Unfished Stories?

[bobsackamano]

I am a novice writer with four stories posted at Storiesonline.net. I have never finished a story. I started them without having any idea of where the stories were going or how to finish them. I made a pact with myself not to start a new story until I finished at least one of my old stories.

I want to break the pact. Should I? I have so many story ideas that I want to start but feel guilty for not having finished what I have started. I want to write start some of my new ideas but I feel like I am cheating the people that like my work by not finishing what I have. I think I will finish them but I have to wait for right inspiration and storyline to come to me. I don't want to finish for the sake of finishing. I am relativley proud of what I have and want to be true to that.

How annoying is an unfinished story?

ps. I think I like this place.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

the temptation to star anew and leave old works to moulder is a strong one. I usually have upwards of 15 to 20 works in progress running at any one time.

Making yourself finish one you don't feel moved to work on wil likely result in a truncated ending you aren't satisfied with. As writers, we have to impose some self discipline upon ourselves, but we are helpless captives of the inspiration that drives us to create.

You must strike a balance, making yourself work to completion but also allowing yourself the freedom to take off on a new idea when you have it.

I would say you rpact with yourself makes no sense. You can't impose you rwill upon you creativity any more than you can stop coming up with ideas. Rigid rules will stiffle you far more than a lazzie-faire approach to your works.

If you muse has something to say, best to listen. When she is silent, then you can turn your hand to finishing things previously abandoned.

 

[Stella_Omega]

No Rules! No Pact!
"We willna be fooled agin'!" (Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett)

Break your pact. It's false anyway, and not true to the creative spirit.
Sometimes, the story you begin will turn out to be the right ending for something else, anyway, so keep your mind open to that possibility
and you can get help here, sometimes- often in fact.

 

[amicus]

welcome to the place...someone else I know also complains about never finishing a story, can't remember just who at the moment...

Colly is right, just write; perhaps one day you will suddenly discover the psychological reason for not wanting to put 'finis' on a story.

Writing on a deadline for a newspaper left no options for unfinished stories or articles; after the 5 'W's, something was needed to cap it off...might be an interesting chore for you to freelance a few newspaper articles...

hope you enjoy the site


amicus...

 

[Alex756]

I have a theory....

If you have 3 or more unfinished stories, either finish one or assume it is never getting finished. You have 4 stories. Do you think you can smoulder 4 stories in the back of your head at the same time? I know I can't.

I can at most smoulder 2 while writing 1. Other people may be able to keep more on their plate.

But having too much on your plate makes it hard to concentrate on what you're working on. You can't start something knew without guilt.

So my advice, either permanently discontinue some of what you have unfinished or finish it.

I've premantly trashed things before and right now I have 1 unfinished thing which is in the back of my head and one upcoming project I am considering. Everything else I in the permantly dumped file until the day I go sifting through it to see if anything is salvageable if I ever am hurting for ideas

~Alex

 

[impressive]

Listen to your muse. Always. If the story is meant to be finished, the muse will return to it eventually. Just organize your files & build a little tickler index to remind you what each is about. Oh, and do backups.

Lotsa luck ... and welcome to the AH!

 

[elsol]

Not one to disagree with Colleen, I must, alas, argue the other side of it. I do so only because at one time, I was you.

The most important question is whether there are reasons you do want to finish THESE stories or whether you cannot finish ANY story.

If you cannot finish these stories, then Colleen is your best advisor.

If you cannot finish any, then my experiences maybe of aid.

a) Learn how to finish... sometimes ending (like in a relationship) is fraught with insecurities. Your child has grown up and it's time to let him/her go.

Part of the problem here is that there is no competing emotion against the fear of ending.

You have to give yourself the experience of writing "The End" a few times; get to enjoy the pleasure of having completed your work -- a pleasure just as satisfying as getting that flash of inspiration.

b) Practice finishing

While some people can start with epics, it was my path to failure.

I designed writing exercises to condition myself to finish.

1. Short one chapter stories that had a single movement.

2. Multi-part stories where each part was a 'story' by itself.

3. Short multi-chapter stories

4. Large stories told in full-story chapters... each had chapter was it's own sub-plotted stories.

5. Finally, the Epic (though I haven't finished it yet

c) Think things through...

Yes, it's a story about Bob and his secretary... but if it's a 10 chapter story you need an outline of 'plotpoints' to write to.

Bob hires the new secretary
The first moment of sexual awkwardness
Showing the reader the inadequacies of Bob's home sex life
Etc.
etc.

Then you can write from point to point.

----

And to answer your question, I started my Epic six years ago on asstr, and I was getting emails about 'Are you ever going to finish this?" right up to the new version of it.

Sincerely,
ElSol -- El Procrastinator Extra-ordinaire.

 

[English Lady]

Go with your new inspiration. You'l come back to those old stories with a fresh eye and find it easier to continue where you left off.

My latest lit submission was started aaaaggggeeesss ago and I just got stuck with the sex. I just couldn't work out where my characters were going. So I left it and carried on with some other stories first. I was sorting through my docs the other week and came across it, so I looked through it again and got re-motivated. It's submitted now and I'm very pleased with how it came out.

Don't push something too hard, you'll never finish it. try something new to enflame your passion and revist your old flames later!

Welcome to the AH

 

[lil_elvis]

Unfinished stories?

I got plenty of 'em.

Or had I should say - mind imp's advice on backing them up.

 

[cloudy]

welcome to the place...someone else I know also complains about never finishing a story, can't remember just who at the moment...

that would probably be me.

~ Cloudy, who has started yet another story today.

 

[bobsackamano]

I really do like this place.

So many thoughtful answers in such a short time.