Sometimes I feel relieved to finally finish a story. Some of my characters have gone on incredibly tumultuous journeys and writing their stories can be emotionally draining. Being able to bring them to a happy place by the end of the story is gratifying and I'm glad to be leave them to a steadier, more peaceful life.

Do we ever fully say goodbye to the characters we create? After all, they were born in our minds and I'd like to think they will always be a part of us. Maybe like watching children grow up, become adults and move away--although, I don't have kids, so actual parents can correct me on this point. Sometimes my mind wanders back to older characters and I wonder what they've been up to since I left them. I've even considered revisiting them years later to see how their story has developed while I've been away.

I 100%, completely agree with how hard it is to start something new. There are so many characters who have lived in my mind for YEARS, patiently waiting for their turn on the page, never sure whether they'll ever make it there. I find the longer a character has lived in my mind, the more difficult it is for me to get them on the page, I'm not sure why. 

"Starting can be as hard as finishing, and I doubt I need to explain to any other writer out there, the number of files I have, a thousand words here, four thousand words there, of things which just never got off the ground."

I've lots of those too. You reach a point where you have to dicide, go on or stop. I stop more than I go on, but it is so rewarding when you hit the one that takes off and you have a whole other world in your head, and if you're really lucky it goes on and on. Some stories are just easy to write.

An the end, that's never bothered me, you can usually (not always) write a sequel.

Sometime I don't want to finish reading a story just because I don't want to have to say goodbye to those characters too and I actually did a couple of time. And even if, yes, we could always re-read the story again and again it would never be the same as the first time.

As a reader - and kinda like the writer I guess - we spend weeks, months, sometimes more with those characters, we follow their ups and downs, with the writer help we feel like we're in the story, right beside those characters, they become a part of ourself too.

Anyway, thank you again for sharing those precious people, those important part of your life.

Couldn't have said it any better

thank you all for your inputs and opinions. I suppose yes, there is often the options for sequels, but like Clochette says, there's nothing quite like the first time.

This has definitely been my experience in the past. Actually this has sadly been the greatest challenge for me as a writer. Not finishing or not being able to get started. As a result, well I'm not publishing anything here. I've basically not tried to write anything for 2 years.