Too many beginnings of stories, but never an ending

[SaraDeAra]

I've always made up many stories, so I decided to write them down, but after recently having a complete creativity block, (not able to write, draw or any other creative thing) I've only been able to start again for a few months, but whenever I get a great story in my head I write about one or two great chapters, before getting stuck again. It's the same with my drawing, where I used to draw multiple great drawings in an hour, I now can still make quick drawings, but they're all very similar and I keep stopping and starting something different halfway. Are they're any ideas on how to get further, instead of stopping and starting something new?
I do know that it can sometimes help to go back to it later, but only being able to write a few new sentences if I'm lucky is still not very handy. Has anyone else had this? Please tell me how you dealt with it.

 

[pmmg]

By using this strategy:

Agree to write just once sentence a day. and nothing more. It does not even have to be a keeper. Write the one, write it ugly, write more if you feel like it, but if you don't, just the one, throw it away the next day if you must, and go to bed knowing you did what you set out to do. Do it religiously.

 

[Daan Doornbos]

Hi SaraDeAra,

Concerning writing what comes to mind is outlining.

Some people don't like to outline. And it isn't necessary to outline a story. But it can be helpfull in these situations. It will give you a better sense of where the story or project is going.

And perhaps it could help overcome the block.

However, the second thing that comes to mind is that in order to be creative certain 'conditions' are required. Sometimes we simply dont have the head space or energy to be the creative person we'd like to be.

And then it's best to take a step back and return to the project later.

Also, I think it's probably natural that some of our ideas will never reach completion. And we need to grow as an artist in order to make sure those that are most important to us do.

 

[Penpilot]

For me, it was simply setting aside the time to write every day. Write without expectation, for word count, for quality. Write for the sake of writing.

Ideas are just the raw materials we work with. Writing is a muscle that must be trained. Writing is a skill that must be learned in order to turn those materials into something.

If all you do is start and quite, that's what you train yourself to do. If you want to got to the end, you have to practise going to the end, over and over and over. It doesn't matter how long it takes. It doesn't matter if you're stumbling like a drunken sailor over the finish line. You practise finishing.

It doesn't get easier, but it becomes simpler, because you've done it before. You know the drill, and you're ready to deal with all the bumps along the road.

 

[ThinkerX]

Anymore, I do not begin a story without solid notions about the beginning, middle, and end. For the longer stories, I will make up a short outline - 1-3 pages.

With the actual writing, the rule is, 'Do at least a few hundred words every day, even if they seem horrible.' They can always be fixed or deleted later.

Many stories bog down in the 'muddy middle' where the characters, plot, and setting all turn to mud. This is where the 'write a few hundred words every day' becomes a novel savior. I used to take an old cooking timer, set it for an hour, and do nothing but write until the bell rang.

 

[dollyt8]

I've always made up many stories, so I decided to write them down, but after recently having a complete creativity block, (not able to write, draw or any other creative thing) I've only been able to start again for a few months, but whenever I get a great story in my head I write about one or two great chapters, before getting stuck again. It's the same with my drawing, where I used to draw multiple great drawings in an hour, I now can still make quick drawings, but they're all very similar and I keep stopping and starting something different halfway. Are they're any ideas on how to get further, instead of stopping and starting something new?
I do know that it can sometimes help to go back to it later, but only being able to write a few new sentences if I'm lucky is still not very handy. Has anyone else had this? Please tell me how you dealt with it.

For me, outlining helps a lot. You may also find gamification helpful with a site like 4thewords.com, just to keep you getting words down on a page regularly.

 

[skip.knox]

Define "stuck". There are degrees of stuckiness and whole breeds of the stuff. I'm stuck right now in editing a pretty-much-completed draft of a novel. Every time I approach it, I can catch the stink from yards away. I lose heart. I look for other things to do. This includes making the "easy" edits in hopes I can tackle the more difficult stuff. No joy.

I can't say what works. It's no good just saying to "keep trying" because that's something rather like telling the hunter to keep shooting and you're sure to get a deer. Maybe so, but you'll never know why it worked or how to do it next time.

I can tell you what doesn't work though, guaranteed. What doesn't work is going off to try some other story. It doesn't matter how great that idea is, if it never gets into a published story.

So, yeah, that's pretty much the same as saying to keep trying. My own theory is that getting all the way through a novel is a witch's brew of circumstance and perseverence and talent and unnameable mysteries. And the formula is constantly changing. I know there are authors out there who can decide to write a story, then they write it. Bam bam. Such authors are clearly spawn of devils.

 

[Diana Silver]

What worked for me is to begin with the ending. Instead of thinking up great beginnings of stories, you might try putting the creative energy that you have in thinking up an awesome unfolding of the end, a reveal or a meeting of characters. Whether you draft it as a scene or just as an outline doesn't matter. Only then start writing the story towards that end.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Lots to unpack, and some great advice given already. The most important thing to keep in mind with all this, is that every write is different. What works for me or someone else may not work for you. Some people swear by outlines, others can't write if they have one. Some like it quiet, others need it busy. And so on and so on. Try a few different things, see what works and keep that. If something doesn't work, discard it and maybe try it again at a later date.

With that said, there's a few things to help. Firstly, it's important to realize that there are an aweful lot of scenes / chapters in a story. As in, I writer relatively short fantasy novels (80k-ish words), and I have around 30 or so chapters. It may sound obvious, but it took me a while to realize the consequence of this. I used to be like you, with one or two amazing scenes in my head. I'd write them and get stuck because I didn't know what came next. I needed to realize that one or two great scenes don't make a novel. They're the seed of a story, they're not the story itself.

For the first novel I managed to complete, I did 3 things which helped a lot. Firstly, I outlined. As mentioned, I'd have a few scenes and then get stuck because I didn't know what to write next. Only when I sat down to actually think about it did I manage to continue. My first outline was simple. I wrote just one or two sentences per chapter, and I planned 3 or 4 chapters ahead. So just think it through; I'm now here, what is going to happen in the next chapter? And the one after that? It doesn't have to be more than this. But I found I can't both think of what words to write and what story to write at the same time (and yes, they're different things).

Since then, my outlines have become bigger and more elaborate. But that's just an evolution of my process. I've found that I like front-loading all the hard thinking parts. After that, I can just write. But that comes later. Start with a simple outline.

Secondly, I got external accountability. I told my wife I was writing a novel, and that I was planning to complete it by date X or so. Now, my wife didn't care either way. She was just happy to get the remote controle to herself. However, the simple fact that someone knew I was doing this provided a bit of extra motivation to keep going.

Lastly, I tracked my daily word count. For me this helps. I use a simple spreadsheet, but there's also places online where you can do this. There are a lot of words in a novel (another silly thing I didn't really know until I sat down to write one). And there is little sense of progress between writing something like page 97 and 186 or whatever. The middle is a long way. So by tracking my word count, I got to see real progress. The line goes up. That gives me something to hold on to.

Try a few things and see where you get. In the end, the only way to get a story written is by sitting down in a chair for 100+ hours and typing away at a keyboard. So do that. But these tips might help.

 

[Super Fantasy]

I often do the same, starting novels or short stories and not completing them.
I feel that beginning stories is either "more fun" or simply "easier".

 

[LuminaryGhost]

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare.

Long writing sessions are all well and good, assuming that you are in a position and frame of mind where they are practical for you, but if you're not, then all they will end up doing is burning you out, especially if you happen to be neurodivergent.

My advice to expand on what has already been said (Based on my own experience) :

• Try to make your writing portable, so that you can do it whenever and wherever. I use the Microsoft OneNote Phone app, but any app that allows you to type and save what you type works. Failing that, maybe a notebook? The downside of that is that you may need to type it up later.
• If you are struggling with what to write next, find a random word generator (or choose a word you can see or from a book) and use that as a starting point. I find that the hardest part is getting started, which I find easier if I have something to go off of.
• Another thing I have found works when I am at a loss for what to write next is to consciously decide not to worry about quality and just write whatever amuses you. Dumb jokes, fun characters and situations, pointless action scenes, or even just the characters having a rant or a laugh. The key is to keep those wheels a-spinning and remember you are going to go back and edit the story later.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I had a similar problem years ago. What worked for me was forcing myself to finish the story I was currently working on. To do so I had to ignore how good or bad I thought the story was. The point was to finish something and get out of the cycle of continually starting something new. I also changed my think to making a short story instead of writing a novel.

 

[Karlin]

For me, changing the environment often helps. I'll go sit in a coffee shop for a couple of hours, and it helps me write.

 

[Rexenm]

When I choose to write, it is always after a good feeling. This feeling is usually a rush, a smile, a funday. I also want to write when I am depressed. There is that little feeling in my heart that goes, yes, that is what I want, and what I need. Then I go to my computer, and the rest is pretty much the same, like an echo. It is an exact replica, you might say. Though when you have a block, it is hard. This difficult feeling might make you head out for a surf, or go for a jog. It may even be the fence between you and your self, but it may even be the opposite. But like I say, any activity is good activity.

 

[Ianto]

I've just come across a collection of first and second chapters of stuff I had started too long ago. None of them finished. I asked my partner which one she preferred, and she came down definitely on the side of one of them. So I decided I would stick with that one. It worked in that I've ploughed on with it! I wanted to write and finish something for her. But then it developed a life of its own, and I want to write and finish it for its own sake. But I haven't finished it yet, and looks like I won't for a time...

 

[pmmg]

Finishing is one thing, the discipline to finish is another. It doesn't matter if is a long time still, just stick with it till its done.

 

[ThinkerX]

I've just come across a collection of first and second chapters of stuff I had started too long ago. None of them finished. I asked my partner which one she preferred, and she came down definitely on the side of one of them. So I decided I would stick with that one. It worked in that I've ploughed on with it! I wanted to write and finish something for her. But then it developed a life of its own, and I want to write and finish it for its own sake. But I haven't finished it yet, and looks like I won't for a time...

The first hurdle is the first page. All that blank space can be intimidating.
The second hurdle is getting past the first chapter - you've started, but there is so much more to do. Many novels die here.
The third hurdle hits about 10K or the fourth chapter. The beginning of the tale is set, and the key characters are introduced, but now there is the plot and other stuff to worry about.
The fourth hurdle is the muddy middle, at about the 30-40K ark. The great characters and brilliant plot have all turned to mud. Many stories sink out of sight in this mire, never to be seen again.
The fifth hurdle is the 'light at the end of the tunnel.' The 'End' is almost within sight. Just a few more chapters. Just another 10K words. You can crank that out in two weeks tops. Three weeks and 15K later... the 'End' is *still* just a few chapters off.

You get through all these hurdles by writing every day, especially if you don't feel like it. It doesn't have to be much - a few paragraphs, or a page, or even just a few sentences. You just do it - write and don't stop until you reach the End. Then, and only then, do you set it aside and work on something else for a few months. AFTER those few months, you come back and reread the manuscript. That way, both the good and the bad stand out.

 

[pmmg]

Just an aside, but oddly, I find the bad starts to stand out right at the moment I hand it to someone else. Its like the whole story flashes before me, and my brain does this quick....I wonder if they'll not get this detail, or if they will comment on.... Its one way I start to know what to fix.