How do I know when a story is finished?
Advice from a TV writer/author
I hear from so many emerging writers that they can’t stop tinkering with their story. Every few months they’ll put it out of a drawer, dust it off, and work on it some more. It’s an eternal “Work in Progress.”
I think constantly tinkering on a script or manuscript is an ineffective approach to writing. The way we grow as writers is to finish one project then start another. Then another and another.
After you have 5 or 10 stories under your belt, go back and read the first one with fresh eyes. I guarantee you’ll be in a much better place to improve it than you would’ve been if you had never moved on.
That said, how do I know when a story is finished?