Throwing in the towel on my Unpublished

I think I'm just going to throw in the towel and admit defeat as far as writing my Unpublished Work. I've done "planning by the seat of my pants" for too long, and in the past several months, I've been just throwing in details (like about Mikami's family, and Akiko's early years in the "Rate the Above Poster's Character" thread).

When I get an idea I like, when I go to write it down minutes later, I can't remember what it was. I have no idea how to start the damn thing, and I've written too much about what happens in the middle. The end is still vague, too.

I'm under a lot of stress and pressure right now. Pleasure writing is the last thing I have time for. I don't think I'll have time for a long time to come, other than in snatched minutes.

This is it. I'm done. I admit that I'll probably never write the work.

That is a pity. I think we've all had stories we knew, however regrettably, that it would simply never see the light of day.

that's too bad. I would have liked to have read what you got done.

Hopefully, you find the the time to do what you want to do.

Again, that's a bummer.

/pity

Now post what you've got online somewhere so someone who actually likes the idea can pick it up, transmutate it a bit, and make something of it. No need to horde what you're never going to use again.

Well, he might keep it as Useful Notes for his future works. That's the fate of most unpublished crap I write: Afterwards, I can scavenge character backgrounds, subplots and setting details from'em.

If you can't finish it, let someone who likes the idea inherit it. You may not get any credit for it if it does get a mild take-off, but at least you could see an idea came up with launch off into something wonderful, even subtly.

There's always the possibility of short stories. (I still haven't written that massive story I used to talk about, the one that I first came up with when I was 10. I wouldn't be above returning to it, though, once I get in a bit more practice on shorter works.)

edited 30th Nov '11 5:14:31 PM by feotakahari

This. Such as my ill-fated space opera/superhero story, which is currently in the very bottom levels of development hell due to its shift from novel form to comic book concept (and I'm shit for script writing). However, it's influenced basically every superpowered/magical character, in terms of combat style and limitation-based worldbuilding, I've done since, and of the two superhero stories I've done after it, both were heavily influenced in design and theme by it.

So, yes, I concur with Savage, and advise you to keep it around, so that you both have reference material to maybe recycle, and examples of mistakes of yesteryear so you know not to make them again.

Edit: Holy shit that was a dyslexic typo-riddled post...

edited 30th Nov '11 5:37:33 PM by USAF713

If writing by the seat of your pants is not working for you, for god's sake at least try outlining! Instead of admitting defeat and giving up, seek out some alternatives!

Why you should at least consider outlining

Some tips on outlining

Some methods of outlining

Simple outlining for any kind of writing

Outlining for a term paper. This method can be used to find key plot points and break them down into their specific events, and the impacts that they have on the story and characters.

EDIT: Also, if writing for your own pleasure is something you can't do right now, that's perfectly fine. You can save the story for now and work on your greater priorities. If you put down the idea in some concise form such as an outline, it surely won't go anywhere and will be waiting for you when you return.

edited 30th Nov '11 5:38:00 PM by annebeeche

Meh, don't give up entirely. Put it down and work on something else and come back to it later. You'll probably find you get new vigor or you think of something else to turn it into. I have stuff on my hard drive from years and years ago, and I still go back and work on it sometimes when what I'm looking at the the moment is driving me crazy.

You may never write the story, but don't hit that delete button. Storage space is basically free, so you might as well keep what you have done even if you never plan to finish it.

Also, don't worry about this - seriously, it happens all the time and in the grand scheme of things it isn't the end of the world, nor a failure on your part. True failures are the ones that never try at all, you know? So just take it all as a learning experience and move on, no biggie.

To all: I'm definitely not deleting the material I have so far. That would just be dumb. Though I don't show it very much here, I have done a fair amount of work on it. Notes, exploring tangents, drafts, and the like. Plus, there are a few Tropers and others with whom I've discussed it extensively. I get what you're saying about giving it to someone else, but... I'm protective of it, I guess. y @anne: Um...I have tried outlining the work. Multiple times. And I'm utterly abysmal at it. (For me, organizing anything is a real problem, thanks to brain damage that affects my executive functioning.) I'll still try again, though, and do my best to not throw in details left and right. Just not right now. I might start one, but I won't let myself stress out about it.

Thank you for the links, though.

That's what I'm doing. I suppose I'm not really giving up (although I sure as hell feel like doing so - on a lot of fronts), but I am going to put it aside awhile and work on the more important stuff (read: college).

I feel like I have to write, though. It's not quite a compulsion, but it certainly is soothing, and it helps me focus. If I'm having trouble focusing on homework because my brain is focusing on a tangent, I go and write for a few minutes, until I'm satisfied. Then I can go into what I call "ADHD-Hyperfocus mode". I have an idea for another story, however, that I can explore at my leisure to sate that appetite. I think that might help.

@My God, Noir, USAF, and Savage: I'm definitely keeping it. I'm just going to take a break from it for awhile. Probably a long break. It's likely sorely needed at this point, anyway, since I've been building, tearing down, and rebuilding this fanfiction for the past four years.