I Abandon Soo Many Stories

[SamBomb]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

 

[Bamagan]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

It's not abnormal. Although you may have an acute case.
Sometimes I wind up stitching together two ideas I can't make work on their own. The result is probably a monstrous abomination that should never have seen the light of day, but that makes it fun!

 

[PennyThompson]

Have you tried turning those bunnies into 750-word flash fiction?

Sometimes I have an awesome idea for a scene or a moment or an interaction, but I don't have enough inspiration or attention or desire to turn it into a longer story. Sometimes I'll write it down and save it, and it might find a home in another story later.

But it can be a ton of fun to turn them into punchy little bite-sized treats!

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

Probably a little unfocused, maybe sometimes a lack of confidence, but I also know that some people just write this way. They write a lot, keep/finish the good stuff and toss away the 'meh' and the 'too messy' in order to keep writing. They write by attrition, throw around lots of ideas and skim off the best ones to finish.

If you think about it, you finish 1 of 4 ideas, as you say. If you get 1 idea per month, every 4 months you will have a good finished piece. I write the opposite way. Once I get past the opening idea and decide to finish it, I plow through to the end and I get ... 1 good piece every 4 or 5 months. So different methods, same productivity. I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

Perhaps you will get better feedback from someone whose productivity methods are closer to yours, who understands that 'attrition mindset' better than I.

 

[SamBomb]

Have you tried turning those bunnies into 750-word flash fiction?

Sometimes I have an awesome idea for a scene or a moment or an interaction, but I don't have enough inspiration or attention or desire to turn it into a longer story. Sometimes I'll write it down and save it, and it might find a home in another story later.

But it can be a ton of fun to turn them into punchy little bite-sized treats!

I wish. All my ideas are way too big in scope. Probably part of the problem. I'm amazed I've got out as many as I had.

I did try to do a few one shots, but comments asked for more parts, but I can't figure out how to make those good, so no go.

 

[alohadave]

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

I have 65 in my WIP pile. From just an idea to several thousand words.

lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

I have all of these. Some I want to do right by the story so I stop writing them to not screw them up. Some are good ideas that don't grab me hard enough to work through them. Others get stuck on mechanics.

 

[SamBomb]

I have 65 in my WIP pile. From just an idea to several thousand words.

I have all of these. Some I want to do right by the story so I stop writing them to not screw them up. Some are good ideas that don't grab me hard enough to work through them. Others get stuck on mechanics.

Such a good description. I'm sure I could push a lot more stories, but I don't want to do them injustice!

 

[Actingup]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

There are many songwriters who have this, and end up with a lot of fragments, or put something aside and radically rework it later, or use it in a collaboration. Often the result is gorgeousness. The wonderful medley on the second side of the Beatles 'Abbey Road' is an example of John and Paul working with their unfinished ideas. Or 'A Day In The Life' from St Peppers. I'm sure there are many more recent examples.

So no, it's part of the creative process. If you want to get a higher completion ratio, there are techniques you can use. But you're not abnormal, wrong, or bad in any way.

 

[AllenWoody]

I did try to do a few one shots, but comments asked for more parts, but I can't figure out how to make those good, so no go.

I get that all the time. When you write a well-received story you will inevitably receive requests for more, sometimes with a bit of guidance like, "Great story, I'd like to see more of this, like all three of them together, and maybe anal."

These suggestions, though flattering, almost never interest me. I wrote the story that I wanted to write. Adding another installment with a few tweaks isn't satisfying as a writer.

 

[Bloodandglitter]

I'm the same way. I'm trying my hardest to just stay focused on what I am working on now

 

[Cagivagurl]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

There are over 150 unfinished works on my desktop...
Good ideas... that ran out of steam... waiting... Staring back at me every time I open my computer...
I grimace, and sigh... "One day."

They wait unhappily... I look on guiltily...

"One day."

Cagivagurl

 

[SimonDoom]

I relate, but I prefer to think not that I've abandoned stories but just haven't quite gotten around to them. But given the pace at which I eventually "get around to them" it might be the same thing.

 

[Bazzle]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

Totally normal

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I can't say that I have similar problems. When I start writing something, I know exactly where I am going so I never get stuck. Ideas come easily to me.
The only reason that can stop me from writing is the amount of work required because I write novels rather than stories, but also the lack of publishing options which is the reason why I haven't been writing for quite a while.

In general, I probably wouldn't allow myself to juggle too many projects at the same time. That would be quite detrimental for everyone's writing focus.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

I take exception at the 'not good enough' comment. You are good enough just by the simple fact that you're trying. You'll get better as you write more. As for your unfinished works, there a lot of writers here that have work in progress folders with dozens of stories in various stages of not even close to done. In my folder I have over sixty stories. The longest is almost 16K words. A few are barely an idea, but I'll et back to them all eventually unless they get buried by all the snippets and new ideas I have yet to start on. Follow your inspiration and keep writing. It will be fine.

 

[StillStunned]

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

No, it's not normal: 4 to 1 is a terrible ratio. You need it to be 8 to 1 at least, preferably 10 to 1, before you can take yourself seriously.

 

[MrPixel]

Hmm. [Insert thoughtful chin-scratching.]

I don't seem to have this issue. Since I gravitate toward chaptered serials, single stories are less common in my library of unpublished works. These singles tend to get finished and published, like one in the approval queue right now I was sitting on for a couple of months. I have maybe a half-dozen that have been set aside for rework, but the object remains to finish them someday.

That said, I have two series that have been fallow for a while. One I fully intend to finish, but it goes on a strange tangent I'm not ready to admit to at this point. The other, mostly complete, will probably never see the light of day. Woven into the story line is prohibited content that can't be excised without changing the story altogether.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I do this a fair bit as well and it's usually those stories that I start because it's really a cool idea. But, I may not have completely figured out how the story progresses or ends.

 

[MiaBabe23]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

I completely agree with other comments above, it’s absolutely not the case you’re not good enough
I do often share that sense though that I won’t be able to do an idea justice - I often have such a sensual or moving moment and concept in mind, finding a way to get it on paper or on the screen feels daunting
I sometimes try to write the story in a nonlinear way to try to get past that, and make a note of words, phrases, moments that come to mind, and gradually try to build it that way
Key thing is, trying to find a way to keep the writing exciting/ joyful/ cathartic/ whatever it brings you

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

I think it's normal. You're fine. Not all the sperm can penetrate the egg. But the one that does... Life!

 

[AwkwardMD]

I have a folder in my google drive for stories I've given up on that I call Defunctland. It currently has 13 folders for stories with between 1k and 8k words written for each.

 

[AwkwardMD]

That's just the folder for ideas I wrote something for. If I wrote little or nothing, they just got trashed after a certain point. That accounts for several dozen more story ideas I never did anything with.

 

[FidelityBoss]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

Totally normal! Most writers have way more abandoned drafts than finished works, it’s part of the process. You’re exploring ideas, learning, and figuring out what sticks. The fact that you do publish some means you’re already ahead of the pack.

 

[madelinemasoch]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

You sound low self-esteem.

I don’t think it’s smart to say “oh, I’m not good enough.” You’re just restricting your own creativity. You could build up to it with other ideas and practice. You could study craft more. You could just say “fuck it” and give it an try.

Either way, I think writing is an art form and not a skill. The only measure you should using to see if it’s working or if it’s good is the piece’s accordance to the idea and the idea’s accordance to your vision as an artist. Only you can determine whether or not the piece aligns with your idea and whether or not your idea aligns with your vision because your ideas are yours, you’re the one that caught them, not anyone else, and your vision is unique. Perhaps you don’t know what your vision is yet, but that happens over time. If you follow it well, the vision will end up being the sum of the parts of all of your work when you are dead, like a bigger broader work that’s just all of your stuff combined. The point is any other metric of determining how “good” your work is will only inhibit its quality at the end of the day.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I have so many ideas. I'll then start a story, get a chapter or few in and either lose interest or realize I'm not good enough to write that particular story or just can't figure out how.

It may even be a 4 to 1 ratio of stuff I start to start I publish.

Is this normal or am I just really bad or unfocussed?

When you say "chapters," that must mean a series? How about a stand-alone story with less than 10 K words. Maybe even 5 K words? Those are usually easier to handle because they are focused and compact. If sequel ideas than come along - well, that's fine but you already have one story completed.

Sorry, I'll look at your story list later when I have more time.