Hard Decisions to Make

[A. E. Lowan]

Interestingly enough, this came along while I wasn't paying attention...

Sometimes It’s Okay To Quit Writing The Thing You’re Writing

It's Chuck Wendig, so there's some cussing.

 

[Peat]

The big question to me is -

Do you need to finish something in order to say you finished something? Is that something you need to do for your own happiness?

If the answer is Yes, then maybe you should struggle through that third draft just so you can say "I wrote a full draft and edited it". Then drop it and find something new.

If the answer is No, then drop it and find something new.

But I think those are your sound choices and your key decision. It is clearly making you unhappy, so you should take what you need from it for your own happiness and move onto something that makes you less happy.

Note - by drop it, I mean drop writing it. It might be useful to send what you have anyway to people who understand your situation and whose writing acumen you trust, and see what they have to say - not necessarily as a beta for a redraft, but just as a "get some guidance for the next attempt". Never waste an opportunity to learn.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

I feel like an unfinished work would constitute a failure on the one hand. On the other hand, at the present time I would rather work on a project I enjoy more.

It is the third time I have been over this book. I know what happens. The revisions are so bleary and dull. Yet I've got to work on something and almost everything i have in mind is floundering somewhat.

 

[skip.knox]

I've found it therapeutic to send the manuscript (love that old word) off to my editor (or to betas) because it means I can't touch it for a while. As long as no one has seen it, I can't keep from messing with it.

 

[Penpilot]

I feel like an unfinished work would constitute a failure on the one hand.

What's the saying? We learn more from our failures than from our successes.

In my eyes, if you aren't failing at something, you aren't trying hard enough. Allow yourself to fail.

With few exceptions, every story I've written failed in some way. Sometimes I've been able to correct those failures, Other times, not so much. Mostly, it falls somewhere in between. With each story, I come to a point where I say to myself, "This is as far as I can take this story with my current set of skills. Time to move on."

At first, it was really uncomfortable, but I found it gets easier each time I do it. I give the story my all and move on. I have notes for dozens of stories that I'd like to work on, and I'm constantly adding more to that collection of notes. If I never came up with another story idea, I still wouldn't have enough time to write every story on that list. So tick-tock.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Tonight I was suddenly captured by an excellent new story idea.

Fortunately, it's something that will require extensive worldbuilding before I can begin it, which means no impulsive starts. Really an excellent idea though.

Is this the providence I am looking for? The coming months will tell...

And I already have a WIP or two besides Red Nights in very early stages of being written so there is that. One that I like very much and that could be a book or bookling or booklet...

(What? Oh, I have decided I like those words much better than novella and novelette.)

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Just dropped a little something that's been cooking in my brain in Showcase...not sure how it relates to the direction of my writing overall

 

[ImaginationGoneWild]

I had a couple of WIP's laying around that never finished for whatever reason. But I keep them around so I can recycle them for new projects. Use some aspects or even races and tweak and alter them so they are suitable for my new project. Often times it just meant that some of those aspects were in the 'wrong story' and I just needed to recycle them

 

[Futhark]

As someone with bipolar and who is probably twice your age, one thing I know about depression is that it’s like having a bad cold. Don’t be afraid to say ‘I’m going to take things easy. I’ll do the bare necessities, but that’s it. Don’t expect me to operate at my usual standards and don’t expect me to apologise’. Not even to yourself. It was one of the greatest bits of advice I ever received. To be able to give yourself permission to just be, to collect yourself and mend, was invaluable to me.

I’ve also learnt that the feeling of obligation can be an anchor. Sometimes it’s best to cut it loose and go where the current takes you. You can come back and get it later, if you want. That’s my two cents, but for you free of charge, ‘cause your nice.

Quick question. Could it be that you’ve lost passion for the story because you have matured as a writer, and revising it is akin to forced evolution, rather than an organic process?

 

[Futhark]

As someone with bipolar and who is probably twice your age, one thing I know about depression...

Ok, this has been haunting me all weekend. Far too presumptuous. It should read - “As someone with bipolar and who has reached the ripe old age of 40 (insert self deprecating facial expression), one thing I know about my depression...”

Sincere apologies, moving on. (Looks around sheepishly and slinks off to a dark corner)

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Ok, this has been haunting me all weekend. Far too presumptuous. It should read - “As someone with bipolar and who has reached the ripe old age of 40 (insert self deprecating facial expression), one thing I know about my depression...”

Sincere apologies, moving on. (Looks around sheepishly and slinks off to a dark corner)

I forgot about your OP and then started replying to this and forgot about that, too. Yikes.

I think you have excellent advice and thoughts, and I do relate to the idea of being "anchored" by obligation. I have never been good about finishing stories and maybe that's why I feel so anxious about finishing this one. But the passion and continued interest just isn't there.

It may be depression. It may just be the story. The time in my life. No way to know.

It may really be that i've matured past this one story and now am just not the person that began it. I have become a very different person in the two years since I started. Maybe the things I want out of writing and the stories i find compelling are just different.

But, yeah, no need to worry that your words were taken badly. They genuinely weren't.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Lately I've just been reading voraciously. Okay, not voraciously by many people's standards, but a lot more than I normally can.

Most books disappoint me, but I am convinced I can learn from all of them. Maybe if I fill myself up with stories my own will come back.