Prioritizing Stories

I‘m somewhat cliche as a writer in the sense that I struggle to finish what I write.

Most of the time it isn’t intentional; the interest fades over time, and more importantly, I think of a fun new idea to explore. The problem is, at least for me, exploring that desire to write something different and exciting is exactly the thing that seals the coffin on my other unfinished projects. It’s odd, as I don’t even lose interest in the stories I complete halfway, I just get frustrated at the difficulty that comes with writing a story’s middle and end. Beginnings are enjoyable and ultimately flexible – but once the rules have been established, you’re more restricted in what you can write.

There have also been some few times when I chose to abandon a story. The worst, and most recent, was because I’d been convinced that I was unprepared to write it. I’d like to revisit that particular story soon. The others I actively decided to stop writing were just questions of quality; ideas I’d conceived in high school or before that I no longer related to, or felt were somewhat redundant.

But all that said, there’s something to be said for the feeling of actually finishing a story. No matter the quality or lack thereof in your rough draft – and the latter is to be expected – typing or writing the last few words and knowing you’re finally done is an incredibly fulfilling experience. I may wish I’d written something differently, or disagree with an editor’s choice that I ultimately surrendered to, but at the end of the day I managed to send a story out into the world. I achieved what I set out to do.

It’s difficult to reach that point, no matter how confident I may be in the story I’m focusing on finishing. It takes a certain measure of self-discipline, something which I’ve always wanted to excel at but simply haven’t, and a fair sprinkling of luck for the circumstances surrounding you as you write. Personally, I write darker stuff, so I can sometimes manage to produce a depressing paragraph on my bad days – but perhaps not on my worst, if I’m being honest. I imagine authors of happier stories might not enjoy the process on harsher days – but maybe it’s a sort of escape for them.

Nowadays I strive to finish every story I begin, but that’s locked me in for a fair few unfinished prologues. At this point, I’m still dedicated to that. I’m absolutely a flawed writer, but I hope they’re flaws I can overcome with enough effort and practice.