Unfinished Drafts

March 11, 2025

You may have guessed, I fancy myself a bit of a creative writer. I’ve written at least four novels, plus dozens upon dozens of short stories. You’re probably wondering why you’ve not seen my name on the short list for a Pulitzer! That’s because I have published exactly none of those stories. I haven’t gone through the process to finish ANY of those drafts. I’ve never signed with any book companies to publish myself (and given how shy I am, I probably never will). This blog post sat in my drafts over a week before I put it up. All those stories, all those unpublished posts, are ultimately just paper.

An estate plan has a process by which it is finished. This process is called “execution”. Before execution, even the best estate plan in the world is just like my drafts: basically just paper. It has no legal effect, and a judge won’t accept it. Properly executed wills need both a notary AND two witnesses. The procedure is somewhat formal and the penalties for failing to follow them may not be noticed till it’s too late—an attorney can walk you through the process to be sure you don’t just leave a piece of paper, but a proper plan.