Hello! I am having the trouble of creating stories and worlds and finishing them. I write well and create a whole story line, sometimes with ending ideas but when it comes to writing I have a hard time finishing the book before wanting to move on. Tips on ways to handle finishing your book?
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How to get over finishing the story?
- Thread starter erueger
- Start date
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Write the ending first?
Generally, there is no substitution for just writing it.
But, if what you are doing is not working, try a different strategy.
For me, I write the scenes in order (mostly), and I have a strong desire to finish the tale and get to the end. I just want it, and so its easy to stay on target. And so, wanting it is the fuel to drives it forward. But there is a big difference between wanting something, and deciding to have it. We all want many things, we all decide to do only a few of them. If you can decide that you are going to finish, regardless of all else, you will. Without it, you may just be spinning your wheels.
Some people do not write the scenes in order. If you know the end, maybe write it first, and then move up to it.
Generally, there is no substitution for just writing it.
But, if what you are doing is not working, try a different strategy.
For me, I write the scenes in order (mostly), and I have a strong desire to finish the tale and get to the end. I just want it, and so its easy to stay on target. And so, wanting it is the fuel to drives it forward. But there is a big difference between wanting something, and deciding to have it. We all want many things, we all decide to do only a few of them. If you can decide that you are going to finish, regardless of all else, you will. Without it, you may just be spinning your wheels.
Some people do not write the scenes in order. If you know the end, maybe write it first, and then move up to it.
- Thread starter
- #3
thanks!
JessMahler
Dreamer
I'll second this.
I mostly write in order, but if I get a clear idea for a scene early, I write it down immediately. Figuring out how I get to that scene is a big part of the fun, and that ensures I don't forget anything I want to include.
PurpleOtter
Acolyte
When I get new ideas I either write it and don´t start editing or create an idea folder where I put everything for when Im done with my WIP. Kinda works for me but not always
Super Fantasy
Sage
Choose main characters, their purpose, the setting, ambience and so on.
Make a list of chapters and plan on being able to change them.
Make a list of chapters and plan on being able to change them.
Writing stories is hard. Finishing stories is harder.
Starting a story is kind of like starting a relationship. (This obviously overly simplified, but roll with me on this.) When you start, everything is new, so you're always excited to see on another. As the honeymoon phase fades, that's when the real work begins. The flaws that didn't seem so bad at first start to become issues. Flaws that weren't noticed become noticed. The newness fun is no longer there. The infinite possibilities of what could be become the hard reality of what is. And, this where both people decide if this relationship is serious or not. Because, it's going to take work to continue on, and even more work to go the distance.
For writing, a lot of people love the excitement and thrill of the start, but when the honeymoon phase fades, they don't have the tools and/or the will to take it serious and go the distance. For some, it's because the fit isn't right. For others, it's a pattern, and they run away to the new sexy story, and the cycle begins anew.
Do you want to do this or not? Are you serious about this or not? This is something I ask myself when I go through tough patches. There's no right answer. There's just being real with yourself. If you want to write then write. If you want to take writing seriously then do that. But don't delude yourself. Don't say I'm taking this seriously, and then proceed to not do anything about it. That road only leads to unmet expectations and misery.
For me, deciding I was going to take writing seriously was the first thing I did. The next, I started to become a student of writing. I read books on writing, and I still read books on writing. I listened to writing podcasts. Some of those podcasts had interviews with pro writers, and from them I learned what the writing process was really like, at least from their experiences, and from that, I set realistic expectations for myself.
And along the way, I did the most important thing, I wrote.
my2cents
Starting a story is kind of like starting a relationship. (This obviously overly simplified, but roll with me on this.) When you start, everything is new, so you're always excited to see on another. As the honeymoon phase fades, that's when the real work begins. The flaws that didn't seem so bad at first start to become issues. Flaws that weren't noticed become noticed. The newness fun is no longer there. The infinite possibilities of what could be become the hard reality of what is. And, this where both people decide if this relationship is serious or not. Because, it's going to take work to continue on, and even more work to go the distance.
For writing, a lot of people love the excitement and thrill of the start, but when the honeymoon phase fades, they don't have the tools and/or the will to take it serious and go the distance. For some, it's because the fit isn't right. For others, it's a pattern, and they run away to the new sexy story, and the cycle begins anew.
Do you want to do this or not? Are you serious about this or not? This is something I ask myself when I go through tough patches. There's no right answer. There's just being real with yourself. If you want to write then write. If you want to take writing seriously then do that. But don't delude yourself. Don't say I'm taking this seriously, and then proceed to not do anything about it. That road only leads to unmet expectations and misery.
For me, deciding I was going to take writing seriously was the first thing I did. The next, I started to become a student of writing. I read books on writing, and I still read books on writing. I listened to writing podcasts. Some of those podcasts had interviews with pro writers, and from them I learned what the writing process was really like, at least from their experiences, and from that, I set realistic expectations for myself.
And along the way, I did the most important thing, I wrote.
my2cents
After years--decades--of starting and not finishing, I at last understood, or made a distinction for myself, between writing and writing a story.
Writing is just writing. There's all kinds of writing. But writing a story means the beginning and the middle and the ending, and the editing, and the submission and publication, and the being done and letting it be and going on to the next thing. Only that, all of it, is writing a story.
I decided I wanted to do more than write, I wanted to write stories. From then on, it was just doing the work.
Writing is just writing. There's all kinds of writing. But writing a story means the beginning and the middle and the ending, and the editing, and the submission and publication, and the being done and letting it be and going on to the next thing. Only that, all of it, is writing a story.
I decided I wanted to do more than write, I wanted to write stories. From then on, it was just doing the work.
Prince of Spires
Auror
Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. In the end, that's what it comes down to. No other way to finish a story.
A few things to try / keep in mind:
Writing a novel takes time. At 500 words an hour, a 100k novel takes 200 hours to write. That's about a year of 1 hour a day (and you get a few days off). It's also pretty average in terms of writing speed and length. So realize it takes that much time to write your novel.
Track your progress. I keep an excel file where I note down my word count each day. I can tell you how many words I've written (or edited) 3 years ago. This helps you see forward progress. The thing is, when you're stuck in the middle of a novel, there is little difference between being at 22.354 words and at 60.334 words. It's all the middle of the story. So you will feel little progress. If you track it however, you'll know one is at the 20% mark and the other at the 60% mark (or whatever) of your tale.
Make an external commitment. Writing is a lonely endevor, and no one is waiting for your story (since they don't know it exists). So it's easy to get in a mindset where you can just quit and move to the next thing. If you tell someone you're writing a story by day X, you've commited yourself to finishing it. It's harder to just give up when someone knows you're working on it.
A few things to try / keep in mind:
Writing a novel takes time. At 500 words an hour, a 100k novel takes 200 hours to write. That's about a year of 1 hour a day (and you get a few days off). It's also pretty average in terms of writing speed and length. So realize it takes that much time to write your novel.
Track your progress. I keep an excel file where I note down my word count each day. I can tell you how many words I've written (or edited) 3 years ago. This helps you see forward progress. The thing is, when you're stuck in the middle of a novel, there is little difference between being at 22.354 words and at 60.334 words. It's all the middle of the story. So you will feel little progress. If you track it however, you'll know one is at the 20% mark and the other at the 60% mark (or whatever) of your tale.
Make an external commitment. Writing is a lonely endevor, and no one is waiting for your story (since they don't know it exists). So it's easy to get in a mindset where you can just quit and move to the next thing. If you tell someone you're writing a story by day X, you've commited yourself to finishing it. It's harder to just give up when someone knows you're working on it.
- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks this was super helpful!
