Unfinished Stories...

[AbbyRoe]

Hello , all..

I was just wondering why there are so many incomplete stories here on gayauthors. I happen to stumble on a lot of good stories that sometimes go back to 2011 but they're not finished. What makes an author leave a story without completing it? Is it low interaction from the readers? Do authors think their stories are not good enough , so they leave it and start -in their opinion- a better one?

What do YOU think is the reason?

Cheers ,

Amira

[Graeme]

Sometimes it's because the author runs out of steam. Sometimes, real-life interferes and takes them away from writing for awhile and then it's difficult to get back to it.

 

There's a lot of reasons for it, but most of the time I think it comes down to either lack of motivation (whether due to lack of feedback or due to lack of inspiration) or real-life issues.

[AceKebabs]

Sometimes it's because the author runs out of steam. Sometimes, real-life interferes and takes them away from writing for awhile and then it's difficult to get back to it.

 

There's a lot of reasons for it, but most of the time I think it comes down to either lack of motivation (whether due to lack of feedback or due to lack of inspiration) or real-life issues.

Nuff said

[Renee Stevens]

I can only speak for myself and agree with what Graeme said, but I have 2 unfinished stories at the moment. Thwarted, which has been ongoing and while there have been some large gaps between postings, I'm currently working on it and hope to start posting again around the end of September, beginning of October. With any luck, I'll be able to post weekly through to it's conclusion without any major gaps. I'll then be focusing on finish Forging Trust which hasn't been posted on for a long time.

 

As for reasoning. While I have had a lack of motivation, that stems from real-life issues much like Graeme said above. I have every intention of finishing all of my stories, I just need life to settle down a bit. Over the last couple years, there's been a lot of major health issues with my family, and deaths in the family, as well as my own health issues.

[rustle]

My first multi-chapter story is unfinished. I was holding myself to a rigid posting schedule, rather than taking the time to make the work as good as I wanted, so I took some time off from it.

 

The plan is to complete the story before I post any more of it, so I can hold to a regular posting schedule, and post better work..

[Caz Pedroso]

I'm with everyone else.

 

I start off posting every week/every two weeks. But then I get stuck on a chapter, or maybe what I've written doesn't fit in with the turns the story has taken. Or more recently I had surgery on my hand and couldn't type properly.

 

I have made a promise to myself that - apart from my flash fiction pieces - I won't post any unfinished stories after I finish the one I am on at the mo.

 

How long that promise will last... ...

[craftingmom]

I agree that probably the biggest reasons are what Graeme said.  Having started so many unfinished stories (mostly on other sites) makes me determined not to do that.  I either have the story totally done (or within a  couple chapters) before posting at all.   Lately, though, I've started a story and just made sure I'm 3-4 chapters ahead of what I'm posting, so that I can still post each week, even if I have a week where I didn't get anything written.  Knowing I have a story out there posted, waiting to be finished,  has actually been pretty motivating for me to make sure I take time for me each week to do what I love to do. 

[Headstall]

Hello , all..

I was just wondering why there are so many incomplete stories here on gayauthors. I happen to stumble on a lot of good stories that sometimes go back to 2011 but they're not finished. What makes an author leave a story without completing it? Is it low interaction from the readers? Do authors think their stories are not good enough , so they leave it and start -in their opinion- a better one?

What do YOU think is the reason?

Cheers ,

Amira

This is a great subject/question to post. I believe it is the biggest drawback to serial posting. I have been waiting for some stories to finish for years, and it is incredibly frustrating. You are sometimes living and dying with these characters, and you end up feeling deserted. The fact of the matter is though, that we writers are people, with lives, and all the issues that go with them. Writing is a huge commitment, and it takes a lot of time and hard work. I can see some giving up because of apathy towards a story(no feedback), but I think for the most part, life gets in the way. I also have to say that motivation can be a key factor, and readers who show their support should never underestimate their importance to an author. As a writer, I never intend to leave any reader hanging... ever... but there are no guarantees that life will co-operate. My advice would be to check an author's catalog, and if there are a number of unfinished stories, you might be wise to wait until they are marked complete before reading them... particularly ones that have not been updated for a long time. I think for the most part, the current authors on this site are pretty good about completing works, but I know the frustration when you are left twisting in the wind.

Edited August 29, 2015 by Headstall

[Cynus]

I currently have two stories here that do not have a definitive end. Both are non-fiction, one being a place for me to give my perspective on a number of topics and the other being a place to relate my own experiences. I don't know that either will ever be marked "complete", because there are a seemingly infinite amount of things for me to have additional perspective on, and I'll continue to have life-changing experiences until I die. I assume, however, that your question is in reference toward works of fiction, rather than non-fiction.

There aren't many lessons I learned as a child which I consider positive, but there is one that I think will always stick with me. My father was a long-distance runner, and he was of the opinion that even if you aren't going to win a race, it's paramount that you finish it, because then you've proven to yourself that it can be done. There were several movies I grew up watching which also carried this theme. "Cool Runnings" is one I remember fondly, in which a crash at the end of the team's final race keeps them a short distance from crossing the finish line in their bobsled. The team picks up their broken sled and carries it across the finish line to the cheers of the crowd, even though they no longer have any chance of winning. 

That thought process has been one to guide me time and time again. Anyone who has ever attempted to write a story, especially those of significant length, knows that it is far more difficult than it seems when you've never made the attempt. It's not a race, certainly, but it is a competition that has a definitive end. You, as the writer, are competing against yourself, and striving to bring about a superb result by breathing life into your characters and your scenes.

 

It can be brutal, at times, especially if you don't have anyone cheering for you. Sometimes it's even worse and instead of positive reinforcement you have people jeering at you and telling you that you're wasting your time; that you're not good enough to be a writer. Sometimes, as others have pointed out, life gets in the way. You're suddenly working overtime to pay unexpected bills, or you're going through some sort of stressful situation that saps your energy. Or sometimes it can even be something positive that pulls you away, like preparing for a wedding or the birth of your child. But, as I was attempting to illustrate above, what matters isn't the speed at which you run the race, or the speed at which you write your novel, what is important is that in time, it does get finished.

Not everyone shares that mentality, however, and that's okay. Some people get so discouraged, or are pulled away by life for so long, that they simply don't know how to get back in there and finish the story that they started so long ago. It's to be expected that some stories fall into this category, and we simply must accept that it's the way things are.

Normally, because I don't like to keep people waiting for chapters they may never see, I try to finish my stories before I begin posting them. This hasn't always been possible, but I find it puts a lot less stress on me. It's like being properly prepared for the race your running, instead of trying to push yourself when you're out of practice. Although I've tried to follow this philosophy, I've released at least two novels that were not even close to being finished when I started posting them, one of which is my current one.

And it's still as hard as it ever was. It's still as taxing an effort to bring your characters to life. Sometimes it very nearly gets to me, and I can understand how it can stop a person completely. Hopefully someday, those who have stopped will be able to come back and finish what they started.

[Celethiel]

pretty much, Life, plot bunnies and writers blockage, Editing, personal issues with your perception of how others see your work... there are lots of reasons.

[Timothy M.]

It's one of the reasons that GA has the On Hold option as well as In Progress and Complete. But of course, if the author has left the site completely, and without changing the status of his or her stories, then you don't know.

As a reader I can relate to the frustration of never knowing the end of good stories. As a writer I can relate to the frustration of not being inspired or not having the time to write. But for me the option to finish a story before posting is less attractive, because I'm actually inspired by the feedback of my readers and often include their ideas in future chapters. And thankfully I have very patient 'hungry birds' to feed.

[Slytherin]

Or you can only read stories that are "complete" - I prefere to do that

[Timothy M.]

Or you can only read stories that are "complete" - I prefere to do that

 

What?! and miss out on the wonderful anxiety of waiting for next week's installment?

[Slytherin]

What?! and miss out on the wonderful anxiety of waiting for next week's installment?

I'm very impatient and I like to read last chapter first in every book 

I read     

[Timothy M.]

I'm very impatient and I like to read last chapter first in every book I read     

 

and if you don't like the end, you don't bother reading the rest ?

[Slytherin]

and if you don't like the end, you don't bother reading the rest ?

No ! I have to find out who the killer is Before I read it

[TetRefine]

I can only speak for me personally.

 

I started my story in the winter of my senior year of college. I was busy but was determined to write. Well, when finals came around, and then graduation, and then moving, and then finding a job, and then working said job which had long hours and a lot of stress, figuring out a new city, on and on and on. You get the point. Writing suddenly became far less important of a task when real life was busy enough. 

[MrM]

I'm hoping I can finish all my stories. I have beginnings, middles, and ends to all of them. I tend not to be as structured a writer as many which will mean that I am 'wrong'. I have been 'wrong' most my life, so I'm fine with that!

 

Actually I do have outlines and things, but they often exist in my head.

 

I tend to wait for my Muse to inspire me chapter by chapter that way each one can be its own experience as part of a whole. This process is longer than structured so my readers may have to wait. That may be why I don't have many readers. Hehehehe.

 

But it is my art and *I* want to see the ending. So I think that's what motivates me to continue.

 

I'm plagued by distractions as all here have attested to. That put my fantasy one on a huge hiatus for a long time. I started it in 2009. I'm only up to Book 2.

[Daddydavek]

I hit a point where I had some real problems with writers block while writing Abel III's Awakening.   I finally overcame it by stopping everything and re-reading the story as posted and taking some more notes along the way.  While I had a pretty detailed outline, the story strayed as it was written from time to time and that was what caused my inability to see how I was going to get from where I stopped to where I wanted to go.  Once I had the actual story clear in my mind, I was able to push through to the finish.   Am I completely pleased with it?  No, but at this point I am ok with how it went and how it turned out.  

 

I too grew up with the mantra to finish what I start and to just let it sit was not in my DNA.  No matter how long I had to wait, I would find the time somewhere to finish what I started.  (Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

Edited August 30, 2015 by Daddydavek

[W_L]

A few of those are mine,

 

I have learned in recent years that the best way to write is to write it all at once and then edit rather than try to do it piecemeal or on a schedule.

 

I should take a poll after I finish my novel to ask what readers want me to finish first.

[rec]

I understand the internal quandaries that authors face. However, the question I have is this:  what outside ​help/pressure/support, if any, would encourage authors to finish their works?   

[Aditus]

It's one of the reasons that GA has the On Hold option as well as In Progress and Complete. But of course, if the author has left the site completely, and without changing the status of his or her stories, then you don't know.

As a reader I can relate to the frustration of never knowing the end of good stories. As a writer I can relate to the frustration of not being inspired or not having the time to write. But for me the option to finish a story before posting is less attractive, because I'm actually inspired by the feedback of my readers and often include their ideas in future chapters. And thankfully I have very patient 'hungry birds' to feed.

Ah yes, the discussion threads, they are so inspiring. I believe your post convinced me to start posting my new story soon. Maybe one or two more chapters... I have one unfinished story yet, the others are collections, and I feel actually bad about it. I aim to finish all my stories eventually.

[Graeme]

I understand the internal quandaries that authors face. However, the question I have is this:  what outside ​help/pressure/support, if any, would encourage authors to finish their works?   

That's a difficult one. If the problem is real-life issues, then there's not much that can be done.

 

If the problem is lack of inspiration (maybe due to the author writing themselves into a corner), then maybe some friends can read through the story and make suggestions, but that would require the author to share their plans for what they want to happen. But I would advise against having the author make a public request because then it becomes too much like writing by committee.

 

Many authors here use beta-readers: friends who can review a chapter or story before it's released. It depends on the author in question (not all are willing or able to share the creative process), but I know I've used my beta-readers and editors to bounce ideas off at times. I don't always following the suggestions made, but that's because the suggestions often trigger a some new ideas as they kick me out of the mind-rut I'd fallen into. Simply asking for and receiving comments on particular plot points is enough to kickstart things.

[TetRefine]

I understand the internal quandaries that authors face. However, the question I have is this:  what outside ​help/pressure/support, if any, would encourage authors to finish their works?   

 

Will my readers pay me to write? If they did, I would be happy as a clam writing from 9-5. Somehow I feel like I'm not a good enough author to justify that though, haha.

 

I have limited free time now, and when I get home from a long day of work, I have the choice of sitting down and writing or going out and doing something. Writing never wins out anymore. I would love to finish my story and I have a pile of ideas for it, but I have other things I value over that. Thats just me. 

[Ashi]

I understand the internal quandaries that authors face. However, the question I have is this:  what outside ​help/pressure/support, if any, would encourage authors to finish their works?   

 

Good question, but honestly I don't think any outside help works that much for me.  Money might be an incentive, but it only goes so much....  If there is no creative juice, then there is no creative juice.  If life gets in the way, it gets in the way.  I am speaking for myself of course.