Why do I never finish my stories? http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937 imsosofia Hello. Firstly, I'm new, so if I did anything wrong by posting this, I'm sorry! ^^ Anyway. I posted this up because I need help. Recently, I can never seem to finish my stories. So far, I've abandoned about 5, all of which I regret abandoning - but for some reason I just can't make myself complete them! You see, this is usually what happens: Ideas swarm me, and sometimes one really good one hops up to me. Naturally I get excited, start writing furiously, dream about the happy-ever-after endings and the cute little scenes, etc. After a few days, I look over my outline, and feel that it is not enough. I get so dissatisfied sometimes that often the story is never finished. Either my main character is unattractive, or there is too little action, or something... somehow I always find problems, and after "solving" them, become upset, because I feel that it has already lost its original flavour. I don't know if I'm the only one around here that always does this, but please help! T-T How do I press myself to continue?? Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:21:44 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119435 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119435 jordan.williams42 Well, doing NaNo will probably help. With a certain goal and deadline, it should encourage you not to give up. That's what happened to me. Also, have you ever thought you might be planning too much? Planning isn't for everyone and sometimes the problems you discover in the plan sort of work themselves out as you're writing. Anyway, if there are any major problems, that's what editing's for, hehe. But I haven't finished many of the stories I've started either, but that's probably because I don't plan at all. (Except for a little rough outline for Nano, and that went alright) So, a little rough plan in my opinion, is all you need and possibly the goal of finishing within a certain deadline. Might just be me though. Hope that helps Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:29:10 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119602 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119602 larelmian My stories never look good until at least the fifth or sixth draft. It takes time. Solve the problems and plot holes, polish it up, look at it again, find more problems, solve, polish . . . repeat until you feel satisfied. This process takes time, often years. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:07:45 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119622 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119622 StarFoxMcCloud What I do that's REALLY helped [but admittedly is most definitely not for everyone] when I think I've gotten the greatest idea EVER is not act on it. Like I wait a few weeks before I actually dare to put pen to paper. Of course, I constantly plan and think about it in my head, but if after a few weeks, I'm still totally into the idea, I begin writing. And it's worked for me. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:43:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119646 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119646 keolah Try spending your downtime thinking about the story you are currently writing, rather than trying to think up new ideas. Or figure out ways to incorporate those ideas into what you're writing. Also, don't worry if your "outline" isn't perfect. The outline isn't the story. The blueprint to a house might not look very exciting. It's the furniture and curtains and shelves full of knicknacks that make it interesting. You sound like you're way overthinking things rather than spending time actually writing. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:11:34 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119882 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1119882 adais You are at one or the other end of the spectrum. Either your stories are not detailed enough and feel generic; OR you put too much detail in them, so that you already know what happens. Not talking about how it ends, but you know ALL THE twists and turns in your story, so you took the joy out of writing it. I've done both. Its hard to find that middle ground, but you need to find if, if you want to finish a story. I'm still trying to tweak mine, but I keep getting closer to useable drafts, with each NaNo. Have you tried getting a friend to read what you have written? Th.ey can tell you what works and what doesn't, on what bit of story you have. And they can tell you where they think the story is heading. This so may help you find a middle ground Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:43:05 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1120092 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1120092 lasalle202 You say "recently" If you had been able to complete stories <em>before</em>, has anything changed in your life or your writing habbits? Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:15:57 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1120412 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1120412 imsosofia I don't really know. I think my expectations changed, that's all. Like it used to be okay if there's no, say, humour. Or whatever. I don't know! *falls to knees dramatically* It's like someone suddenly decided to sit next to me as I write, and I've become obsessed with everything she says. It's crazy. She questions every single thing I write, and she's so discouraging! &gt;:( I don't know how to tune her out until I've finished the story. T-T Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:11:05 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121840 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121840 imsosofia Actually, I'm not preparing for Nano. I want to try for a competition that my boring ol' cpuntry has suddenly decided to hold :B but there's still a deadline and all, of course ^^ Yeah yeah yeah ikr!! I don't like planning because somehow it limits me. I do it mentally though. Maybe I'll try to keep my options open someeeehow. :)))))) thank you Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:17:26 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121847 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121847 imsosofia The ideas just wriggle into my mind. I can't keep them out! TmT Oh really? Okay then. Hmm yeah I guess you're right... I worry too much. I'll try to restrain myself next time :D Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:22:01 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121851 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121851 imsosofia Only one other person knows that I write - a hobby which is generally treated with a bit of skepticsm by most where I come from, so yeah. Just in case you think me a loner ^^; We read each other's work often, but we don't really give tips or whatever. *scratches head sheepishly* Will try doing that next time :))) Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:30:08 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121858 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121858 imsosofia Wow really? I've never heard about that before ^^; Hmm seems legit though :D Lol I shall try it next time Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:32:53 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121862 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121862 imsosofia Y-y-years?? T____T *emo face* Okay then... But what if it's just a novella? Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:35:21 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121865 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1121865 Dragonchilde Moving to NaNoWriMo Ate My Soul Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:42:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122403 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122403 Itzika Ah, you've met the Inner Editor. She's the bane of all NaNoers and most non-NaNo writers. As to how you tune her out, you basically just have to say "Shut up, b!tch." Over and over and over. And focus on your story. Look at it, think about how excited you are about the characters and the plot, see what new things you can throw in your MC's way. Ignore the Inner Editor in favor of being excited about your story. That's pretty much how I do it. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:20:55 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122632 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122632 Dennis Dunjinman The reason I usually don't finish something is because it's not whole to begin with. I often end up with parts missing or just an orphaned part with nothing else to put it in. This likely explains why I have six complete pictures on my corkboard, one of which I just put on today, and two that are still white with only a minor sketch on them that I couldn't make whole because I couldn't find context for them (an old woman pulling away a young man by the shoulder, both in evening wear; a mermaid riding a giant crustacean respectively. I like my pictures to have some action in them, so I can't have them floating in nothing). I'd like to say it took me a long time to get one of my biggest literary undertakings finished, because for the longest time I couldn't figure out a way to resolve the final conflict and show the ending. After three years, I finally had the resolution and wrote it down as fast as I could get it out of me just because I didn't want that story to keep haunting me. I'd best describe the story as a whole as a serious tale that doesn't take itself very seriously. As for my out-standing projects, they remain unfinished simply because there are big holes in them where I don't know where they're supposed to be going. Often those holes are filled with jigsaw pieces my brain creates, but they don't fit properly and I have to relegate them to the discard tray for possible recycling at another time. Imagine having a jigsaw where you can see most of the picture, but a handful of pieces went missing and these critical details are needed to connect the parts together. As for the cosmetic parts, that's not the Inner Editor talking. That's the Inner Actors. My characters keep telling me that their stage directions and motivations are all wrong, and even when I'm aware of this and they aren't, I still have the unrelenting urge to hide behind the mental couch or under the mental table so they don't come up and stare at me with derision. Even the one that repeatedly tells me to calm down and that he's not going to judge me. I like him a lot, which is probably why I can't bear to look him in the eyes. I'll admit that the only stories I truly abandoned were the ones that I found repugnant or had no potential. All writers go through that phase before they acquire better taste, which is why there's a dark corner of my mind where the remains of an old Mary Sue character I realized was a jerk has mostly faded away, and a bright corner where her Marty Stu replacement never fails to amaze me with his perpetually sunny personality. I dumped a story that was 85% fillers and clunkiness and recycled it into a better story, albeit one with a large number of missing pieces. I have two stories that were written after competing for dominance with alternates, and I'm honestly happy they were the winners since I couldn't see myself writing the ones that didn't win, even if they've warped into something more usable over time. I guess my advice is to find some hardening mold and figure out what shapes you need, and then carve them out and embellish them for filling later. And try not to think too hard about what you're writing. Leave something for the readers. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:52:29 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1123090 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1123090 12quez That happens to me a lot, but my problem is that I either know the beginning and the end, but not the middle, or I just realize how long it'll take to finish and get lazy. For the first problem, it usually helps if, when I start thinking about my story, I try to think of things that are just about to happen instead of things further down the line and write one day at a time. If you have a plot hole, though, I would fix that first. Just start thinking of random possibilities. If you have an idea that you really like but won't work with the story, you can always save it for something else, so don't feel like you have to use everything you come up with. If you start getting lazy, then find some kind of motivation. Google "motivational quotes" or make a motivational playlist or something. If you love your characters, tell yourself that you owe it to them to finish their story (one time I ended up having a conversation with myself in the mirror imagining that my MC was berating me for writing too slowly). Then just start writing. Even if it's terrible, you can scrap it and rewrite the scene, and by the second or third time you'll be warmed up. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:43:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1125252 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49937?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1125252