Finish it!

If you've played World of Warcraft, Baldur's Gate, Skyrim, or any other RPG (computer or otherwise) then you know about questing. It's how they roll, RPGs. And there's always a pattern. Easy stuff first. Why? Because that's what your character can handle.

In Role Playing Games we, the nerds of the world, must quantify regular human attributes like strength, speed, intelligence, and even experience.

But how do you quantify experience? How can you even know how much you've learned from something? There are so many levels of learning going on when you complete a goal that it will likely be years before you see all of the results.

But there is something delightfully simple about all this. Do a quest, gain experience, go up a level. How good are you at hitting people with axes? I'm level 3. How do you know? Well, I have finished enough quests that I am now better. I have 2000 experience points, and that means level 3.

So how does this relate to writing? Quests start out small. Why? So you can finish them. If you don't finish you get no experience points. That may sound contradictory, after all merely by making an effort you should learn something.

BUT!

There is intrinsic value to completing a project. If you can write a one page scene that is fulfilling, then you have learned how to craft a scene. If you can write one paragraph that captures the imagination of your reader then you have learned how to describe. You're not good, but you've completed a quest.

So if you are a new writer, then I say do a quest. Set yourself a goal and then finish it. Don't worry so much about how well it's done (at least not at first) just do it. These small quests will gain you experience and slowly but surely you'll find that you are ready for larger quests. If you're working on a novel, that's just a higher level quest. Don't be afraid to finish. If you don't finish, then try again, but most of all find something to finish.

There is value in finishing.

And most of all...When you've completed one quest, start another one. That's how you level up as a writer.