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

[FidelityBoss]

I have over 50 manuscripts that were meant to be published here last year, and some even earlier than that. I have a lot of unfinished series, and I deleted a lot of my body of work from my profile because I wasn't really satisfied by it, and I wanted to give it another shot. So yeah, this is pretty much a constant state of my being, and the reason behind it wasn't just because I got burned out, or that I lacked passion, or that I constantly chased plot bunnies, but it's rather clinical. I got diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2023, and both decision paralysis and perfectionism are struggles that I'm fighting on a clinical level since they affect my writing. I thought I'd do good on 2024, but nope, I was learning how to handle my ADHD now that I knew what was the problem. I'm still learning, but I'm on a better position now that last year.

Wow, that’s a lot to juggle! ADHD can definitely make writing a rollercoaster, especially with decision paralysis and perfectionism in the mix. But it’s awesome that you’re learning how to manage it and are in a better place now. Don’t be too hard on yourself, writing is a journey, and you’re making progress.

 

[WordsIntheWyld]

I had given up on a story before I even started—just threw in the towel like a dramatic movie character, sighing about how ‘it just wasn’t meant to be.’ Then, over a greasy, glorious burger at Five Guys, my wife reminded me (between bites of fries) that I have a habit of overthinking things. Apparently, I needed a double bacon cheeseburger and a reality check to remember that the only way to finish a story is to actually start it. Moral of the story? Five Guys saves lives—and also stories.

 

[gunhilltrain]

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?

Forgive me if I don't read all twenty-five posts here. Anyway, let me suggest that you don't delete unfinished stories in the future. The first erotic story I attempted, even before I had heard of Lit, was terrible, incredibly implausible. But much later, I was able to use it as a fantasy by the main character. I know, a fantasy within another fantasy (the story itself). The kind of device is used quite often in movies - dream sequences are on example.

Unfinished stories are like cars in a scrapyard. You can often "cannibalize" them for parts and install them in for another car - or another story.

https://images.thebusinessplanshop.com/2648/how-to-open-a-scrap-yard.jpg

P.S.: A couple of people above have said the same thing

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Sort of. I had a hard time getting one story off the ground and scrapped it, but later repurposed it as a 750-word story.