When do you give up writing a piece of fiction?
It always starts with a great idea that you are usually very enthusiastic about, and you keep up that momentum by getting a lot of writing done early on. But as your piece of fiction progresses, you come to face the reality of the story: How will it end? Is the plot good enough? Are the characters well-developed? While these little seeds of doubt can be healthy, they can kill even the most we-planned and ambitious of writing projects.
Unfortunately, this has happened to me more times than I care to admit. The project always starts out so promising and then fizzles out like a garden hose with a kink in it. Why does this happen? For me personally, I think it has to do with poor planning. I’m not one who can sit down and start writing without having some sort of plan. This means getting an idea of the characters (names especially), setting and the narrative arc that will hopefully include a satisfying ending.
The ending! That is where I appear to fall short. I have an ending problem. Coming up with a good ending that will satisfy most readers (note that I said "most" not "all) is very hard. Some of my best works of fiction are ones where I carefully laid out the plot and had the ending in mind before I even wrote the first sentence. If at all possible, it is best to let a story come to its own natural ending.
So when, if ever, should you give up on writing a piece of fiction?
The answer to this question will vary, depending on who you ask. The general consensus of writers I have talked to and who have written about this puzzling predicament think that it is better to finish a bad story than let a good one die.
On one hand, if you continue working on the dying story, it might revive itself and with a little editing you could end up with a great work of fiction. This rarely works out for me. On the other hand, you keep chugging along and the story just gets longer and longer, with no end in sight. This is time you could be working on a new writing project, or maybe even getting some reading done.
Multiple-project syndrome
This might be something you suffer from. You get a great idea for a piece of short fiction, you starting writing, and in the middle of that project, you get what you think is an even better idea! Sounds great, right? Yes and no. It’s great to always have a supply of ideas to draw from, but this can also be a curse.
I find I get my best writing done when I’m excited about the project. Once my excitement moves on to something else, the story at hand starts to fizzle. I somehow manage to delude myself into thinking I can juggle multiple projects and finish each one as if I were a champion marathon runner. Yeah right! Once I move on to a different writing project, I know the current one is doomed to my "unfinished story" file.
When to call it quits
I wish there was a neat little formula that writers could use to determine if a story was worth the effort to finish. No such thing exists that I know of. Knowing when to move on is a very personal decision. One you have to figure out for yourself.
But moving on doesn’t mean the story will never be finished. You can come back to it at any time – even if it is years later. When I buy lit mags at the bookstore, I’m always amazed at how many published short stories were given up on, only to be resurrected years later by the writer.
So when you stop one unfinished writing project to start another, don’t think of it as quiting or giving up, you’re just saving it for later!
Related Posts
- Organize your fiction writing with an editorial calendar
- 5 Tips for Writing Stellar Non-Fiction!
- Give your characters some thought
- Short fiction still healthy, despite low popularity
- Help! My story has no ending!
Read More: Writing Tips
