Have you ever given up on a story before finishing it?

[Kasumi_Lee]

This happened to me a few months ago when I tried to write another Incest/Taboo story, but this time with a NC/R spin, and with a particular setup in mind. Actually, I had a very particular idea for a penultimate climactic scene in mind, and structured the whole story in way that built up to that one scene. I completed about two thirds of the draft before running out of creative steam. The truth is I just lost interest in the story, its premise, and even the once-juicy idea I had for that climactic scene; but instead of simply filing the unfinished draft away, I deleted it entirely.

At the time, I felt nothing, which seemed to confirm that I no longer cared enough about the story even to archive it for future completion; but now, part of me kind of regrets so casually disposing of about a dozen hours' worth of writing. Of course, now I have other writing projects underway which are more engaging, but I'm also wondering: when the creative juices run dry and/or the unfinished story just stops appealing to you, is it better to shelve the project and come back it later or dispose of it entirely?

 

[sister jenny]

Totally. So many times.
I lose interest way too often, to be honest.

But then again, I am every proper writers nightmare. I dont plot, I just write, and I never do a draft. I just use a program that finds my shitty grammar. I fix it, post it.
And never read it again

And yes, I know I need to change this.

But back to you.
That feeling of losing interest in something you have spent a lot of time on is awful.

Having said that I love Incest with NC/R. That is what gets me going.

 

[NotWise]

I've deleted a few. Usually when I abandon a story it's very early in the process, and there's not really anything to lose by deleting them. There was one story that I spent months developing and abandoned because I didn't have a realistic resolution for a central, non-sexual conflict. I don't remember deleting that story, but its gone and I thoroughly regret not having it now.

 

[SimonDoom]

I've never deleted a story, but I have quite a few that can be charitably characterized as being in a deep cryogenic sleep. I tell myself I will get back to them, eventually. We'll see.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

I've never deleted a story, but I have quite a few that can be charitably characterized as being in a deep cryogenic sleep. I tell myself I will get back to them, eventually. We'll see.

I have at least half a dozen concepts for stories for which I've created outlines in the Word Docs that will (one day, possibly) become the manuscripts, but they're very much in same "creative cryogenic sleep" right now.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

That feeling of losing interest in something you have spent a lot of time on is awful.

Having said that I love Incest with NC/R. That is what gets me going.

Way in the back of my mind, I had reservations about going "off-brand" (to do with the ethnicity of one of the characters), and also about whether the Incest/Taboo and NC/R readerships would appreciate a story that incorporates both, but those were really just mental excuses I came up with to slowly give up. It was all supposed to build up to this one scene that I had a great idea for, and the buildup (80% of what would have been the story) just stopped being compelling to me. The worst part is: I never even got to start writing that climactic scene.

 

[AlexBailey]

ADHD.

I’ve got half a dozen stories started, two with >20k words but you know that feeling when you’re trying to run in a dream and your feet feel like they’re stuck in cement? Yeah. That’s what writer’s block feels like to me.

 

[sister jenny]

Way in the back of my mind, I had reservations about going "off-brand" (to do with the ethnicity of one of the characters), and also about whether the Incest/Taboo and NC/R readerships would appreciate a story that incorporates both, but those were really just mental excuses I came up with to slowly give up. It was all supposed to build up to this one scene that I had a great idea for, and the buildup (80% of what would have been the story) just stopped being compelling to me. The worst part is: I never even got to start writing that climactic scene.

That sucks, maybe use a scene like that in another story?

 

[StillStunned]

Never give up...

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

ADHD.

I’ve got half a dozen stories started, two with >20k words but you know that feeling when you’re trying to run in a dream and your feet feel like they’re stuck in cement? Yeah. That’s what writer’s block feels like to me.

Some days (oh, I wish those days would come whenever I summon them), I can churn out whole chapters in a single day. Much of the time, my writing progress chugs along, resulting in a couple of pages at the end of a day; and other times, it feels like wading through knee-high mud.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

That sucks, maybe use a scene like that in another story?

Maybe, but it's the kind of scene that would only really work with a proper setup, which would basically mean recreating the story I've now deleted.

I'm not ruling out doing just that at some point, but it'll probably have to wait until next year. Another project to (re)add to my writing bucketlist.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

Never give up...

View attachment 2436244

It's a wonder you've published anything on this site! You indecisive, perpetually stunned feline, you!

 

[sister jenny]

Maybe, but it's the kind of scene that would only really work with a proper setup, which would basically mean recreating the story I've now deleted.

I'm not ruling out doing just that at some point, but it'll probably have to wait until next year. Another project to (re)add to my writing bucketlist.

I hear you!
More fun to write something new.

 

[UsuallyPresent]

I have .... well, many stubs of stories. I don't feel like getting depressed counting them all, but it's a multiple of @StillStunned 's display. Losing focus on what I was trying to tell, my muse bringing up a newer betterer (her phrasing) idea, or other reasons have left them dangling. They eat up space on the harddrive and backups, but that's what they're for.

 

[StillStunned]

It's a wonder you've published anything on this site! You indecisive, perpetually stunned feline, you!

My brain constantly churns out ideas. It always has. At least writing has taught me a little about sitting down and finishing things. I'm proud of myself for publishing 49 stories over the past eighteen months.

 

[12oclocktales]

Several times I’ve abandoned stories before completion, but I’ve never thrown anything away. A few times I’ve gone back to them and been able to retrieve something useful such as a clever description or character trait, or a promising setting. Often it’s just a sentence or two.

I noticed a recent book that looked interesting (Revisionaries by Kristopher Jansma) that is all about famous writers and their abandoned, never-finished novels, which appears to have been a fairly common occurrence. I was especially taken by sci-fi writer Octavia Butler who suffered writer’s block for seven years! A lesson in keeping your hand to the plow.

 

[Devinter]

For every story that has made it all the way to become published, between three and five usually perish along the way.

Worse yet, in my "unfinished / unpublished" folder I have a plethora of stories - a couple with as many as TEN CHAPTERS - that I just never uploaded. The main reason is because I hate doing the editing process, and because I know some of them just aren't all that great and would need considerable upgrades. Lengthiest singular work that's fully finished besides the editing is sitting at 70,737 written words, and it will probably never see the light of day. And that's okay, because it is wholly unremarkable.

Though a few of them do get revived eventually. For example, Blind Faith (version 1) was one of the earliest erotic stories that I wrote, but it was around the 50th that I uploaded because I couldn't get the ending right and kept abandoning it at first. Similarly, Puppy and the Salamander was completed many many months before I finally decided to upload it - and I almost ended up not doing so at all, because I kept telling myself it wouldn't really work on Literotica, combining too many different genres and fetishes into one strange clusterfuck mixture. To my great surprise, both of these stories actually ended up doing quite well in the end.

If I just sat down and finished + edited my half-completed works, I could probably double the length of my story list within a matter of a few months. The problem is that writing something new is much more satisfying.

 

[StillStunned]

@Devinter If you look closely at the picture of my WIP folder above, you might spot a familiar name. It's still in the works!

 

[Devinter]

@Devinter If you look closely at the picture of my WIP folder above, you might spot a familiar name. It's still in the works!

Haha. I like how the three closest neighbours are "Cunt-Crusher", "Dirty Old Man", and "Happily Orgy After". The Devinter story certainly has some great company!

 

[jehoram]

I noticed a recent book that looked interesting (Revisionaries by Kristopher Jansma) that is all about famous writers and their abandoned, never-finished novels, which appears to have been a fairly common occurrence.

Unfortunately, a lot of those abandoned works are "finished" by other writers or simply published as is, which the author obviously didn't want to happen.

 

[ElectricBlue]

At the time, I felt nothing, which seemed to confirm that I no longer cared enough about the story even to archive it for future completion; but now, part of me kind of regrets so casually disposing of about a dozen hours' worth of writing. Of course, now I have other writing projects underway which are more engaging, but I'm also wondering: when the creative juices run dry and/or the unfinished story just stops appealing to you, is it better to shelve the project and come back it later or dispose of it entirely?

A dozen hours doesn't really qualify as an investment though, does it? Sounds more like a false start.

I've done that too - deleted content that's not working. If it's not working now, is it ever going to work? It always feels better to me when it's gone. Decisions are better when your actually make them, I reckon.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

As opposed to giving up after finishing?

 

[Duleigh]

Have you ever given up on a story before finishing it?​

Yes, I have and I've deleted a few that I gave up on... and I'm kicking myself in the ass for deleting them. Although the story wasn't fully formed, there were some good ideas in there that would have fit into later projects, but I deleted them! I learned the hard way - DON'T THROW ANYTHING AWAY.

In fact a story I entered in this year's Winter contest was written 4 years ago then I re-wrote it because: reasons. Years later, those reasons were settled and I dug out the Original Story, gave it a good polishing and posted it. Laurel and Manu didn't like that the name was similar to a previous story, so they named it The Original Story (Thanks guys) The lesson is - if you give up on a story, keep it. Circumstances may change, your muse might have a different path for you, a fresh plot bunny may bite your ankle you never know.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

A dozen hours doesn't really qualify as an investment though, does it? Sounds more like a false start.

I had over 20 pages worth of writing done by the time I ran out of creative steam, which was two thirds of what would have been the finished draft's length. And when you're also working from home with three young children, yes, that time is an investment.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I delete nothing, though some drafts are in the depts of old emails and would be hard to find. Many stories get a start, then I usually realise I have one hot scene or image, but I don't have the story to go with it. So while it may hit my personal buttons, I can't yet cast it to meet anyone elses.

I often find such a draft and enjoy, then start tweaking. Sometimes the problem is just a character needs a longer story to do them justice. I have one guy who keeps ending up cut out of other stories and deserves his own, only it turns out that's rather complicated and needs to be at least a novella to get a slow-moving relationship to happen. It's probably about 2/3 done, after 5 years. So people may get to see it in 2026.

I often come back to stories and realise I need to edit out half of the first 1000 words, so as to better hook the reader and slowly ease them into my more discursive narration. And edit down the rest of it. A bit like the Chocolate Guide (Sandra Boynton)'s explanation of method 2 for making an Easter Bunny: 'Start with huge block of chocolate. Remove all chocolate that does not add to an overall impression of rabbititity.'