Today's work pledge

Well, I almost met my goals yesterday. I did not complete a draft, but I did come very close, and exceeded my page allotment by two pages. In the last hour I have written all but the closing paragraph, which I typically wait to write until panic sets in. Did I mention how much trouble I have with endings?

Today, then, I will take the print-out of my almost-done draft to the coffee house (there's only one in this here village) and, over a mediocre latte, decide what still needs to be done. Then, after lunch, I will proceed to DO IT with as little drama as possible.

I'm thinking, dare I say, that what I've got is pretty good. I must resist my compulsive tendency, when reading over a draft, to delete and rewrite and change everything, which comes from some deep well of self-hatred, I think, rather than from the rational, pragmatic editor part of my brain.