get their butt in the chair, and put words to the page. For any writer who sets a goal and then finds themselves disappointed when they don’t meet it. For any writer who’s used to falling into patterns of negative self-talk about what you *expect* from your writing output vs. what the output actually is. Writers who will *not* find this book helpful are the people who never struggle to carve out time for their writing, or get many words written. Though, to be fair, there was one chapter on fear of finishing that a very prolific friend of mine could probably stand to read. Because editing your novel endlessly is also an expression of fear. If you keep editing it to “make it better” you won’t ever have to put it out there and face possible judgment.

So, if we’re being real, this book would be useful to most of the writers I know.

[Kelly Lynn Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 3-star rating doesn't really reflect the quality of the book--there's lots of good stuff in here about the emotional pitfalls that writers have to deal with (even experienced writers!) and also a solid system on getting things finished. But ultimately, there isn't really anything NEW in this book. It uses the buddy system of accountability to get stuff done, which has certainly been around for a while. Perhaps the "new" thing is that the authors run Finishing School classes where they pair students up as accountability partners, meet once a week, and talk about what they're going to do and then schedule time to do it. Certainly some people might need that extra push (or the "I'm paying for this, I had better do it" type of push), but I think a lot of people could just do this on their own or with a partner (something the book does talk about). The nut of the book is pretty simple, but it's not a short book. Many chapters just felt like filler. I think the book could have been half as long and just as good, if not better.

I did like that the authors' respective sections were marked, so you know who's writing which parts and you get a feel for their style. I also like the emphasis on just doing the work and not judging it. One of the tenets of Finishing School is that you don't ask for critique and you don't offer critique to your partner. You just write.

One little thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the implication that if you've been working on a novel for more than 2 years, you are clearly hung up and just need to finish it. Some novels take a long time to write. Some people work full time and have kids and can only write a few minutes a day or one day a week. Judging progress based on time seems counter to the point of this book, which is as long as you're making progress, you're succeeding. This is something I agree with, so why put a judgement on people's time? Ultimately that's a nitpicky thing, but still.

[Marian Rakestraw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because someone in my writing group wants to start up a finishing school group, and I certainly need to finish things.
The first section, on the 6 Emotional Pitfalls that prevent writers from finishing, was way too touchy feely for me. There were times when I half expected the authors to gather us all up into a drum circle and dance around burning sweet grass. Happily, things didn’t get quite that dire, and the later sections of the book had more concrete advice for my pragmatic little soul.
There is no doubt in my mind that the process of making firm time commitments to writing and having an accountability partner will work as advertised. Until my local group gets started, I’ll engage in the process with my journal as partner. (An aside - I am astonished that people are willing to pay $ to attend a Finishing School group where the leader offers nothing more than vague support and urging to go solve your own problems.)

[St Fu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems to me I had already read a book with this title and a similar purpose: Finishing School: Overcoming work blocks to get your projects done and into the world. It was also 1/3 of the price. Did I attend the wrong school? Luckily I was able to finish this book in just a few hours. It's easy to read and has a bit of that "magazine article" feel to it. You know what I mean: authoritative tone mixed with personal anecdotes and some listicles. I probably should have given it a third star but I was annoyed that so many of the others who reviewed it here got a free copy.

One of the other reviewers said it read like an ad for the authors' classes and I can see that aspect but it didn't bother me that much. I understand that people need to make a living in this cruel world.

This is a book with a method, but first we need to understand the problem. This is what the first half of the book attempts.

Do you ever say to yourself, “I’m a terrible writer”? So begins the chapter titled "Doubt Masquerading as Self-Knowledge," my favorite section heading. However, Mr. Tennis never really explicates this concept. Instead he tries to convince the reader, whom he's never met and whose work he's never read, that he can't be a terrible writer, as if there's no such thing as one. This just flies in the face of common sense. Not only do bad writers exist, but some have them have gotten published. I can't be the only one to have read terrible writers. I'd even been one of them, though I've since improved and can likely improve even more. (If your goal is to become a bad writer, read How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them—A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide.) It's not all just a matter of taste, and not everyone can become good. (C. S. Lewis, in the last book I reviewed, Some Everyday Thoughts, says this is a confusion of what is meant by "democracy." That we are all equal as human beings doesn't mean we all have the same abilities.) Telling someone their reality is incorrect is as good a therapeutic technique as telling an anorexic that they need a sandwich. Even the cognitive behaviorists know this.

The argument to make is more nuanced (not that arguments are sufficient for achieving personality change). It's that hating oneself is not the first step to self-improvement. It's that the reader probably lacks sufficient skill to determine if he's a good writer. It's that being a bad writer doesn't make one a bad person, or mean one has nothing to say. It doesn't even mean one shouldn't write (though perhaps not for publication, at least right away).

To be fair, the authors do say some of this. They're not stupid (though not everyone is equally smart either). But that should have been their main thrust. One thing you learn in psychoanalytic training is that reassuring the patient doesn't work and is more likely to make him feel misunderstood and alone (e.g. "He doesn't know how bad a writer I am").

So what's the method? (I always feel a bit ripped off when they delay telling you what it is until they have you hooked--a cheap advertising trick.) It is the usual one: Break it down into parts, and make yourself accountable. A "method" finisher schedules the various activities involved, reduced to manageable chunks, with the help of a calendar. Then he has someone hold him accountable for keeping to it.

I've worked at places with that method. I had to schedule my work and give regular progress reports. Most people have, I suppose. Management liked it since it gave them the illusion of control over work they didn't really understand. I had problems because I often didn't know how to organize things that way except in hindsight, but other people found that kind of structure helpful. You may be one of them.

Of the two authors, I found Ms. Morton, a former student of Mr. Tennis, less dogmatic, admitting at one point that their approach is not for everyone. I found Mr. Cary a bit scary (rhyme not intended) at times. Like management, but the kind of management that talks to you like they're your friend.

[Shan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I was expecting something different. The first half is about six emotional pitfalls that can get in the way of finishing your project (doubt, shame, yearning, fear, judgment, and arrogance). Parts of this were insightful and helpful, other parts less so. I read this with an online writers' book club group; we'd read a chunk and then meet to discuss it once a week. It seemed like the chapters that seemed least relevant to me were also not so helpful for the rest of the group, while in the more helpful chapters, we all picked different things to highlight.

Throughout Part One, the authors keep mentioning how the Finishing School helps to overcome those emotional pitfalls. It felt a little sales pitchy. As it turns out, when you get to Part Two which is actually about the Finishing School idea, it isn't a big "sign up for my class" thing. (In fact, I didn't see anything in the book that actually suggested you sign up for their program, although since I was reading on Kindle, it's possible it's in the back material of the physical book.)

So, the idea in Part Two is that you use a buddy system that helps hold you accountable for meeting the goals you set for your writing. You don't read each other's work or do any critique; it's all about deciding how much you're going to write and/or how much time you're going to spend writing, and then sticking to it. Nothing new, although maybe the specifics will help some people who haven't tried this approach before.

I had high hopes for this book, because I'm a chronic non-finisher. I get excited about starting something new, but by the time I get to the hard part, I'm not so enthusiastic and maybe I'm starting to get excited about a different project. As a result, I have lots and lots of things started, very few finished. I hoped reading this book would give me some practical tools or ways of thinking that would change that. Maybe it's a matter of the order: while I was reading Part One, I was on tenterhooks waiting for the practical step by step stuff. If I'd known it wasn't coming, I might have gained more from the first part.

[Ale Esquer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't really know what to expect when I started this book. There are countless books with the same premise on the market, promising to get you writing and actually finishing something. I haven't really read many of them, since I didn't trust them, but I will say, Finishing School actually got me to start writing again after almost two years of ignoring a (terrible) first draft of a novel I've been working on.

It starts by describing, point by point, why somebody might not be writing, and then explaining why those fears don't really make any sense, if you really think about them. It then goes on to actually explain the Finishing School method, and to describe the results it has created. The Finishing School method actually sounds really helpful for a person like me, who relies on other people's expectations to actually get things done a lot of the time (which is not to possible, but actually helpful in this particular case).

However, while it seems like a method that would really work for me, it might not be the same for everyone. Still, if you're having trouble getting any writing project done, I suggest picking it up. It worked for me, and it might work for you as well. Even if the actual Finishing School method isn't right for you, for whatever reason, the first section (the one about the reasons why one might stop writing) would be helpful to any writer, in my opinion.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

tl; dr - This book is worth reading if you are a writer, or wish to be (or even think you might want to be).

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. Even though I had personally entered the giveaway and was ecstatic to have won a copy, I dreaded reading this book. I know now just why that was. I was afraid of what it was going to tell me about myself.
Now, my writing habits are actually fairly good. I write every day at a specified time, with a specified goal. Last year, I had to put a halt to all writing for about three months due to a family crisis. I struggled to find my rhythm again, and felt a bit like a three-legged pony trying to run a race with thoroughbreds at first (the thoroughbreds being my previous writing, several years of daily typing with no real breaks except between one project and the next). But I did eventually hit my stride again, and completed some works which were of great value to me and others.
But the one thing I have not done is finished something to actually try and publish as a novel. I have been poking around for two years at a novel that the actual writing of has been easy as breathing. All the times between working on it, and trying to figure out what niche I would try to market it in, and how to market and publish and so on has been utterly nightmarish.
Shortly before I received this book in the mail, I saw a picture online of a cat inside a crate. It was staring at the crate door even though the top was off, and the caption said something to the effect of "sometimes focusing on the problem prevents you from seeing the solution".
I have spent my life surrounded by felines, and I happen to know that they almost never want out of the crate once you have arrived at the vet's office, so I made what I felt was a clever remark about how "sometimes not wanting to see the solution prevents you from solving the problem".
That statement worked on me for weeks. And so did this book.
I read it in little snippets, and then would put it down for days because I dreaded reading it. Much of the book resonated with me, and felt reassuring and also clarified some things and helped me to deal with them. Why such dread?
Because I was beginning to realize a truth about myself: I do not want to author.
I am a writer. I will ALWAYS be a writer. It's in my blood, it's part of my soul. I write stories, I do the research, I put in the time and effort, and suffer the emotional pitfalls. But not because I want to publish a work in a formal sort of way, which is what I mean when I use the term "author". I am happy writing as I do now.
It came to me that I would rather work in customer service (heaven help me!) than actually go through the process of editors and publishers and book signings and having a website and all the other pieces seemingly necessary to novel success.
Despite owning several books (that I HAVE read) on the subject, and having spent more hours than I would ever admit searching for how to go about publishing a book, I had gotten precisely nowhere.
I now think that this is because I did not want to. This book helped me to see that, and also to see why that might be. I couldn't find a solution because I didn't want to.
Ever since I was old enough to dream of something more realistic than being a dog when I grew up, I have assumed I would be an author, because it's the thing I am good at, and one of the only things I love that I could conceivably make a living at. But I have not dreamed of it. I have dreamed of writing, not as a professional author or columnist or scriptwriter, but writing as I do now.
This realization is not the death of a dream. This is the prevention of its death. This is the saving of that dream. I will forever be grateful to this book, and its authors, for that.
And, should the dream of anyone reading this differ from mine, and should they perhaps genuinely want to be an author, I believe this book will help them as well. There is much more here than mere time management and accountability. Those were two things I already had, but there was so much more that I needed.
In time, I believe I shall discover just what my life is about. For now, I am merely thankful that I was saved from making a fatal mistake, and betraying my writing and my soul by pursuing something I didn't really want and that I wasn't actually meant for (at least not at this juncture).
That's not just something, that is everything.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of things make this book usefully different from most other advice books on writing: First, it is addressed specifically to readers who have begun and then gotten stalled on a writing project. It is not, that is, addressed to people who are just embarking on a project or who are just more generally interested in writing. Second, it offers a model of a writing group whose only purpose is to keep people writing through a buddy/monitor system (sort of like AA or Weight Watchers). Nobody reads anyone else's work. And it is team-written by (for some reason, Danelle Morton is omitted above as the book's coauthor) in a chirpy and engaging style. All good things.

However, there's really no need for this to be a full-length book. As clear, brief, and personable as their approach may be, the advice Tennis and Morton have to offer could be given in 20 pages rather than 253.

[drowningmermaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did anyone else have That Book that you picked up at the start of quarantine and then kept the whole time the libraries were closed? For me, this was that book.

I would chip away at it, and get distracted by something else. Much as I do with most of my writing.

I loved the beginning, which addresses all the emotional pitfalls that keep writers from writing, but the later part-- somewhere in the practical application of all this-- really bogged it all down for me. Finished in a big rush, months after my library stopped charging for failure to return stuff.

Overall, it's a fun collection of essays on how to Actually Finish.

Open to anyone who wants to try the process laid out in this book.

[Dey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically: accountability buddies. You meet in a group once/week for a month, setting weekly goals for your writing. When you do write, you text your buddy. Each week you review what you accomplished and set new goals. Group members don’t read each others work.

There’s discussions of barriers like doubt and arrogance, as well as some scheduling tips.

It felt padded to me. I think the Finishing School idea is a good one, though not so revolutionary to anyone reading any sort of self-improvement. But it was useful and I’m considering starting one as a way to meet writers after we move in January.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book about stalling in your writing. I don't have a current writing project per se, just an interest in writing more often. The co-authors flipflop chapters, but the narrative voice is consistent, and both contribute valuable insight into the stumbling blocks to writing and how to address them in your own head and with a Finishing School group. There's very concrete practical advice (without white-washing) at the conclusion for setting up a school of your own, but even without a formal group, there's enough in the book that is useful. And overall, the book inspires one to write!

[Rosy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seemed worse than the actual workshop on which it was based, which a friend of mine took and complained was worse than useless. I thought she was being too negative so without telling her, when I saw this book and recognized the name, decided to read it -- and it convinced me of the correctness of her assessment. It's rambling, unfocused - even though it does try to give some specific advice it does so in a somewhat chaotic way in my view.

[Shu Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friendly, non-judgemental examination on why we, as writers, often do not finish, and a straightforward, simple solution that almost anyone can implement

The tone of the book is friendly and kind and swaps back and forth between the two authors, with chapters set aside to each, almost as if they're doing a Ted Talk together. Simple, actionable steps are laid out, with tools to support anyone who wants to try the method.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors absolutely nail the emotions involved in being a writer. They offer concrete solutions to completing a writing project because they are tied to understanding those emotions. It seems that we all have the ability to finish a writing project. And we all feel the same emotions as we write. This is a must read for any writer.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in bits and pieces because the reasons given for struggling to write hit home so hard for me. I definitely related to more than one and will be coming back to this book for advice when my jerkbrain attacks my writing! And the Finishing School idea is great - I don't have the energy to start a full group right now, but I'm contemplating finding a partner when I start NaNo.

[Nate Trier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for authors (and maybe others) who are stuck on a particular project.

The authors are professionals with careers that have had ups and downs. They speak from experience and expertise. They communicate using practicalities, not feel-good maxims that other "how to be creative" books employ.

The first half of the book is dedicated to finding what may be causing your creative block. The second half provides a way to get over it (in short: the buddy system).

Yes, the authors are talking about a specific workshop that they run. But, they give instructions on how to run your own workshops (even for just yourself and one other person). Other reviewers seem to be saying this book is just an advertisement - I don't see how that could be when the authors literally give you instructions on how to make these workshops yourself.

Honestly, I think this belongs on every creative person's bookshelf, right next to "The Artist's Way."

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the idea behind this book. The idea is that you should create a writing group where the aim is to encourage each other to keep writing as opposed to critiquing each other’s work. Certainly it’s great to have readers, but sometimes, what you really need, is the support, not the feedback. You need people who will hold you accountable.

I really want to try this out sometime soon.

[Palm Springs Daze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finishing School, a book that describes six common writers' shortcomings and states writers must give their writing TOP priority over all the other daily routines.

It is VERY important to schedule set times and days when one will write and let NOTHING happen to interfere with the writing process. I must agree. I find after doing all the things I want to do my writing time often never happens.

My writing time now takes priority and I have increased my creations.

[Elissa Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely a book of two parts: the first part was an outstanding, insightful look into the fears that make us procrastinate, addressed in a way I really had not seen before. The second part was a framework for addressing procrastination, which was little more than a summary of handful of procrastination techniques. Much better and much more inclusive information can be found elsewhere.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book laid bare the many emotional struggles I deal with when writing or even thinking about writing. I thought I was alone with my demons. I'm not! I will be using these work methods - setting incremental goals and charting progress. I will update my review with how the methods really work once my project is underway. So far it seems less daunting with these tools.

[Judith Praag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finishing School for Creatives Stuck in Limbo

First off the bat, Finishing School is not about etiquette (nor espionage). It is however about learning and unlearning habits. This book reads like a dual memoir.

Cary Tennis and Danelle Morton share in personal essays where they're coming from. Readers find out what it was that kept them from finishing (certain) projects, and how they overcame inertia. Along the way they offer a method to follow, and they share how to start a Finishing School of one's own, for two or more.

Cary is a long time devotee and teacher of the Amherst Writers and Artists Workshop. The workshops he leads at his home help writers produce material, as he has himself, following Pat Schneider's Amherst method. A few decades ago, Cary and his friend Alan Kaufman attended meetings of "Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps (A.R.T.S.) Anonymous". They found buddying up to make sure they would send material out for publication was a great help. In a way Finishing School is a follow up on Cary's experience with ARTS.
"Making your intentions known, committing to them, having an (art) buddy: these were genuinely useful things."

Danelle Morton started as a beat journalist and has co-authored many a book, and written book proposals. Yet when it came down to writing from the heart, writing about what mattered to herself, she felt paralyzed. Learning about Cary's ideas about finishing projects she embarked on a month-long try-out. In a way Finishing School is partially a longitudinal report by journalist Danelle Morton. She shares what it's like to succumb to a method when one is stuck with unfinished material, even as a professional.

Readers may relate to either or both authors' situation and point of view.
--Journaling without a clear aim what all those entries are good for, and even "winning" the yearly NaNoWriMo challenge, can leave one with a pile of material, left to mature on its own in the dark hole called CPU.
--Working on assignment, writing about others, or with others, with a clear deadline, is a piece of cake compared to finishing without a contract. Judging your own stories as important enough to be published, is another thing all together.

Finishing School may help you overcome hurdles.

The unusual "." (period) behind "School" and "Done" in the title is a clever choice, suggesting The End. Given words Happy", "Writing" and "Done" may be substituted by anything else that would apply to the readers' endeavors.
After a creative hiatus due to family caregiving responsibilities I, myself felt inspired by the Finishing School method to get my studio/ writing den back in order.

I received a complementary e-galley as well as a hard copy from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Specific idea and process: 5 stars, thinking to start a Finishing School meetup group for similar benefits

Generalizations that pad the book: 2 stars, nothing I haven't seen explained more clearly in a dozen others

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Not at all a book about writing, but about productivity and accountability. Thoughtful about how to conquer these problems that not only apply to writing, but to any kind of project.

[Rinku · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't that helpful to me.

[Sandy Nork · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this would help motivate me in wrapping a novel I've been working on for a long time. It was a fast read, for me, but would have been more helpful earlier in my process.

[Aly Tadros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read for any writer or creative. I built a songwriting group based off the concepts in this book and it was a big hit. Highly recommend.