"I'm going to finish my damn story!": a support thread

[crookedletter]

Right?

Sure!

 

[old_prof]

Did a "final" edit on my new story.

It's not perfect. There's still a couple of parts that feel clunky, and a little repetitive. Even after multiple edits.

But at some point I gotta call it "good enough" and let it go, right?

Right?

I did that with several stories in the last few months. I'm in the process or rewriting one of them now and I will upload a much better version of it that no one will read. Oh well. I'm learning how to wrote and that's the big thing.

 

[BeechLeaf]

Did a "final" edit on my new story.

It's not perfect. There's still a couple of parts that feel clunky, and a little repetitive. Even after multiple edits.

But at some point I gotta call it "good enough" and let it go, right?

Right?

I just did this on mine. I don't know any other way of doing it. Perfection is unattainable. Let it go!

 

[Djmac1031]

I did that with several stories in the last few months. I'm in the process or rewriting one of them now and I will upload a much better version of it that no one will read. Oh well. I'm learning how to wrote and that's the big thing.

I get into this mindset sometimes during the editing process where some things just never feel good enough. And maybe they aren't. But maybe they're not as bad as I make them out to be either.

But at some point you just gotta call it done and let go.

I do have someone finishing up a proofread and after considering their feedback I'm gonna submit.

 

[PapaRomantic]

I managed about 300 words yesterday, but I'm just not feeling it. It's not going where I want it to go, so it's not going at all.

Perhaps I need to take a step back and mess around with something that I don't need to finish right away. (It doesn't help that work isn't leaving me with much energy at the moment. Although I'm happy to be earning money in the current AI-diseased climate, of course.)

What if you challenged yourself to a quick 750 word story, even if you never intended to publish it? Do it in a category you've not tried before. It might give your mind a rest from the one you're working on. Who knows, maybe it will kickstart your desire to finish it.

 

[crookedletter]

I get into this mindset sometimes during the editing process where some things just never feel good enough. And maybe they aren't. But maybe they're not as bad as I make them out to be either.

But at some point you just gotta call it done and let go.

I do have someone finishing up a proofread and after considering their feedback I'm gonna submit.

Mindful of the fact that my process is certainly not the "right" process, and sharing it anyway:

When I find myself with a similar thinking I usually walk away from the project for a while. Let it sit and simmer and forget about it. Work on something else. Come back a few weeks later, or even longer, and it might be the answer for just how to fix it is staring me right in the face. And if it's not, at least I can be that much more sure that it's about as good as I'm likely to get it.

But then you can see from my stories page that I'm... very slow. That doesn't suit everyone, certainly. So maybe the answer is in fact to say good enough and submit away.

 

[ThatNewGuy]

But at some point you just gotta call it done and let go.

"A poem is never finished, only abandoned."

-Paul Valery

 

[StillStunned]

What if you challenged yourself to a quick 750 word story, even if you never intended to publish it? Do it in a category you've not tried before. It might give your mind a rest from the one you're working on. Who knows, maybe it will kickstart your desire to finish it.

I did one a month or so ago, which actually got me back in the swing of things again after month of not finishing anything. But it really only took an hour or so (and the two I wrote last year took even less time), so it doesn't really work as a palate cleanser.

I actually picked up another WIP last night and wrote 400 words and moved it to a point where the story can proceed. So perhaps I'll focus on that for a while. And it might work just as well for Pink Orchid as the other story, so that's an added bonus.

 

[StillStunned]

I reached the midpoint. Halfway through the outline. The moment where the entire story gets reframed. It took about a week and 5500 cups of coffee words to get here.

 

[StillStunned]

Did a "final" edit on my new story.

It's not perfect. There's still a couple of parts that feel clunky, and a little repetitive. Even after multiple edits.

But at some point I gotta call it "good enough" and let it go, right?

Right?

 

[NuclearFairy]

I got 271 words done last night. I think I'll be wrapping it up tonight. XD But we'll see if I can direct the herd of cats that run my brain properly for that.

 

[Statius]

I got 271 words done last night. I think I'll be wrapping it up tonight. XD But we'll see if I can direct the herd of cats that run my brain properly for that.

I learned watching The Big Bang Theory it's called a clowder! IDK, think it's fun. Just looked up why as well. Something something weird British accent mash up.

No offense to the Brits here, after all I speak Amerispeak.

(look at me showing off my TV trivia)

 

[NuclearFairy]

I learned watching The Big Bang Theory it's called a clowder! IDK, think it's fun. Just looked up why as well. Something something weird British accent mash up.

No offense to the Brits here, after all I speak Amerispeak.

(look at me showing off my TV trivia)

Or a glaring if they're unfamiliar with each other.

But if I'm trying to herd the cats, then I prefer to call them a herd. XD

 

[Statius]

Or a glaring if they're unfamiliar with each other.

But if I'm trying to herd the cats, then I prefer to call them a herd. XD

I got a hyper active herding dog, I'll let ya borrow him for a few days

Glaring makes sense, cats definitely do that

 

[StillStunned]

I got 271 words done last night. I think I'll be wrapping it up tonight. XD But we'll see if I can direct the herd of cats that run my brain properly for that.

 

[stickygirl]

View attachment 2593033

Leave them ALONE!

 

[StillStunned]

Leave them ALONE!

Physically impossible. They're kittens. Twenty-seven percent of the world's happiness derives from touching kittens.

 

[crookedletter]

Whew. I hit publish on one. First of many this year, I hope.

 

[StillStunned]

Whew. I hit publish on one. First of many this year, I hope.

 

[old_prof]

I finished my rewrite of my recent story (Snow Fall In Love) and submitted it as an edit. Hopefully it will appear in 2026. (Maybe even in February?)

I'm approaching the end of revisions for my Pink Orchid novel. I hope to submit that in the next few days. Then finishing up my other novel WIP 9next week?) and another 750 that's pretty much set. Then start the whole cycle again, getting lots of things underway simultaneously.

 

[PapaRomantic]

"Random Encounter" was just sent to be published! That means I'm down to one WIP in my folder, and it's got over 3k written on it, though I think it could end up being a long one.

If I get that one done, my WIP will be empty...for at least a month...couple of weeks...three or four days...a few hours...

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I got 271 words done last night. I think I'll be wrapping it up tonight. XD But we'll see if I can direct the herd of cats that run my brain properly for that.

** cracks whip **

>:-|

 

[dirk2024]

I FINISHED IT!!!!

I finally finished my Valentines story...hopefully up within the next two days. 19k words.

*faints in exhaustion*

 

[anthrodisiac]

Physically impossible. They're kittens. Twenty-seven percent of the world's happiness derives from touching kittens.

This feels like a pretty massive underestimate.

 

[StillStunned]

I'm taking a moment to celebrate that I finished 6 out of 9 chapters so far.

Mainly to see what kind of meme @StillStunned comes up with based on 6 and 9.