There are only a few days left in May. Perhaps your deadline has "graduation" at the end of it. You might just be working on one of those longer projects and are stuck with "something not being right" but you're uncertain what that "something" is. Whatever applies, your deadline means you move from where you are to somewhere else. The deadline is just that. Either you pass it or you are for all practical purposes, stopped dead where you presently stand. Or sit.
If you're in school, your assignment might have been given weeks ago, but there was Spring Break, spring weather and a general sense of "it will all end soon, and then my life will be my own again".
Some call it "senior-itis". Sometimes it's a simple realization that your grades won't matter much as you already have that great job lined up. Some call it fatigue. You may even think of it as getting to the end of the "sentence", even a "release date" if you think of school as prison (or purgatory) where you've spent the past years learning something, anything, useful to land you a job.
You've got the job. You're certain of the next step, which may be more schooling or it may be a year off, or it might be going to work for "International Gizmo and Widget" (or their lawyers, bankers, or health care providers.
All that stands in your way is that research paper. Or that writing project. Maybe it's a speech. No matter what it is, you are unsure if this is going to be your best work. Maybe you are so sick of the work from the past nine months that you frankly don't care what you write, just so long as the pages are filled and you turn in anything. You just want this project to end. Now. Right NOW.
Well try this on. Find a Muse for a little creative review of what you've done to date. That's right. Ask the reviewer to be your very own "Muse For A Moment", your "Reviewer Muse". It's not a job with the perks of "Queen For A Day", but you aren't giving prizes to the reviewer. You're giving yourself the gift of perspective.
Can you as the creator of your own work, step back dispassionately, review, edit, fill in the blanks or suggest improvements to your own work? Are you able to be neutral about judgments concerning content, rhythm, pacing, flow and word choice?
Really? Are you sure you can do this with a bad case of spring fever, senior-itis, new-found love (hey, it happens in the spring -- ask Shakespeare), or while you have to move from one end of the country to the other for that new job that starts in 3 weeks?
If you can honestly say you are able to be unaffected by "life" as you complete this task, good on you. If not, find someone to be your Reviewer Muse. This is not a job for the creative muse type that got the project off the ground at the beginning. That Muse was in you, part of you, and worked with you through long hours of research and writing.
The Reviewer Muse is probably not the Muse in your own head. In fact, the Reviewer Muse might be the best friend you can ever meet. Hiring a Reviewer Muse is like hiring any professional. They often work for no pay, but your choice is important. Payment to a Reviewer Muse may be by the page, project or time. Reviewer Muses often work for hugs (parents and significant others), treats (friends) or cold hard cash (professional editors).
Make sure the reviewer knows a bit about what they are reviewing. If you're writing a technical paper, then find a muse with some experience in the field. If you are unable to find anyone with prior skills, can the reviewer at least help with grammar and punctuation? Can you provide a "cheat sheet" with which words are proper nouns, nouns, verbs and singular/plurals in your writing?
If you're writing for a particularly skilled audience, can you find someone that fits that profile to complete your review? If needed, you may have to swear your Reviewer Muse to secrecy. Remember, if you're working on a project for International Widget concerning their new improved product, you want to avoid International Widget's competition for help on your "white paper", confidentiality agreements notwithstanding.
When you have your Reviewer Muse, and the changes are before you, read them carefully. Accept what is good, work with works, discard that which makes no sense. Then go for a walk, review one more time.
Finish the job. Then break out the boxes and packing tape. Move on to that new job a thousand miles away, or just walk into tomorrow with a light heart. You did your best, got the help you needed and it's time to start anew.
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