Chapter by Chapter, until it's done

Have you ever felt paralyzed by the overwhelming task of organizing the novel into something readable? When there's just so much to do and you're not even sure you can pull it off? After three weeks of feeling utterly cowed by the 30,000 not very good words I've got so far on my computer (wip), I decided to quit looking at the big picture and just take it one chapter at a time.

Aha! Now I can deal! The first chapter really isn't too bad, in fact after revisions, it's now the first two chapters. Time to move on to the next one. Maybe halfway through this mess, I'll have a vision of what it might be.

Funny thing, this is how I handle most things in life. When I'm feeling stressed, I forget about the big picture and focus on the little things. Like a friend of mine used to say, "When you don't know what else to do, sweep the floor."

Applying that to writing: "When you don't know what else to do, go back to the first chapter and make it as good as you possibly can." Then on to the second, etc. until before long there's a fresh, new and improved draft.

How do you move on when you're feeling overwhelmed by the work? When there's so much to do that you're paralyzed, and not even sure you capable of it? I mean, quitting isn't an option, is it?

Disclaimer: If you feel an overwhelming desire to comment on this post, it is due to me implementing the little tricks I learned from Tamara's blog, on how to brainwash people into making more comments. Hehehe, bwa ha ha (my evil genius laugh).