I have difficulty finishing stories. Why?

[Crystal Lacrymosa]

In all the time I've been trying to write things, I don't get very far. I've tried everything from outlining from beginning to end, to writing in parts, to the seat of my pants method, and they always fall flat before I finish them. A few of the major problems I have may stem from the fact that I move too quickly and introduce too much too fast. Pacing has and always will be a problem that I can't seem to fix. And because of this issue, I run out of steam right in the beginning and quit. I had a web serial that I was trying to write and it fell short because of this issue. I have a ton of unfinished things and nothing finished. On top of that my ideas feel very stale and generic to me. I've been told that my plots aren't very fantasy like and that they would fit in the young adult/teen age section rather than the section with the good old fantasy novels that I like to read. There's one story that I've changed a lot over a course of a few years and it still isn't any better than it was when I first started it.

I am at the point where I just want to quit writing because it isn't getting any better. No matter how much I put into something it ends too early and I just end up hating it. How does a story end in the beginning? I don't even get to the middle before that happens. The one time I actually managed to get past that point was during NaNo one year but most of that was pointless writing that made no sense at all. It's sad to where I find it much easier to write for characters that are not mine than to write stories for my own characters. I don't know what to do anymore.

 

[Sir Rico]

I dont know if you have tried reading books on writing Fiction. I have read a very good one that will help you on every area you are struggling with. It is called "Writing Fiction for Dummies". Do not be put off by the name its a very good learning tool and tells you everything you need to know from writing structures to creating Characters etc.

 

[gethinmorgan]

No writing is wasted ... if anything, it adds to the so-called 'million word apprenticeship' - (which is another can of worms that I ain't getting into right now ...)

Have you tried flash fiction? Try getting a story arc/character development/pun in 1000 words is no mean feat, and makes you think about every word, and gives you the satisfaction of actually finishing something. I even published my best on Amazon, not for sales, just because, you know ...

And lets ask a difficult question: how many years have you been writing? How long does it take to get good at something? Hemingway said 'There's nothing to writing, all you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'

Other than that, don't give up. There's all the advice in the world for not giving up, though Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art is the best for that. Your desire to write must outweigh your doubt.

I wrote my first novel at 17 - 80k of terrible prose,bad dialogue and a cliche-fest. So I gave up writing for 15 years. But my desire outweighed my doubt, so I'm trying again ...

 

[Zireael]

I'd suggest the OP try writing a series of one-shots or a short story. I had the same issue of not being able to wrap the novel-length story up. A series of one-shots does not have to be completed, ever. There's no obligation, as opposed to a novel.

 

[TWErvin2]

Crystal Lacrymosa,

Consider that there is a reason your writing doesn't seem up to standard. You've never actually finished any of your projects. The first draft of just about every writer/author's story or novel isn't as good as it will eventually be.

You're going to have to sit down and finish a project. Even if it isn't coming out a well-worded and properly paced as you desire it to be. You need to get to the end.

It's only going to be a first draft. You will be re-reading and revising it many times. When you do, you'll be able to improve the dialogue and description and pacing. You'll be able to add plot events and little things that improve the storytelling quality of the work.

While you're writing, read and study the novels and stories of the authors you enjoy. Pay close attention how they deal with elements of novel writing/storytelling that you struggle with. Pacing, for example. What do they do to alter the pace, not have things rushed or drag one? Keep the story moving forward. Take notes. Then apply what you learned to your story and writing style.

Good luck and don't give up. Even if it's not easy and frustrating, do what it takes to get to the end and succeed.

 

[BWFoster78]

Crystal Lacrymosa,

Consider that there is a reason your writing doesn't seem up to standard. You've never actually finished any of your projects. The first draft of just about every writer/author's story or novel isn't as good as it will eventually be.

You're going to have to sit down and finish a project. Even if it isn't coming out a well-worded and properly paced as you desire it to be. You need to get to the end.

It's only going to be a first draft. You will be re-reading and revising it many times. When you do, you'll be able to improve the dialogue and description and pacing. You'll be able to add plot events and little things that improve the storytelling quality of the work.

While you're writing, read and study the novels and stories of the authors you enjoy. Pay close attention how they deal with elements of novel writing/storytelling that you struggle with. Pacing, for example. What do they do to alter the pace, not have things rushed or drag one? Keep the story moving forward. Take notes. Then apply what you learned to your story and writing style.

Good luck and don't give up. Even if it's not easy and frustrating, do what it takes to get to the end and succeed.

I had the same problem when I started writing. I'd start projects all the time and rarely reach the end.

I don't seem to have that problem anymore, and I've been trying to figure out what changed.

I think that Terry's answer is part of it: I gave myself permission for the first draft to completely suck. My attitude is, "It doesn't matter; it's just the rough draft."

The main thing, though, is that I somehow learned discipline. I set a goal and keep at it until I meet it.

So, my advice in summation:

1. Give yourself permission to suck.
2. Dig down and make yourself do it.

I am at the point where I just want to quit writing because it isn't getting any better. No matter how much I put into something it ends too early and I just end up hating it. How does a story end in the beginning?

It sounds like you also have a more specific problem - plotting your stories. Google "Hero's Journey" and study the plot structure. That may help you figure out how to structure your story more appropriately.

 

[wordwalker]

A few of the major problems I have may stem from the fact that I move too quickly and introduce too much too fast. Pacing has and always will be a problem that I can't seem to fix. And because of this issue, I run out of steam right in the beginning and quit.
...
On top of that my ideas feel very stale and generic to me. I've been told that my plots aren't very fantasy like and that they would fit in the young adult/teen age section rather than the section with the good old fantasy novels that I like to read.

It sounds like you're having trouble keeping a grip on what your stories are supposed to be. Maybe you aren't comfortable with how many ways there are to plot and ways you can mix them together; you might want to study books on writing and the tales that inspire you. There's a lot of good advice and examples out there, but what you really want is to synthesize your own rules about what makes a story work for you. (Well, I'd recommend my Plot - Just Three Tools? post for an interesting summary of writing, but that's me.)

Especially, if you like one genre but seem to be producing another, you might want to study both a while and look for the differences between them, until you're sure you know to do the one you want or mix them right. (Then again, some people just call any fantasy YA if they don't like it.)

Like Zireael said, you might do better with short stories for now than novel length. You say you run of out steam early, and short pieces make it easier to get through one and start feeding on success-- but more than that, one of the most common bits of advice is how starting with shorts lets you really dig into what an idea is and how to develop it, and test that process again and again.

If it's pacing, you might especially want to stay with a planned approach rather than improv for a while; if your intuition isn't going at the right speed, organizing may be the only way to control it.

Actually, my first impression of your situation is that as you write, you might be making assumptions here or there, such as "and then there's a fight and it's over." It's easy to cut corners or keep handling some things the same way, if you don't stay aware of your options and look for how the right choice supports everything else. There's a lot written about seeing the big picture and sticking with the small stuff, but we really can "run out of steam" if don't keep our eyes on leaks in the process's middle too.

Finally, be sure you have the right people to share your work with. Friends are good, but you should have at least one person who really gets what you're trying to do, and can challenge you on it. That second viewpoint is a great asset-- and besides, Tim Powers says what really motivates us all is to show off how smart we are, and he's a genius. (Guess it works!)

 

[SeverinR]

There can be alot of causes for not being able to finish a novel:
the book became boring or unwritable, wrote yourself into a corner and can't get out, made a bad turn and don't like where it is going, another book took over your energy, maybe even the ending you had set wasn't good enough?

If boring or unwritable, then it needs to be set aside until you can think of how to make it interesting again.
wrote yourself in a corner: set it aside for a while, then read it from the beginning and decide where it took the fatal turn.
Bad turn same as wrote yourself into a corner.
Don't like where it s going; you need to figure out how to get it away from the bad direction.
Another book: if this happens once in a while, just go with it.
But it sounds like you aren't able to finish anything so you need to focus.
Wrong ending: when you set out to write the book, you need to have a finish goal, the goal after writing the story might not seem good enough when you get close to the end, so again think of a better way to end it.

Maybe you can't say good bye?
The love of a story, the people in it, and the setting is so loved that to finish it means you have to say goodbye to all of it.
No story is good on the first write, so there is alot of editing and perfecting of the story, so finishing a story does not mean you won't work with them anymore.
Finishing the story allows the characters a chance to stand on their own, you put so much work into them, you owe it to your characters to finish the story. even if means killing one or more of the characters off, you must finish the story.

 

[Anders Ämting]

In all the time I've been trying to write things, I don't get very far. I've tried everything from outlining from beginning to end, to writing in parts, to the seat of my pants method, and they always fall flat before I finish them. A few of the major problems I have may stem from the fact that I move too quickly and introduce too much too fast. Pacing has and always will be a problem that I can't seem to fix. And because of this issue, I run out of steam right in the beginning and quit. I had a web serial that I was trying to write and it fell short because of this issue. I have a ton of unfinished things and nothing finished. On top of that my ideas feel very stale and generic to me. I've been told that my plots aren't very fantasy like and that they would fit in the young adult/teen age section rather than the section with the good old fantasy novels that I like to read. There's one story that I've changed a lot over a course of a few years and it still isn't any better than it was when I first started it.

I am at the point where I just want to quit writing because it isn't getting any better. No matter how much I put into something it ends too early and I just end up hating it. How does a story end in the beginning? I don't even get to the middle before that happens. The one time I actually managed to get past that point was during NaNo one year but most of that was pointless writing that made no sense at all. It's sad to where I find it much easier to write for characters that are not mine than to write stories for my own characters. I don't know what to do anymore.

The bolded part is the important bit. I think that, basically, you have to really, really like your concept. If other people don't like it, well, that's a problem you can solve later. But you have to create a concept that you really like and believe in. You must be able to tell yourself: "I have to tell this story, because it deserves to be told and nobody but me is capable of telling it."

I think it's a matter of refinement - to constantly consider what makes you enjoy a story and then distill that into the essence of your personal style. Writing is hard. It's a difficult and challenging art that requires skill, dedication and passion. Of course you can't finish a book you don't feel strongly about.

Someone once said: "Write what you know." Rubbish! That makes sense if you happen to actually be Ernest Hemingway, but if you want to write fantasy, you must write what you love.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I wish I could tell you some splendid trick or method that would help you finish a project. Unfortunately that trick either doesn't exist or I haven't yet discovered it.

"Writing is most of all an exercise in determination." - Tom Clancy

You are going to have to set a goal and hold yourself accountable for its achievement. I've found some measure of success by parsing that goal out into smaller chunks handled one day at a time. Set yourself a daily goal whether it's a daily word count, daily number of scenes or chapters, etc. Whatever the goal, separating the larger whole into manageable daily portions and not ending my day until that goal is accomplished has helped my writing immensely. I also keep track of my progress day to day on a spreadsheet. This not only helps my accountability but it provides a great sense that I'm accomplishing something as the daily word count adds up in the accumulating total.

As to TW Ervin's point, you're going to have to get comfortable with not producing instant masterpieces. Most great pieces of literature are made great during revision. So, feel free to write substandard pieces the first time through. Then, go back through (several times) and shape it into something you're proud of.

"Books aren't written - they're rewritten... It is one of the hardest things to accept." - Michael Crichton

 

[Penpilot]

I agree with a lot of TWErvin2 said.

I used to have this problem too. Part of how I pushed past it was I just started finishing things. I forced myself to finish. It didn't matter if it sucked.

Part of the reason you may not me getting any better is because there is a lot more to learn by finishing one bad story than starting a bunch of really good ones. There's a process in taking a story from beginning to end, regardless of quality. So if you're only ever starting a story, you're only practising a small part of that overall larger process that needs to be learned in order to write a full story.

Like others have mentioned, maybe start by writing short stories. Practicing finishing the first draft, editing it, and refining may be more beneficial to you right now.

Another thing that helped me along in being able to finish my stories is I started to study writing. I read books on story structure and that helped me a lot. Understanding what is supposed to happen in each act and at key points in the story helped me understand how to place all the ideas I had and pace out the story. Here are a few of the books I read. I recommend them highly. But before I encourage you to buy a bunch of books try reading my posts on story structure. It's free

http://mythicscribes.com/forums/writing-questions/4222-story-frustration.html#post52308


Now the books

Elements of Fiction Writing - Scene & Structure: Jack Bickham: 9780898799064: Amazon.com: Books
Elements of Fiction Writing - Plot: Ansen Dibell: 9780898799460: Amazon.com: Books
Elements of Fiction Writing - Beginnings, Middles & Ends: Nancy Kress: 9781599632193: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint: Orson Scott Card: Books

This last one is one of my favorites. It's a screen writing book. It simplifies a lot of things and helped me a long quite a bit.
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need: Blake Snyder: 9781932907001: Amazon.com: Books


Also here are a couple of resources on the net that I found to be invaluable to myself. I plug these a lot. A youtube series of videos by author Dan Wells that shows you how to build the plot and subplots to a story.

Part 1 Dan Wells on Story Structure, part 1 of 5 - YouTube
Part 2 Dan Wells on Story Structure, part 2 of 5 - YouTube
Part 3 Dan Wells on Story Structure, part 3 of 5 - YouTube
Part 4 Dan Wells on Story Structure, part 4 of 5 - YouTube
Part 5 Dan Wells on Story Structure, part 5 of 5 - YouTube

Heres a couple of links to how author Jim Butcher describes how he defines the concept of scenes.

jimbutcher: SCENES
jimbutcher: SEQUELS


If writing is what you want to do, then don't give up, but also realize it's not easy. It never will be. There's lots of theory to learn and practice. But a teacher once told me this, You get what you put in. So if you put your heart in to something you love, no matter the result, it will have been worth your while.

Learn from your failures. Enjoy your victories. But always be humble because you never know which is around the corner.

 

[gethinmorgan]

Here's someone who always kicks me to base ...

In The Corpse Of 2012, The Fungal Seedpods Of 2013 Bloom Bright « terribleminds: chuck wendig

(Bad language alert - Chuck Wendig's the salt of the earth, don't ya know)

 

[Jabrosky]

I have the same problem with finishing stories. Usually it stems either from a lack of ideas on how to continue them, distraction by a new idea, or (most commonly of all) a dissatisfaction with what I've written so far (inner critic basically). I find it easier to finish stories if at some point I have a mental map of the whole plot, though it doesn't have to form all at once.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

You need to turn off that inner critic or at least tone it down during the 1st draft. The place for inner criticism resides in revision.

 

[Addison]

Finishing a story, either writing "The End" on the page or in your own head is scary. You didn't write the story for your own benefit, you wrote it to share to someone and when it's done that means it's time to share. I had the same problem. I had the last scene of the novel, I had the climax, but I couldn't connect the two. Every time I opened the document to connect the two I froze up, like there was a pissed off snake sitting atop the screen. You just have to close your eyes and either start writing or open a different document and write the connecting scene(s) on its own. That will take the edge off.