Luckily I can tell pretty early on that something just isn't going well so I haven't had to much more than a few thousand words. Often it just comes down to not having any idea where the story should go, and sometimes it's ideas that I realize just aren't my story to tell.
Yeah. The spark just sputters out. Though I've had a couple things where I've just felt like it isn't the right time. Either I haven't gotten enough perspective or don't have the time to dedicate to the research
Everything I write is trash… I shelve everything. I don’t publish anything except scientific articles (which are not trash)… I want to publish other things 😮💨
…can anyone tell I’m lacking sleep today.
The last maybe 10 years I’ve recognized I’ve been in an angry state but it’s not actually anger at its core. It’s grief. So I’ve started a lot of stories that were angry but didn’t hit at the core of the real problem. So they felt very empty. Like mis-hits. No redeeming clarity.
I hope I do back sometime. When ready. I’ve at least made a folder for each of them so there’s that. Even when pissed, I’m like a Container Store ambassador. 🙂
I shelved the first version of the project I'm currently querying. After getting helpful feedback from industry pros, I realized it had been a practice novel. But I held onto the MC and themes, then wrote a new book. #MomsWritersClub
There are many stories I’ve kept and tinkered with and rewritten. I tend to have a lot of enthusiasm at the very beginning and the very end - once the pacing shifts I have to reevaluate #momswritersclub
T: No. I've written books I didn't publish but even then I've used pieces of them. But when an idea isn't working I know I need to tweak it. M: Not yet. #momswritersclub
Finished? Died on sub, so that was a pretty clear sign. 😅 I’ve shelved a CNF essay that I used to process my own feelings and decided didn’t need to be in the world. Not sure my current project is going to work, so I guess I’ll be figuring out whether I need to let it go soon…
Maybe let it go for the moment. I still think about my sleeping projects—a lot. And sometimes I’ll have a new angle on it that I’ll want to try out, like a different POV or a different MC. But then it gets in the queue of ideas and who knows when I’ll get back to it.
I haven't shelved anything recently. I'm stubborn about finishing a story after I start it. I write pantster-style, so if a story isn't going how I like, I just change direction. Then the plot can be fixed later during revisions.
#momswritersclub
I’m more of a plotter, but your stubborn comment resonated with me. I’m a front-to-back writer, so I just keep plowing through until it’s done. Anything can be fixed in revisions!
I write out of order - but I totally agree things can be fixed in revisions. I find they usually aren't as bad as I feared. And if they are a mess I can tell what changes they need.
😔 Yes! It's a sad day, but when I look back on the project I realize it was the right call. Most of the time I've lost steam on editing to make it less wordy or I've lost the vision. That's when I know it's time to step away (and maybe come back to it later?).
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…can anyone tell I’m lacking sleep today.
The last maybe 10 years I’ve recognized I’ve been in an angry state but it’s not actually anger at its core. It’s grief. So I’ve started a lot of stories that were angry but didn’t hit at the core of the real problem. So they felt very empty. Like mis-hits. No redeeming clarity.
Oof. Yup. I have a novella that I just couldn’t pull together. Sometimes I get bored of my own work.
I do reuse a lot of stuff though. My current WIP is a mix of 2 abandoned projects.
#momswritersclub