Have you ever given up on a story before finishing it?

[Belegon]

This happened to me a few months ago when I tried to write another Incest/Taboo story, but this time with a NC/R spin, and with a particular setup in mind. Actually, I had a very particular idea for a penultimate climactic scene in mind, and structured the whole story in way that built up to that one scene. I completed about two thirds of the draft before running out of creative steam. The truth is I just lost interest in the story, its premise, and even the once-juicy idea I had for that climactic scene; but instead of simply filing the unfinished draft away, I deleted it entirely.

At the time, I felt nothing, which seemed to confirm that I no longer cared enough about the story even to archive it for future completion; but now, part of me kind of regrets so casually disposing of about a dozen hours' worth of writing. Of course, now I have other writing projects underway which are more engaging, but I'm also wondering: when the creative juices run dry and/or the unfinished story just stops appealing to you, is it better to shelve the project and come back it later or dispose of it entirely?

I usually put them aside but don't get rid of them. the latest thing I published here, a couple weeks ago, sat half finished in a WIP file for 16 yrs. I don;t remember why I abandoned it then, but when I found it and skimmed thru in Jan., I had zero problem jumping in and getting her done. Part of that is I remembered my initial intent for the latter half... and , okay, a little bit is that the style of speech and behavior of the main female is based on a friend, and once I determined she wasn't hanging around Lit anymore, I knew she would be unrecognizable, so I didn't have that excuse to not finish it. (the female lead is a combo of two women really, but the other one passed in 2023, so I won't be hearing any complaints from her anytime soon.)

 

[lovecraft68]

I might be there now. I began a story, as in not even a full first chapter. Got distracted by another idea, wrote and finished that story, went back to the first, didn't like the start, changed what I'd written, then got hit with another idea and am 15k into that one.

Getting distracted twice with both ideas flowing really well, while I can't even get a satisfactory start to the first story is not looking good for that one.

Sometimes the muse delivers false alarms and while you're responding, throws a real fire at you to just be a bitch and show you the difference.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I have over 50 manuscripts that were meant to be published here last year, and some even earlier than that. I have a lot of unfinished series, and I deleted a lot of my body of work from my profile because I wasn't really satisfied by it, and I wanted to give it another shot. So yeah, this is pretty much a constant state of my being, and the reason behind it wasn't just because I got burned out, or that I lacked passion, or that I constantly chased plot bunnies, but it's rather clinical. I got diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2023, and both decision paralysis and perfectionism are struggles that I'm fighting on a clinical level since they affect my writing. I thought I'd do good on 2024, but nope, I was learning how to handle my ADHD now that I knew what was the problem. I'm still learning, but I'm on a better position now that last year.

 

[NaughteeDragon]

Going back to the original question, I just let them sit and marinate until something good comes out of them. My Valentine’s Day story (also my first piece published here) is an outtake from a story that’s been languishing in my In Process folder for two or three years now.
Motivation took off like a rocket and got to about 10k words before running out of fuel. It sat for almost a year, and when I picked it back up it just rolled off the fingers until it hit a finished length of about 40k words.

 

[FidelityBoss]

This happened to me a few months ago when I tried to write another Incest/Taboo story, but this time with a NC/R spin, and with a particular setup in mind. Actually, I had a very particular idea for a penultimate climactic scene in mind, and structured the whole story in way that built up to that one scene. I completed about two thirds of the draft before running out of creative steam. The truth is I just lost interest in the story, its premise, and even the once-juicy idea I had for that climactic scene; but instead of simply filing the unfinished draft away, I deleted it entirely.

At the time, I felt nothing, which seemed to confirm that I no longer cared enough about the story even to archive it for future completion; but now, part of me kind of regrets so casually disposing of about a dozen hours' worth of writing. Of course, now I have other writing projects underway which are more engaging, but I'm also wondering: when the creative juices run dry and/or the unfinished story just stops appealing to you, is it better to shelve the project and come back it later or dispose of it entirely?

Oof, that’s tough! Deleting a draft you’ve poured hours into can feel like a gut punch, even if you’ve lost interest. Sometimes shelving it is the better move, you never know when inspiration might strike again. But hey, if it’s truly not sparking joy anymore, maybe it’s just making room for something better. Either way, it’s all part of the creative process. Onward and upward!

 

[FidelityBoss]

I have over 50 manuscripts that were meant to be published here last year, and some even earlier than that. I have a lot of unfinished series, and I deleted a lot of my body of work from my profile because I wasn't really satisfied by it, and I wanted to give it another shot. So yeah, this is pretty much a constant state of my being, and the reason behind it wasn't just because I got burned out, or that I lacked passion, or that I constantly chased plot bunnies, but it's rather clinical. I got diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2023, and both decision paralysis and perfectionism are struggles that I'm fighting on a clinical level since they affect my writing. I thought I'd do good on 2024, but nope, I was learning how to handle my ADHD now that I knew what was the problem. I'm still learning, but I'm on a better position now that last year.

Wow, that’s a lot to juggle! ADHD can definitely make writing a rollercoaster, especially with decision paralysis and perfectionism in the mix. But it’s awesome that you’re learning how to manage it and are in a better place now. Don’t be too hard on yourself, writing is a journey, and you’re making progress.

 

[WordsIntheWyld]

I had given up on a story before I even started—just threw in the towel like a dramatic movie character, sighing about how ‘it just wasn’t meant to be.’ Then, over a greasy, glorious burger at Five Guys, my wife reminded me (between bites of fries) that I have a habit of overthinking things. Apparently, I needed a double bacon cheeseburger and a reality check to remember that the only way to finish a story is to actually start it. Moral of the story? Five Guys saves lives—and also stories.

 

[gunhilltrain]

This happened to me a few months ago when I tried to write another Incest/Taboo story, but this time with a NC/R spin, and with a particular setup in mind. Actually, I had a very particular idea for a penultimate climactic scene in mind, and structured the whole story in way that built up to that one scene. I completed about two thirds of the draft before running out of creative steam. The truth is I just lost interest in the story, its premise, and even the once-juicy idea I had for that climactic scene; but instead of simply filing the unfinished draft away, I deleted it entirely.

At the time, I felt nothing, which seemed to confirm that I no longer cared enough about the story even to archive it for future completion; but now, part of me kind of regrets so casually disposing of about a dozen hours' worth of writing. Of course, now I have other writing projects underway which are more engaging, but I'm also wondering: when the creative juices run dry and/or the unfinished story just stops appealing to you, is it better to shelve the project and come back it later or dispose of it entirely?

Forgive me if I don't read all twenty-five posts here. Anyway, let me suggest that you don't delete unfinished stories in the future. The first erotic story I attempted, even before I had heard of Lit, was terrible, incredibly implausible. But much later, I was able to use it as a fantasy by the main character. I know, a fantasy within another fantasy (the story itself). The kind of device is used quite often in movies - dream sequences are on example.

Unfinished stories are like cars in a scrapyard. You can often "cannibalize" them for parts and install them in for another car - or another story.

https://images.thebusinessplanshop.com/2648/how-to-open-a-scrap-yard.jpg

P.S.: A couple of people above have said the same thing

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Sort of. I had a hard time getting one story off the ground and scrapped it, but later repurposed it as a 750-word story.