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jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbma3qb | gbm62m2 | 1,604,849,089 | 1,604,846,554 | 36 | 5 | Your first-draft word count is almost, but not quite, meaningless. You might end up removing entire sections. In answer to your question, 200k is not only too long for a typical novel, but doesn't make financial sense. Why sell a novel for $3.99 or $4.99 on kindle (maybe x3 that hardcopy) when you can sell TWO novels in a series at that rate? Figure out how to split it up while still wrapping up a story with both novels. A novel in a series can have that cliffhanger, but should still be able to stand on its own in terms of plot, conflict resolution and character arc. | Split it into a serial novel of two books...or three, if it's going to be that long. A book that long CAN be made as a single unit, but at a premium price, and generally buyers won't purchase it from an unknown author. My first book was 195K after edits (originally 20K higher), and it was released as two books. Find a good break point that leaves you at a crucial moment, and go from there. | 1 | 2,535 | 7.2 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm6jtt | gbma3qb | 1,604,846,872 | 1,604,849,089 | 4 | 36 | It is definitely a long book, but I wouldn´t say it´s too much. It depends on the genre of course. This many words are usually in a fantasy or historical novels. For example, books with around 200k words are Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Harry Potter (4,5,7), or Fellowship of the ring. Also, each book in The song of ice and power has 300k-400k words and it is fine. Good luck with your novel! :) | Your first-draft word count is almost, but not quite, meaningless. You might end up removing entire sections. In answer to your question, 200k is not only too long for a typical novel, but doesn't make financial sense. Why sell a novel for $3.99 or $4.99 on kindle (maybe x3 that hardcopy) when you can sell TWO novels in a series at that rate? Figure out how to split it up while still wrapping up a story with both novels. A novel in a series can have that cliffhanger, but should still be able to stand on its own in terms of plot, conflict resolution and character arc. | 0 | 2,217 | 9 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm6mm2 | gbm9sev | 1,604,846,966 | 1,604,848,908 | 18 | 23 | A novel can be as long as you want it to be. A Game of Thrones, first book of GRRM's series, is 292,727 words. The biggest thing to consider for word length is going to be how expensive it is to print the books, because money. Longer books mean more pages, longer binding, more costs for the publishers(traditional publishing), etc. If you're going the traditional publishing route and you aren't an already established author, a long manuscript could be a turn off to agents, but a good story is going to be a good story if someone reads it and likes it. Genre and reader expectations also matter. YA and middle grade won't enjoy 100k+ novels, and romances will be shorter than epic fantasy usually. I want to emphasize the word usually, because if you write something people like and read, it doesn't matter how long or short it is, because it's being read. If your book ends up like 200,000 words or more, there's nothing wrong with it. There big question is going to be if that length is appropriate for your story. If you're writing something epic with a lot of heavy content, then maybe it needs to be that long to tell the story you want to tell. | I feel you dude. I’m 7 or so chapters away from finishing my first draft and I’m already at 180k myself. My research has told me that it’s difficult for new authors to get published over 100k words. So I’m planning to trim my novel down to 150k reasonably. Likelihood is you probably will need to cut yours in half too. Make sure during the editing process you really make sure each word counts. A lot of times if you include in a lot of extra details, you’ll actually hide the important stuff in your story. Some of the best advice I ever got was to go through and take out upwards of 20% of the words in a draft. | 0 | 1,942 | 1.277778 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm9sev | gbm62m2 | 1,604,848,908 | 1,604,846,554 | 23 | 5 | I feel you dude. I’m 7 or so chapters away from finishing my first draft and I’m already at 180k myself. My research has told me that it’s difficult for new authors to get published over 100k words. So I’m planning to trim my novel down to 150k reasonably. Likelihood is you probably will need to cut yours in half too. Make sure during the editing process you really make sure each word counts. A lot of times if you include in a lot of extra details, you’ll actually hide the important stuff in your story. Some of the best advice I ever got was to go through and take out upwards of 20% of the words in a draft. | Split it into a serial novel of two books...or three, if it's going to be that long. A book that long CAN be made as a single unit, but at a premium price, and generally buyers won't purchase it from an unknown author. My first book was 195K after edits (originally 20K higher), and it was released as two books. Find a good break point that leaves you at a crucial moment, and go from there. | 1 | 2,354 | 4.6 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm6jtt | gbm9sev | 1,604,846,872 | 1,604,848,908 | 4 | 23 | It is definitely a long book, but I wouldn´t say it´s too much. It depends on the genre of course. This many words are usually in a fantasy or historical novels. For example, books with around 200k words are Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Harry Potter (4,5,7), or Fellowship of the ring. Also, each book in The song of ice and power has 300k-400k words and it is fine. Good luck with your novel! :) | I feel you dude. I’m 7 or so chapters away from finishing my first draft and I’m already at 180k myself. My research has told me that it’s difficult for new authors to get published over 100k words. So I’m planning to trim my novel down to 150k reasonably. Likelihood is you probably will need to cut yours in half too. Make sure during the editing process you really make sure each word counts. A lot of times if you include in a lot of extra details, you’ll actually hide the important stuff in your story. Some of the best advice I ever got was to go through and take out upwards of 20% of the words in a draft. | 0 | 2,036 | 5.75 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm6mm2 | gbm62m2 | 1,604,846,966 | 1,604,846,554 | 18 | 5 | A novel can be as long as you want it to be. A Game of Thrones, first book of GRRM's series, is 292,727 words. The biggest thing to consider for word length is going to be how expensive it is to print the books, because money. Longer books mean more pages, longer binding, more costs for the publishers(traditional publishing), etc. If you're going the traditional publishing route and you aren't an already established author, a long manuscript could be a turn off to agents, but a good story is going to be a good story if someone reads it and likes it. Genre and reader expectations also matter. YA and middle grade won't enjoy 100k+ novels, and romances will be shorter than epic fantasy usually. I want to emphasize the word usually, because if you write something people like and read, it doesn't matter how long or short it is, because it's being read. If your book ends up like 200,000 words or more, there's nothing wrong with it. There big question is going to be if that length is appropriate for your story. If you're writing something epic with a lot of heavy content, then maybe it needs to be that long to tell the story you want to tell. | Split it into a serial novel of two books...or three, if it's going to be that long. A book that long CAN be made as a single unit, but at a premium price, and generally buyers won't purchase it from an unknown author. My first book was 195K after edits (originally 20K higher), and it was released as two books. Find a good break point that leaves you at a crucial moment, and go from there. | 1 | 412 | 3.6 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm6mm2 | gbm6jtt | 1,604,846,966 | 1,604,846,872 | 18 | 4 | A novel can be as long as you want it to be. A Game of Thrones, first book of GRRM's series, is 292,727 words. The biggest thing to consider for word length is going to be how expensive it is to print the books, because money. Longer books mean more pages, longer binding, more costs for the publishers(traditional publishing), etc. If you're going the traditional publishing route and you aren't an already established author, a long manuscript could be a turn off to agents, but a good story is going to be a good story if someone reads it and likes it. Genre and reader expectations also matter. YA and middle grade won't enjoy 100k+ novels, and romances will be shorter than epic fantasy usually. I want to emphasize the word usually, because if you write something people like and read, it doesn't matter how long or short it is, because it's being read. If your book ends up like 200,000 words or more, there's nothing wrong with it. There big question is going to be if that length is appropriate for your story. If you're writing something epic with a lot of heavy content, then maybe it needs to be that long to tell the story you want to tell. | It is definitely a long book, but I wouldn´t say it´s too much. It depends on the genre of course. This many words are usually in a fantasy or historical novels. For example, books with around 200k words are Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Harry Potter (4,5,7), or Fellowship of the ring. Also, each book in The song of ice and power has 300k-400k words and it is fine. Good luck with your novel! :) | 1 | 94 | 4.5 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbmc6aj | gbmdtzr | 1,604,850,281 | 1,604,851,217 | 6 | 11 | Depends on your end goal. If you get it published, that is most likely going to be too long. Highly advise against just cutting it in half, though... Usually, a too-long draft signifies that something is wrong with the plot or writing itself. Try cutting things out before you try splitting it up! (It hurts, but it works!) | I think all questions like this are predicated on the assumption that you’re writing to publish and to sell your work. I have no intent on ever mass publishing or selling my work, my art is for myself, so word count doesn’t really matter. The argument to split it into two to make more money is just sacrilege to me. I’ve published interviews on my website that are 30,000 words. Make your novel 500,000 words if that’s what it needs. Tell your story, tell it well. That’s all that should matter | 0 | 936 | 1.833333 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbmdtzr | gbm62m2 | 1,604,851,217 | 1,604,846,554 | 11 | 5 | I think all questions like this are predicated on the assumption that you’re writing to publish and to sell your work. I have no intent on ever mass publishing or selling my work, my art is for myself, so word count doesn’t really matter. The argument to split it into two to make more money is just sacrilege to me. I’ve published interviews on my website that are 30,000 words. Make your novel 500,000 words if that’s what it needs. Tell your story, tell it well. That’s all that should matter | Split it into a serial novel of two books...or three, if it's going to be that long. A book that long CAN be made as a single unit, but at a premium price, and generally buyers won't purchase it from an unknown author. My first book was 195K after edits (originally 20K higher), and it was released as two books. Find a good break point that leaves you at a crucial moment, and go from there. | 1 | 4,663 | 2.2 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbmdtzr | gbm6jtt | 1,604,851,217 | 1,604,846,872 | 11 | 4 | I think all questions like this are predicated on the assumption that you’re writing to publish and to sell your work. I have no intent on ever mass publishing or selling my work, my art is for myself, so word count doesn’t really matter. The argument to split it into two to make more money is just sacrilege to me. I’ve published interviews on my website that are 30,000 words. Make your novel 500,000 words if that’s what it needs. Tell your story, tell it well. That’s all that should matter | It is definitely a long book, but I wouldn´t say it´s too much. It depends on the genre of course. This many words are usually in a fantasy or historical novels. For example, books with around 200k words are Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Harry Potter (4,5,7), or Fellowship of the ring. Also, each book in The song of ice and power has 300k-400k words and it is fine. Good luck with your novel! :) | 1 | 4,345 | 2.75 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbmjxrq | gbmc6aj | 1,604,854,564 | 1,604,850,281 | 7 | 6 | My friend has a self-published book that’s almost 200k and it sold well. It’s in the fantasy genre. Of course, she’s insanely talented. Check it out if you like it’s called Fragments of Light by Beth Hodgson. Her follow up sounds longer. It’ll probably be a 2021 release. Good luck! | Depends on your end goal. If you get it published, that is most likely going to be too long. Highly advise against just cutting it in half, though... Usually, a too-long draft signifies that something is wrong with the plot or writing itself. Try cutting things out before you try splitting it up! (It hurts, but it works!) | 1 | 4,283 | 1.166667 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbmjxrq | gbm62m2 | 1,604,854,564 | 1,604,846,554 | 7 | 5 | My friend has a self-published book that’s almost 200k and it sold well. It’s in the fantasy genre. Of course, she’s insanely talented. Check it out if you like it’s called Fragments of Light by Beth Hodgson. Her follow up sounds longer. It’ll probably be a 2021 release. Good luck! | Split it into a serial novel of two books...or three, if it's going to be that long. A book that long CAN be made as a single unit, but at a premium price, and generally buyers won't purchase it from an unknown author. My first book was 195K after edits (originally 20K higher), and it was released as two books. Find a good break point that leaves you at a crucial moment, and go from there. | 1 | 8,010 | 1.4 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm6jtt | gbmjxrq | 1,604,846,872 | 1,604,854,564 | 4 | 7 | It is definitely a long book, but I wouldn´t say it´s too much. It depends on the genre of course. This many words are usually in a fantasy or historical novels. For example, books with around 200k words are Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Harry Potter (4,5,7), or Fellowship of the ring. Also, each book in The song of ice and power has 300k-400k words and it is fine. Good luck with your novel! :) | My friend has a self-published book that’s almost 200k and it sold well. It’s in the fantasy genre. Of course, she’s insanely talented. Check it out if you like it’s called Fragments of Light by Beth Hodgson. Her follow up sounds longer. It’ll probably be a 2021 release. Good luck! | 0 | 7,692 | 1.75 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbmc6aj | gbm62m2 | 1,604,850,281 | 1,604,846,554 | 6 | 5 | Depends on your end goal. If you get it published, that is most likely going to be too long. Highly advise against just cutting it in half, though... Usually, a too-long draft signifies that something is wrong with the plot or writing itself. Try cutting things out before you try splitting it up! (It hurts, but it works!) | Split it into a serial novel of two books...or three, if it's going to be that long. A book that long CAN be made as a single unit, but at a premium price, and generally buyers won't purchase it from an unknown author. My first book was 195K after edits (originally 20K higher), and it was released as two books. Find a good break point that leaves you at a crucial moment, and go from there. | 1 | 3,727 | 1.2 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbmc6aj | gbm6jtt | 1,604,850,281 | 1,604,846,872 | 6 | 4 | Depends on your end goal. If you get it published, that is most likely going to be too long. Highly advise against just cutting it in half, though... Usually, a too-long draft signifies that something is wrong with the plot or writing itself. Try cutting things out before you try splitting it up! (It hurts, but it works!) | It is definitely a long book, but I wouldn´t say it´s too much. It depends on the genre of course. This many words are usually in a fantasy or historical novels. For example, books with around 200k words are Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Harry Potter (4,5,7), or Fellowship of the ring. Also, each book in The song of ice and power has 300k-400k words and it is fine. Good luck with your novel! :) | 1 | 3,409 | 1.5 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm62m2 | gbmqtr2 | 1,604,846,554 | 1,604,857,497 | 5 | 6 | Split it into a serial novel of two books...or three, if it's going to be that long. A book that long CAN be made as a single unit, but at a premium price, and generally buyers won't purchase it from an unknown author. My first book was 195K after edits (originally 20K higher), and it was released as two books. Find a good break point that leaves you at a crucial moment, and go from there. | Look up Alexa Donne on Youtube, she has a great video about it ;) | 0 | 10,943 | 1.2 | ||
jqcmrw | writing_train | 0.97 | How long is too long for a novel? I am currently at 110,000 words, and I estimate I have at least another 40,000-50,000 left to write before my first draft is finished. In addition, I suspect that when I go back and revise, it will grow even longer, as there are several relationships I would like to develop more and several things I want to spend more time with, so I anticipate the finished product could be well over 200,000 words. Is that too long for a single novel? Should I split it into two? | gbm6jtt | gbmqtr2 | 1,604,846,872 | 1,604,857,497 | 4 | 6 | It is definitely a long book, but I wouldn´t say it´s too much. It depends on the genre of course. This many words are usually in a fantasy or historical novels. For example, books with around 200k words are Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Harry Potter (4,5,7), or Fellowship of the ring. Also, each book in The song of ice and power has 300k-400k words and it is fine. Good luck with your novel! :) | Look up Alexa Donne on Youtube, she has a great video about it ;) | 0 | 10,625 | 1.5 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ippsf9r | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,027,016 | 1 | 29 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | I felt like I had just read something I'd written myself. I have the exact same experience as you. I had been writing like this for 2 decades and I then came to the realisation that perhaps I wasn't meant to write. This then caused an identity crisis because I had attached such a big part of my identity to being a writer but then I decided to firmly close that chapter in my life for the sake of my sanity. I was never going to write a book, I wasn't capable of it and just left it alone. Now this wasn't a talent issue. I had been told by many different people in different areas of my life that I was a good writer but I guess I didn't have the guts or the perseverance to be one. I would always sabotage myself around the 20k word mark and then I'd stop and eventually start a new story. So I went a while without writing creatively. I still journalled though. And then suddenly I started writing poetry. And poetry lit my heart on fire. I would write deep soul-excavatung pieces and funny short ones. It was strange because I never considered myself a poet but suddenly I had enough poems to publish a book which I will be doing this year. But then something strange happened... it wasn't right away, it was quite a while but I had that itch to write a book. This story wouldn't leave me alone. It wasn't even in a genre I had written in before but I knew I had to write it so I am in the thick of it now. I haven't quite gotten to my sabotage point yet but somehow this feels different. I will finish this time. My point here isn't that when the right story comes you'll finish, it's more about taking the pressure off. When I decided I'd never be a novelist, I was devastated but then I was fine. And then poetry found me and now I'm back to novels but without this insane pressure I'd put on myself. I feel so much lighter writing this novel. I think I needed time to grow and understand myself better as well. AND I identified why I stopped writing all those times. I was sabotaging to control my failure. If I never finished a novel then I'd never be a failed novelist- I could forever think I was an aspiring novelist. I was afraid to fail, I was afraid to find out i sucked as a writer, so I never let myself finish to find out. This fear still lingers but I can see it now and it's no longer in the driver's seat. I know this is a hefty reply and it's not an inspiring success story (yet) but I somehow feel like I'm on the otherside of my sabotaging writing career. This is different and I can't explain how. So don't give up but maybe give yourself space from writing and take the pressure off. You might be surprised by what comes up for you... Good luck, friend! You are not alone! | 0 | 771 | 29 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippsf9r | ippruce | 1,664,027,016 | 1,664,026,716 | 29 | 1 | I felt like I had just read something I'd written myself. I have the exact same experience as you. I had been writing like this for 2 decades and I then came to the realisation that perhaps I wasn't meant to write. This then caused an identity crisis because I had attached such a big part of my identity to being a writer but then I decided to firmly close that chapter in my life for the sake of my sanity. I was never going to write a book, I wasn't capable of it and just left it alone. Now this wasn't a talent issue. I had been told by many different people in different areas of my life that I was a good writer but I guess I didn't have the guts or the perseverance to be one. I would always sabotage myself around the 20k word mark and then I'd stop and eventually start a new story. So I went a while without writing creatively. I still journalled though. And then suddenly I started writing poetry. And poetry lit my heart on fire. I would write deep soul-excavatung pieces and funny short ones. It was strange because I never considered myself a poet but suddenly I had enough poems to publish a book which I will be doing this year. But then something strange happened... it wasn't right away, it was quite a while but I had that itch to write a book. This story wouldn't leave me alone. It wasn't even in a genre I had written in before but I knew I had to write it so I am in the thick of it now. I haven't quite gotten to my sabotage point yet but somehow this feels different. I will finish this time. My point here isn't that when the right story comes you'll finish, it's more about taking the pressure off. When I decided I'd never be a novelist, I was devastated but then I was fine. And then poetry found me and now I'm back to novels but without this insane pressure I'd put on myself. I feel so much lighter writing this novel. I think I needed time to grow and understand myself better as well. AND I identified why I stopped writing all those times. I was sabotaging to control my failure. If I never finished a novel then I'd never be a failed novelist- I could forever think I was an aspiring novelist. I was afraid to fail, I was afraid to find out i sucked as a writer, so I never let myself finish to find out. This fear still lingers but I can see it now and it's no longer in the driver's seat. I know this is a hefty reply and it's not an inspiring success story (yet) but I somehow feel like I'm on the otherside of my sabotaging writing career. This is different and I can't explain how. So don't give up but maybe give yourself space from writing and take the pressure off. You might be surprised by what comes up for you... Good luck, friend! You are not alone! | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | 1 | 300 | 29 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptrto | ipqj5ya | 1,664,027,704 | 1,664,039,077 | 3 | 4 | Are you plotting or pantsing? It sounds like you hit a bit on inspo, write those scenes out and don’t know what to do after. There are several different outlining methods, but maybe you should experiment with all of them. I’d suggest starting with the Snowflake Method as it’s very structured. https://blog.reedsy.com/snowflake-method/ Don’t worry about plot structure, or getting it “right”. All you need to do is get to the end. If you get “stuck” change the last big decision your character made and start the scene again. Keep going until you write The End. It’s okay if some paragraphs are “and then they traveled” or “plot stuff happens here” as long as you get to the end. Sometimes its easier to get the bare bones of a story out (sometimes called draft 0) then to try to mail everything in the first draft. It’s okay to not know what happens in every single scene at this stage. You’re just trying to get it on paper. Then in the next draft you fill in the gaps a little bit more, hopefully eliminating those “I have no idea but something happens here” scenes. | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | 0 | 11,373 | 1.333333 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptrto | ippqy20 | 1,664,027,704 | 1,664,026,245 | 3 | 1 | Are you plotting or pantsing? It sounds like you hit a bit on inspo, write those scenes out and don’t know what to do after. There are several different outlining methods, but maybe you should experiment with all of them. I’d suggest starting with the Snowflake Method as it’s very structured. https://blog.reedsy.com/snowflake-method/ Don’t worry about plot structure, or getting it “right”. All you need to do is get to the end. If you get “stuck” change the last big decision your character made and start the scene again. Keep going until you write The End. It’s okay if some paragraphs are “and then they traveled” or “plot stuff happens here” as long as you get to the end. Sometimes its easier to get the bare bones of a story out (sometimes called draft 0) then to try to mail everything in the first draft. It’s okay to not know what happens in every single scene at this stage. You’re just trying to get it on paper. Then in the next draft you fill in the gaps a little bit more, hopefully eliminating those “I have no idea but something happens here” scenes. | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | 1 | 1,459 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | ipptrto | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,027,704 | 1 | 3 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | Are you plotting or pantsing? It sounds like you hit a bit on inspo, write those scenes out and don’t know what to do after. There are several different outlining methods, but maybe you should experiment with all of them. I’d suggest starting with the Snowflake Method as it’s very structured. https://blog.reedsy.com/snowflake-method/ Don’t worry about plot structure, or getting it “right”. All you need to do is get to the end. If you get “stuck” change the last big decision your character made and start the scene again. Keep going until you write The End. It’s okay if some paragraphs are “and then they traveled” or “plot stuff happens here” as long as you get to the end. Sometimes its easier to get the bare bones of a story out (sometimes called draft 0) then to try to mail everything in the first draft. It’s okay to not know what happens in every single scene at this stage. You’re just trying to get it on paper. Then in the next draft you fill in the gaps a little bit more, hopefully eliminating those “I have no idea but something happens here” scenes. | 0 | 988 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | ipptrto | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,027,704 | 1 | 3 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | Are you plotting or pantsing? It sounds like you hit a bit on inspo, write those scenes out and don’t know what to do after. There are several different outlining methods, but maybe you should experiment with all of them. I’d suggest starting with the Snowflake Method as it’s very structured. https://blog.reedsy.com/snowflake-method/ Don’t worry about plot structure, or getting it “right”. All you need to do is get to the end. If you get “stuck” change the last big decision your character made and start the scene again. Keep going until you write The End. It’s okay if some paragraphs are “and then they traveled” or “plot stuff happens here” as long as you get to the end. Sometimes its easier to get the bare bones of a story out (sometimes called draft 0) then to try to mail everything in the first draft. It’s okay to not know what happens in every single scene at this stage. You’re just trying to get it on paper. Then in the next draft you fill in the gaps a little bit more, hopefully eliminating those “I have no idea but something happens here” scenes. | 0 | 37 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippvrlo | ipqj5ya | 1,664,028,695 | 1,664,039,077 | 3 | 4 | Reading the post and the replies... have you been tested for ADHD? Genuine question. I know the whole 'diagnosing via the internet' is not something people like but idk, at least you could rule that out if it's not it and you can work on other strats to get motivated/disciplined. Best of luck to you! | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | 0 | 10,382 | 1.333333 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqj5ya | ippvtdo | 1,664,039,077 | 1,664,028,719 | 4 | 2 | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | I think this is moreso a problem that comes with any kind of long term goal. You feel that initial "Yeah I really want to do this, this is great" feeling at the beginning and then eventually it goes away and you think "eh, maybe not today, I'll do it later" and then, before you know it, you aren't doing it anymore. I'm not very good at this myself but it sounds like you need to learn how to keep working on something even when you don't feel like it. Because you can't wait for the "motivation" to happen, or for it to last forever. It'll go away so instead of relying on it, learn to work even when it isn't there. Same goes for something like working out. You're all excited and the beginning and a week later you stop cause "you're not feeling it anymore". You want to make a video game and have all these ideas at the beginning and are spending hours at first but then, in a couple weeks, it starts getting hard to work on it for even a few minutes. Do any of you're friends or loved ones know about you're writing passion? Maybe tell them about you're problem and then when you're feeling burnt out, you can call them and they can tell you to keep going. Or maybe you can come here and ask people to tell you not to quit. Don't look for motivation, just try to find it within yourself to keep going even when you don't feel like it. | 1 | 10,358 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq1amp | ipqj5ya | 1,664,031,279 | 1,664,039,077 | 2 | 4 | Is this a trend in your life or just your writing? I am a self-sabotager because I guess subconsciously I don't believe I am worthy of success. I find it very hard to complete things from learning a new piece on piano, to writing, to pushing through and finishing long hikes. I'll apply for a job I want and then half ass the cover letter. I have to force myself not to just quit when it gets a little hard. I promise you, the feeling of accomplishment when I don't give up is worth all the struggle. But it really is a struggle to get there. | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | 0 | 7,798 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq3iu1 | ipqj5ya | 1,664,032,294 | 1,664,039,077 | 2 | 4 | There are a million good reasons to quit something. Good reasons are things like an honest realization that you no longer want to do that thing or that you want to prioritize other things that don't leave you with the bandwidth to do that thing right now. Bad reasons are things like it's too hard and I can't do it. Considering that, I think you have a couple of options that are preferable to quitting writing: * "quit" your current long term goals/expectations about writing, and just continue writing the way you already do and enjoy it * figure out what needs to change in order to finish your book. The answer isn't willpower. You need to build skills, habits, and strategies that will help you follow through. | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | 0 | 6,783 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqj5ya | ipq4j4q | 1,664,039,077 | 1,664,032,754 | 4 | 2 | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | Take a break, sure, but if writing is in you, quitting will only make you unhappy. I've been in those trenches and it's not a good place. | 1 | 6,323 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqcry7 | ipqj5ya | 1,664,036,359 | 1,664,039,077 | 2 | 4 | Writing is like maintaining a long-term relationship. If you’re giving up when the honeymoon phase is over, you need to do some soul-searching. Also, what’s your goal here? You’re trying to be published? | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | 0 | 2,718 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqgfic | ipqj5ya | 1,664,037,922 | 1,664,039,077 | 2 | 4 | Uhh have you considered you might have Adhd? I had the same issue but I found getting diagnosed and taking adhd medication helped me focus and get tasks done including writing a little bit every day. Remember, writing a little bit (300 words daily) is better than writing nothing at all. | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | 0 | 1,155 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqj5ya | ippqy20 | 1,664,039,077 | 1,664,026,245 | 4 | 1 | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | 1 | 12,832 | 4 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | ipqj5ya | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,039,077 | 1 | 4 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | 0 | 12,361 | 4 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqj5ya | ipptpbm | 1,664,039,077 | 1,664,027,667 | 4 | 1 | So, there's two issues here, I think. 1. Conflating writing with getting published. If you 'want' to write, if you enjoy it as an activity, then by all means, keep writing, there's nothing to 'give up'. I wrote for personal entertainment for almost 30 years before I had the time to switch gears to writing as a job. 2. Should you give up on getting published? Sure, why not. If it's not working out as an occupation, if you're not enjoying the querying part of this, then the rational grown up adult thing to do is to stop. Every acquiring editor, every literary agent, every publisher I've ever met... they took a stab at writing and discovered it wasn't for them, and pivoted to an adjacent career. Writing is not different than accounting. If it's not your thing then quit. Staying with something that makes you miserable is a terrible life choice. | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | 1 | 11,410 | 4 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ippvrlo | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,028,695 | 1 | 3 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | Reading the post and the replies... have you been tested for ADHD? Genuine question. I know the whole 'diagnosing via the internet' is not something people like but idk, at least you could rule that out if it's not it and you can work on other strats to get motivated/disciplined. Best of luck to you! | 0 | 2,450 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippvrlo | ippruce | 1,664,028,695 | 1,664,026,716 | 3 | 1 | Reading the post and the replies... have you been tested for ADHD? Genuine question. I know the whole 'diagnosing via the internet' is not something people like but idk, at least you could rule that out if it's not it and you can work on other strats to get motivated/disciplined. Best of luck to you! | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | 1 | 1,979 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | ippvrlo | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,028,695 | 1 | 3 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | Reading the post and the replies... have you been tested for ADHD? Genuine question. I know the whole 'diagnosing via the internet' is not something people like but idk, at least you could rule that out if it's not it and you can work on other strats to get motivated/disciplined. Best of luck to you! | 0 | 1,028 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqv3sb | ippvtdo | 1,664,044,124 | 1,664,028,719 | 3 | 2 | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | I think this is moreso a problem that comes with any kind of long term goal. You feel that initial "Yeah I really want to do this, this is great" feeling at the beginning and then eventually it goes away and you think "eh, maybe not today, I'll do it later" and then, before you know it, you aren't doing it anymore. I'm not very good at this myself but it sounds like you need to learn how to keep working on something even when you don't feel like it. Because you can't wait for the "motivation" to happen, or for it to last forever. It'll go away so instead of relying on it, learn to work even when it isn't there. Same goes for something like working out. You're all excited and the beginning and a week later you stop cause "you're not feeling it anymore". You want to make a video game and have all these ideas at the beginning and are spending hours at first but then, in a couple weeks, it starts getting hard to work on it for even a few minutes. Do any of you're friends or loved ones know about you're writing passion? Maybe tell them about you're problem and then when you're feeling burnt out, you can call them and they can tell you to keep going. Or maybe you can come here and ask people to tell you not to quit. Don't look for motivation, just try to find it within yourself to keep going even when you don't feel like it. | 1 | 15,405 | 1.5 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq1amp | ipqv3sb | 1,664,031,279 | 1,664,044,124 | 2 | 3 | Is this a trend in your life or just your writing? I am a self-sabotager because I guess subconsciously I don't believe I am worthy of success. I find it very hard to complete things from learning a new piece on piano, to writing, to pushing through and finishing long hikes. I'll apply for a job I want and then half ass the cover letter. I have to force myself not to just quit when it gets a little hard. I promise you, the feeling of accomplishment when I don't give up is worth all the struggle. But it really is a struggle to get there. | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | 0 | 12,845 | 1.5 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqv3sb | ipq3iu1 | 1,664,044,124 | 1,664,032,294 | 3 | 2 | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | There are a million good reasons to quit something. Good reasons are things like an honest realization that you no longer want to do that thing or that you want to prioritize other things that don't leave you with the bandwidth to do that thing right now. Bad reasons are things like it's too hard and I can't do it. Considering that, I think you have a couple of options that are preferable to quitting writing: * "quit" your current long term goals/expectations about writing, and just continue writing the way you already do and enjoy it * figure out what needs to change in order to finish your book. The answer isn't willpower. You need to build skills, habits, and strategies that will help you follow through. | 1 | 11,830 | 1.5 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq4j4q | ipqv3sb | 1,664,032,754 | 1,664,044,124 | 2 | 3 | Take a break, sure, but if writing is in you, quitting will only make you unhappy. I've been in those trenches and it's not a good place. | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | 0 | 11,370 | 1.5 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqv3sb | ipqcry7 | 1,664,044,124 | 1,664,036,359 | 3 | 2 | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | Writing is like maintaining a long-term relationship. If you’re giving up when the honeymoon phase is over, you need to do some soul-searching. Also, what’s your goal here? You’re trying to be published? | 1 | 7,765 | 1.5 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqgfic | ipqv3sb | 1,664,037,922 | 1,664,044,124 | 2 | 3 | Uhh have you considered you might have Adhd? I had the same issue but I found getting diagnosed and taking adhd medication helped me focus and get tasks done including writing a little bit every day. Remember, writing a little bit (300 words daily) is better than writing nothing at all. | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | 0 | 6,202 | 1.5 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ipqv3sb | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,044,124 | 1 | 3 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | 0 | 17,879 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqv3sb | ippruce | 1,664,044,124 | 1,664,026,716 | 3 | 1 | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | 1 | 17,408 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | ipqv3sb | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,044,124 | 1 | 3 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | Having the wisdom and discipline to recognize inevitables and cut your losses and learn from experience is far from giving up. | 0 | 16,457 | 3 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ippvtdo | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,028,719 | 1 | 2 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | I think this is moreso a problem that comes with any kind of long term goal. You feel that initial "Yeah I really want to do this, this is great" feeling at the beginning and then eventually it goes away and you think "eh, maybe not today, I'll do it later" and then, before you know it, you aren't doing it anymore. I'm not very good at this myself but it sounds like you need to learn how to keep working on something even when you don't feel like it. Because you can't wait for the "motivation" to happen, or for it to last forever. It'll go away so instead of relying on it, learn to work even when it isn't there. Same goes for something like working out. You're all excited and the beginning and a week later you stop cause "you're not feeling it anymore". You want to make a video game and have all these ideas at the beginning and are spending hours at first but then, in a couple weeks, it starts getting hard to work on it for even a few minutes. Do any of you're friends or loved ones know about you're writing passion? Maybe tell them about you're problem and then when you're feeling burnt out, you can call them and they can tell you to keep going. Or maybe you can come here and ask people to tell you not to quit. Don't look for motivation, just try to find it within yourself to keep going even when you don't feel like it. | 0 | 2,474 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippvtdo | ippruce | 1,664,028,719 | 1,664,026,716 | 2 | 1 | I think this is moreso a problem that comes with any kind of long term goal. You feel that initial "Yeah I really want to do this, this is great" feeling at the beginning and then eventually it goes away and you think "eh, maybe not today, I'll do it later" and then, before you know it, you aren't doing it anymore. I'm not very good at this myself but it sounds like you need to learn how to keep working on something even when you don't feel like it. Because you can't wait for the "motivation" to happen, or for it to last forever. It'll go away so instead of relying on it, learn to work even when it isn't there. Same goes for something like working out. You're all excited and the beginning and a week later you stop cause "you're not feeling it anymore". You want to make a video game and have all these ideas at the beginning and are spending hours at first but then, in a couple weeks, it starts getting hard to work on it for even a few minutes. Do any of you're friends or loved ones know about you're writing passion? Maybe tell them about you're problem and then when you're feeling burnt out, you can call them and they can tell you to keep going. Or maybe you can come here and ask people to tell you not to quit. Don't look for motivation, just try to find it within yourself to keep going even when you don't feel like it. | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | 1 | 2,003 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | ippvtdo | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,028,719 | 1 | 2 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | I think this is moreso a problem that comes with any kind of long term goal. You feel that initial "Yeah I really want to do this, this is great" feeling at the beginning and then eventually it goes away and you think "eh, maybe not today, I'll do it later" and then, before you know it, you aren't doing it anymore. I'm not very good at this myself but it sounds like you need to learn how to keep working on something even when you don't feel like it. Because you can't wait for the "motivation" to happen, or for it to last forever. It'll go away so instead of relying on it, learn to work even when it isn't there. Same goes for something like working out. You're all excited and the beginning and a week later you stop cause "you're not feeling it anymore". You want to make a video game and have all these ideas at the beginning and are spending hours at first but then, in a couple weeks, it starts getting hard to work on it for even a few minutes. Do any of you're friends or loved ones know about you're writing passion? Maybe tell them about you're problem and then when you're feeling burnt out, you can call them and they can tell you to keep going. Or maybe you can come here and ask people to tell you not to quit. Don't look for motivation, just try to find it within yourself to keep going even when you don't feel like it. | 0 | 1,052 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq1amp | ippqy20 | 1,664,031,279 | 1,664,026,245 | 2 | 1 | Is this a trend in your life or just your writing? I am a self-sabotager because I guess subconsciously I don't believe I am worthy of success. I find it very hard to complete things from learning a new piece on piano, to writing, to pushing through and finishing long hikes. I'll apply for a job I want and then half ass the cover letter. I have to force myself not to just quit when it gets a little hard. I promise you, the feeling of accomplishment when I don't give up is worth all the struggle. But it really is a struggle to get there. | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | 1 | 5,034 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | ipq1amp | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,031,279 | 1 | 2 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | Is this a trend in your life or just your writing? I am a self-sabotager because I guess subconsciously I don't believe I am worthy of success. I find it very hard to complete things from learning a new piece on piano, to writing, to pushing through and finishing long hikes. I'll apply for a job I want and then half ass the cover letter. I have to force myself not to just quit when it gets a little hard. I promise you, the feeling of accomplishment when I don't give up is worth all the struggle. But it really is a struggle to get there. | 0 | 4,563 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq1amp | ipptpbm | 1,664,031,279 | 1,664,027,667 | 2 | 1 | Is this a trend in your life or just your writing? I am a self-sabotager because I guess subconsciously I don't believe I am worthy of success. I find it very hard to complete things from learning a new piece on piano, to writing, to pushing through and finishing long hikes. I'll apply for a job I want and then half ass the cover letter. I have to force myself not to just quit when it gets a little hard. I promise you, the feeling of accomplishment when I don't give up is worth all the struggle. But it really is a struggle to get there. | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | 1 | 3,612 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq3iu1 | ippqy20 | 1,664,032,294 | 1,664,026,245 | 2 | 1 | There are a million good reasons to quit something. Good reasons are things like an honest realization that you no longer want to do that thing or that you want to prioritize other things that don't leave you with the bandwidth to do that thing right now. Bad reasons are things like it's too hard and I can't do it. Considering that, I think you have a couple of options that are preferable to quitting writing: * "quit" your current long term goals/expectations about writing, and just continue writing the way you already do and enjoy it * figure out what needs to change in order to finish your book. The answer isn't willpower. You need to build skills, habits, and strategies that will help you follow through. | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | 1 | 6,049 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | ipq3iu1 | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,032,294 | 1 | 2 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | There are a million good reasons to quit something. Good reasons are things like an honest realization that you no longer want to do that thing or that you want to prioritize other things that don't leave you with the bandwidth to do that thing right now. Bad reasons are things like it's too hard and I can't do it. Considering that, I think you have a couple of options that are preferable to quitting writing: * "quit" your current long term goals/expectations about writing, and just continue writing the way you already do and enjoy it * figure out what needs to change in order to finish your book. The answer isn't willpower. You need to build skills, habits, and strategies that will help you follow through. | 0 | 5,578 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq3iu1 | ipptpbm | 1,664,032,294 | 1,664,027,667 | 2 | 1 | There are a million good reasons to quit something. Good reasons are things like an honest realization that you no longer want to do that thing or that you want to prioritize other things that don't leave you with the bandwidth to do that thing right now. Bad reasons are things like it's too hard and I can't do it. Considering that, I think you have a couple of options that are preferable to quitting writing: * "quit" your current long term goals/expectations about writing, and just continue writing the way you already do and enjoy it * figure out what needs to change in order to finish your book. The answer isn't willpower. You need to build skills, habits, and strategies that will help you follow through. | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | 1 | 4,627 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ipq4j4q | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,032,754 | 1 | 2 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | Take a break, sure, but if writing is in you, quitting will only make you unhappy. I've been in those trenches and it's not a good place. | 0 | 6,509 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq4j4q | ippruce | 1,664,032,754 | 1,664,026,716 | 2 | 1 | Take a break, sure, but if writing is in you, quitting will only make you unhappy. I've been in those trenches and it's not a good place. | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | 1 | 6,038 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipq4j4q | ipptpbm | 1,664,032,754 | 1,664,027,667 | 2 | 1 | Take a break, sure, but if writing is in you, quitting will only make you unhappy. I've been in those trenches and it's not a good place. | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | 1 | 5,087 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ipqcry7 | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,036,359 | 1 | 2 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | Writing is like maintaining a long-term relationship. If you’re giving up when the honeymoon phase is over, you need to do some soul-searching. Also, what’s your goal here? You’re trying to be published? | 0 | 10,114 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | ipqcry7 | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,036,359 | 1 | 2 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | Writing is like maintaining a long-term relationship. If you’re giving up when the honeymoon phase is over, you need to do some soul-searching. Also, what’s your goal here? You’re trying to be published? | 0 | 9,643 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | ipqcry7 | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,036,359 | 1 | 2 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | Writing is like maintaining a long-term relationship. If you’re giving up when the honeymoon phase is over, you need to do some soul-searching. Also, what’s your goal here? You’re trying to be published? | 0 | 8,692 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ipqgfic | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,037,922 | 1 | 2 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | Uhh have you considered you might have Adhd? I had the same issue but I found getting diagnosed and taking adhd medication helped me focus and get tasks done including writing a little bit every day. Remember, writing a little bit (300 words daily) is better than writing nothing at all. | 0 | 11,677 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipqgfic | ippruce | 1,664,037,922 | 1,664,026,716 | 2 | 1 | Uhh have you considered you might have Adhd? I had the same issue but I found getting diagnosed and taking adhd medication helped me focus and get tasks done including writing a little bit every day. Remember, writing a little bit (300 words daily) is better than writing nothing at all. | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | 1 | 11,206 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | ipqgfic | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,037,922 | 1 | 2 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | Uhh have you considered you might have Adhd? I had the same issue but I found getting diagnosed and taking adhd medication helped me focus and get tasks done including writing a little bit every day. Remember, writing a little bit (300 words daily) is better than writing nothing at all. | 0 | 10,255 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | iprsdht | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,058,892 | 1 | 2 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | Writing is work. Everyone hits a point where they struggle and you have to force your way through it no matter how shitty the writing is so you can get to a point where it gets easier again. Write for yourself and remember that it’s hard work and isn’t always gonna “flow”. | 0 | 32,647 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | iprsdht | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,058,892 | 1 | 2 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | Writing is work. Everyone hits a point where they struggle and you have to force your way through it no matter how shitty the writing is so you can get to a point where it gets easier again. Write for yourself and remember that it’s hard work and isn’t always gonna “flow”. | 0 | 32,176 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | iprsdht | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,058,892 | 1 | 2 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | Writing is work. Everyone hits a point where they struggle and you have to force your way through it no matter how shitty the writing is so you can get to a point where it gets easier again. Write for yourself and remember that it’s hard work and isn’t always gonna “flow”. | 0 | 31,225 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ipsisje | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,072,007 | 1 | 2 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | Yes. *Most of the time*. Slamming out works ain’t the solution unless you’re already an established author with fans who will buy your product regardless of how good it is. I think that almost any good work is preceded by an incredible amount of hours of thought and meditation before the outlining process even begins. And then, if you don’t love that outline with a passion, why the hell bother developing one page of it? I think too many people skip the long, cathartic, brainstorming and musing process, and rush straight into development. For years and years and years they hammer out mediocre garbage because they don’t spend enough time on the most elementary, basic, and essential beginning phase: thinking. I see it over and over again in subs. People who have written dozens, sometimes over a hundred works, yet have had no success. That’s not good. That means there is a major problem in the process, and I believe it’s usually the beginning. If you don’t love one project enough to rewrite it to death, hell, to your own death, let it go and sit down on the couch and daydream. Do not confuse what I’m saying as advice against writing prolifically. I’m saying don’t write prolifically until you’ve spent an absurd amount of time living and dreaming your ideal work without writing a single word. Passion must be there. The world must be in your head before you type one word. When the writing begins, you should be so convinced and enamored and intoxicated by your world that the words pour out and rewriting is close to effortless. I strongly believe that months, even years of musing on projects can be necessary to prepare them in such a way that when you finally do write it, it’ll be fun, easy, and great, even if it takes a while. | 0 | 45,762 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | ipsisje | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,072,007 | 1 | 2 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | Yes. *Most of the time*. Slamming out works ain’t the solution unless you’re already an established author with fans who will buy your product regardless of how good it is. I think that almost any good work is preceded by an incredible amount of hours of thought and meditation before the outlining process even begins. And then, if you don’t love that outline with a passion, why the hell bother developing one page of it? I think too many people skip the long, cathartic, brainstorming and musing process, and rush straight into development. For years and years and years they hammer out mediocre garbage because they don’t spend enough time on the most elementary, basic, and essential beginning phase: thinking. I see it over and over again in subs. People who have written dozens, sometimes over a hundred works, yet have had no success. That’s not good. That means there is a major problem in the process, and I believe it’s usually the beginning. If you don’t love one project enough to rewrite it to death, hell, to your own death, let it go and sit down on the couch and daydream. Do not confuse what I’m saying as advice against writing prolifically. I’m saying don’t write prolifically until you’ve spent an absurd amount of time living and dreaming your ideal work without writing a single word. Passion must be there. The world must be in your head before you type one word. When the writing begins, you should be so convinced and enamored and intoxicated by your world that the words pour out and rewriting is close to effortless. I strongly believe that months, even years of musing on projects can be necessary to prepare them in such a way that when you finally do write it, it’ll be fun, easy, and great, even if it takes a while. | 0 | 45,291 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipsisje | ipptpbm | 1,664,072,007 | 1,664,027,667 | 2 | 1 | Yes. *Most of the time*. Slamming out works ain’t the solution unless you’re already an established author with fans who will buy your product regardless of how good it is. I think that almost any good work is preceded by an incredible amount of hours of thought and meditation before the outlining process even begins. And then, if you don’t love that outline with a passion, why the hell bother developing one page of it? I think too many people skip the long, cathartic, brainstorming and musing process, and rush straight into development. For years and years and years they hammer out mediocre garbage because they don’t spend enough time on the most elementary, basic, and essential beginning phase: thinking. I see it over and over again in subs. People who have written dozens, sometimes over a hundred works, yet have had no success. That’s not good. That means there is a major problem in the process, and I believe it’s usually the beginning. If you don’t love one project enough to rewrite it to death, hell, to your own death, let it go and sit down on the couch and daydream. Do not confuse what I’m saying as advice against writing prolifically. I’m saying don’t write prolifically until you’ve spent an absurd amount of time living and dreaming your ideal work without writing a single word. Passion must be there. The world must be in your head before you type one word. When the writing begins, you should be so convinced and enamored and intoxicated by your world that the words pour out and rewriting is close to effortless. I strongly believe that months, even years of musing on projects can be necessary to prepare them in such a way that when you finally do write it, it’ll be fun, easy, and great, even if it takes a while. | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | 1 | 44,340 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippqy20 | ipsjeuy | 1,664,026,245 | 1,664,072,334 | 1 | 2 | I haven’t given up yet. Never got beyond Chapter 4 or 5 because I always stop to revise my plot. There have been times where I’ve been down in the dumps about it and wishing I could just quit and find a new hobby. But I really really really enjoy writing. So I always end up going back to it even when I feel like quitting. If it’s any consolation, you can break out of the cycle. I’ve gotten farther with my current story than I ever have before. | if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don't do it. if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen or hunched over your typewriter searching for words, don't do it. if you're doing it for money or fame, don't do it. if you're doing it because you want women in your bed, don't do it. if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don't do it. if it's hard work just thinking about doing it, don't do it. if you're trying to write like somebody else, forget about it. if you have to wait for it to roar out of you, then wait patiently. if it never does roar out of you, do something else. if you first have to read it to your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your parents or to anybody at all, you're not ready. don't be like so many writers, don't be like so many thousands of people who call themselves writers, don't be dull and boring and pretentious, don't be consumed with self- love. the libraries of the world have yawned themselves to sleep over your kind. don't add to that. don't do it. unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, don't do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don't do it. when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you. there is no other way. and there never was. | 0 | 46,089 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ippruce | ipsjeuy | 1,664,026,716 | 1,664,072,334 | 1 | 2 | No because “giving up” is a mental obstacle. It’s not the same thing as sacrifice. If a better alternative presents itself and you take it, nothing has been “given up” We’re talking about that feeling, right? The way it feels? If we’re talking about quit, like whether it’s okay to quit, quit isn’t the same as giving up. Dave Chappelle made the distinction between being poor and being broke. Poor is a mentality that is hard to disabuse, broke is a momentary condition. See the difference? It’s okay to quit but you don’t ever want to see yourself as having given up. One’s temporary and the other you keep forever | if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don't do it. if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen or hunched over your typewriter searching for words, don't do it. if you're doing it for money or fame, don't do it. if you're doing it because you want women in your bed, don't do it. if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don't do it. if it's hard work just thinking about doing it, don't do it. if you're trying to write like somebody else, forget about it. if you have to wait for it to roar out of you, then wait patiently. if it never does roar out of you, do something else. if you first have to read it to your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your parents or to anybody at all, you're not ready. don't be like so many writers, don't be like so many thousands of people who call themselves writers, don't be dull and boring and pretentious, don't be consumed with self- love. the libraries of the world have yawned themselves to sleep over your kind. don't add to that. don't do it. unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, don't do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don't do it. when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you. there is no other way. and there never was. | 0 | 45,618 | 2 | ||
xmsmtg | writing_train | 0.91 | Is there ever a time you should just give up? I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I remember showing terrible stories to my English teacher when I was 8. It's always called to me. But, beyond a couple of fanfiction pieces, I have never ever finished anything. Never hit "the end" on that first draft. I have been trying that yearly writing competition on and off since I was 15. I'm now nearly 33. I have never "won". I have tried short stories. I have tried planning, pantsing. I have tried the snowflake method. I have tried piecing stuff together. I have tried worldbuilding huge enormous worlds and wonderfully complex characters. I have tried starting with a blank page and just going. I have tried writing a little every day "no matter what". I have joined writing groups. I have gone solo. I have co-written or used others to bounce my ideas off, and I have also tried it completely silently without telling anyone. The result is always the same. I get to maybe 15-16k as a crunch point - either in a couple of days or a few weeks - and it just... stops. I've given up several times, too, but then I read something and all I want to do is write. It never leaves me alone. But I can never follow things through to the end. What do I do? Is this just my life now? I have already been doing this for nearly two decades. Not sure I really want to do this for two decades more. | ipptpbm | ipsjeuy | 1,664,027,667 | 1,664,072,334 | 1 | 2 | I have two answers to this. The first is general agreement with everyone else. Anything you begin you should finish and if you can't then at the very least you should know why. Clarifying a problem may not necessarily lead to a solution but you cannot solve a problem which lacks definition. Some works need seep time. Every author has things which they have been toying with for years that mean too much to rush but when that becomes the rule rather than the exception you have a problem. You are not a cook if your shit never gets to the oven, your not an architect if you never finish a draft and if you can't land a story, well, don't quit your day job. The second answer is to stop before you burn yourself out. Low effort and uninspired work will kill your reputation and your ability to produce. Knowing when to walk away will take time to dial in, but everyone needs distance from their work from time to time. Personally, whenever I need a break I take on a project, like restoring a car, then get back into writing once I have finished it. That works for me, you will find your own rhythm. I am a couple months away from ending a haitus which began with the pandemic. Writing at the time just seemed a little ridiculous. Enough normalcy has returned to my life and the world generally that I am ready to get back into it. All of which is to say we have all been there and best of luck getting yourself sorted. But | if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don't do it. if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen or hunched over your typewriter searching for words, don't do it. if you're doing it for money or fame, don't do it. if you're doing it because you want women in your bed, don't do it. if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don't do it. if it's hard work just thinking about doing it, don't do it. if you're trying to write like somebody else, forget about it. if you have to wait for it to roar out of you, then wait patiently. if it never does roar out of you, do something else. if you first have to read it to your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your parents or to anybody at all, you're not ready. don't be like so many writers, don't be like so many thousands of people who call themselves writers, don't be dull and boring and pretentious, don't be consumed with self- love. the libraries of the world have yawned themselves to sleep over your kind. don't add to that. don't do it. unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, don't do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don't do it. when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you. there is no other way. and there never was. | 0 | 44,667 | 2 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftpy9q6 | ftpxqdq | 1,591,899,550 | 1,591,899,291 | 9 | 2 | I don't think details like that matter much. Creating stores/restaurants/etc. of your own is perfectly normal. What's more important is to get the overall ambience of the city correctly, and also things like distances (if going from A to B takes at lest half an hour in real life, your characters shouldn't do that in 5 mins, for example.) Google maps & street view is your friend with these things. Edited to add: this brought to my mind this video clip of Jim Butcher talking about his books that take place in Chicago. This is also a cautionary tale of being too exact with your descriptions. 😂 https://youtu.be/XT3sn\_E8xo8?t=872 | Doesn’t have to be too detailed Remember diagon alley in Harry Potters London? It was a whole different area behind a nondescript brick wall Or platform 9 and 3/4? You can go to the real station but walking into walls won’t get you far lol | 1 | 259 | 4.5 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftq17u3 | ftpz2m4 | 1,591,900,944 | 1,591,899,926 | 5 | 3 | I'm going to go a little against the grain and say that being at least nominally accurate when using a real city is important. Whenever we choose to set stories in real places, it's helpful to examine why we are making that choice. Take Boston, for instance. If I'm setting a story in Boston, is it because there's something specific to my plot about Boston that wouldn't work in another city? If so, it's important to at least get those aspects of the city correct. If you're going to invite a reader's real world associations by setting a story in a real world city, I think you owe it to them to have some sense of verisimilitude. Otherwise, why would you bother setting it in a real place at all, if all you really need for a plot is a fictional "New York City Type." Basically, I think you can get away with inaccuracy in a city, but incorporating what that city has to offer can give your story depth and nuance you might not otherwise have been able to harness. | I think it’s one of those things that only stands out if you’re from that city. I’ve never been to New York, so I don’t know if the dozens of depictions of New York I’ve seen over the years is accurate. But if someone were to write about my tiny ass hometown in North Carolina, I would be nitpicking the hell out of it. I think so long as you match the vibes and are accurate to the actual big landmarks (don’t put the Statue of Liberty where the Empire State Building goes) it’s probably fine. You’ll always have a few people from that city that will nitpick, but the majority won’t notice. | 1 | 1,018 | 1.666667 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftpyqhs | ftq17u3 | 1,591,899,772 | 1,591,900,944 | 3 | 5 | There's no rule to it. Personally, I would use a fictional name to avoid any conflict within. Meaning, people from the area will look forward to connecting the dots, outsiders might Google maps it. I did that for Me and Earl And The Dying Girl. But again, there is no rule for it. | I'm going to go a little against the grain and say that being at least nominally accurate when using a real city is important. Whenever we choose to set stories in real places, it's helpful to examine why we are making that choice. Take Boston, for instance. If I'm setting a story in Boston, is it because there's something specific to my plot about Boston that wouldn't work in another city? If so, it's important to at least get those aspects of the city correct. If you're going to invite a reader's real world associations by setting a story in a real world city, I think you owe it to them to have some sense of verisimilitude. Otherwise, why would you bother setting it in a real place at all, if all you really need for a plot is a fictional "New York City Type." Basically, I think you can get away with inaccuracy in a city, but incorporating what that city has to offer can give your story depth and nuance you might not otherwise have been able to harness. | 0 | 1,172 | 1.666667 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftq17u3 | ftpxqdq | 1,591,900,944 | 1,591,899,291 | 5 | 2 | I'm going to go a little against the grain and say that being at least nominally accurate when using a real city is important. Whenever we choose to set stories in real places, it's helpful to examine why we are making that choice. Take Boston, for instance. If I'm setting a story in Boston, is it because there's something specific to my plot about Boston that wouldn't work in another city? If so, it's important to at least get those aspects of the city correct. If you're going to invite a reader's real world associations by setting a story in a real world city, I think you owe it to them to have some sense of verisimilitude. Otherwise, why would you bother setting it in a real place at all, if all you really need for a plot is a fictional "New York City Type." Basically, I think you can get away with inaccuracy in a city, but incorporating what that city has to offer can give your story depth and nuance you might not otherwise have been able to harness. | Doesn’t have to be too detailed Remember diagon alley in Harry Potters London? It was a whole different area behind a nondescript brick wall Or platform 9 and 3/4? You can go to the real station but walking into walls won’t get you far lol | 1 | 1,653 | 2.5 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftpybuv | ftq17u3 | 1,591,899,579 | 1,591,900,944 | 2 | 5 | It's cool if it is accurate. It gives the reader a sense of gripping reality. But it also depends on how you describe the place that way the reader knows exactly what you are talking about. | I'm going to go a little against the grain and say that being at least nominally accurate when using a real city is important. Whenever we choose to set stories in real places, it's helpful to examine why we are making that choice. Take Boston, for instance. If I'm setting a story in Boston, is it because there's something specific to my plot about Boston that wouldn't work in another city? If so, it's important to at least get those aspects of the city correct. If you're going to invite a reader's real world associations by setting a story in a real world city, I think you owe it to them to have some sense of verisimilitude. Otherwise, why would you bother setting it in a real place at all, if all you really need for a plot is a fictional "New York City Type." Basically, I think you can get away with inaccuracy in a city, but incorporating what that city has to offer can give your story depth and nuance you might not otherwise have been able to harness. | 0 | 1,365 | 2.5 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftpz2m4 | ftpxqdq | 1,591,899,926 | 1,591,899,291 | 3 | 2 | I think it’s one of those things that only stands out if you’re from that city. I’ve never been to New York, so I don’t know if the dozens of depictions of New York I’ve seen over the years is accurate. But if someone were to write about my tiny ass hometown in North Carolina, I would be nitpicking the hell out of it. I think so long as you match the vibes and are accurate to the actual big landmarks (don’t put the Statue of Liberty where the Empire State Building goes) it’s probably fine. You’ll always have a few people from that city that will nitpick, but the majority won’t notice. | Doesn’t have to be too detailed Remember diagon alley in Harry Potters London? It was a whole different area behind a nondescript brick wall Or platform 9 and 3/4? You can go to the real station but walking into walls won’t get you far lol | 1 | 635 | 1.5 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftpz2m4 | ftpybuv | 1,591,899,926 | 1,591,899,579 | 3 | 2 | I think it’s one of those things that only stands out if you’re from that city. I’ve never been to New York, so I don’t know if the dozens of depictions of New York I’ve seen over the years is accurate. But if someone were to write about my tiny ass hometown in North Carolina, I would be nitpicking the hell out of it. I think so long as you match the vibes and are accurate to the actual big landmarks (don’t put the Statue of Liberty where the Empire State Building goes) it’s probably fine. You’ll always have a few people from that city that will nitpick, but the majority won’t notice. | It's cool if it is accurate. It gives the reader a sense of gripping reality. But it also depends on how you describe the place that way the reader knows exactly what you are talking about. | 1 | 347 | 1.5 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftpyqhs | ftpxqdq | 1,591,899,772 | 1,591,899,291 | 3 | 2 | There's no rule to it. Personally, I would use a fictional name to avoid any conflict within. Meaning, people from the area will look forward to connecting the dots, outsiders might Google maps it. I did that for Me and Earl And The Dying Girl. But again, there is no rule for it. | Doesn’t have to be too detailed Remember diagon alley in Harry Potters London? It was a whole different area behind a nondescript brick wall Or platform 9 and 3/4? You can go to the real station but walking into walls won’t get you far lol | 1 | 481 | 1.5 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftpybuv | ftpyqhs | 1,591,899,579 | 1,591,899,772 | 2 | 3 | It's cool if it is accurate. It gives the reader a sense of gripping reality. But it also depends on how you describe the place that way the reader knows exactly what you are talking about. | There's no rule to it. Personally, I would use a fictional name to avoid any conflict within. Meaning, people from the area will look forward to connecting the dots, outsiders might Google maps it. I did that for Me and Earl And The Dying Girl. But again, there is no rule for it. | 0 | 193 | 1.5 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftq78iq | ftq51ms | 1,591,903,822 | 1,591,902,766 | 2 | 1 | No, it's not necessary for the restaurant or shop to be real. That is part of creating a fictional narrative. As long as it's feasible that such a restaurant or shop could exist in the location you put the story. | You can put in fake businesses etc. Just, if you choose to use real places, aim for accuracy. Otherwise people who live there will get annoyed (I read a story where a character left the US Capitol and then walked to a metro stop that would be an absurd walk to get to when Capitol South is right there. Took me out of the moment since I used to work down there and it made no sense). | 1 | 1,056 | 2 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftqc15v | ftq51ms | 1,591,906,121 | 1,591,902,766 | 2 | 1 | With bigger cities like London I have seen people make up streets or even districts (Sunhill in The Bill TV series for instance) but the key is to make everything else accurate so that the made up place feasibly could exist. Figure out where it is in relation to real places etc and what it would feel like, the kind of architecture etc there would be if it existed in that area. Using London again, if you made up an area in North London, you could look at Highgate, Crouch End, Finchley etc. It’s probably going to have a lot of old Victorian terraces converted into flats with shops or takeaways on the ground floor. If it’s in Docklands, there might still be some older housing but there would probably be a load of ultra modern developments as well, and it’s more likely to be on the DLR than the Tube. I’ve invented a housing estate for my book but I found an area of Prague, where the story’s set, where it would be normal to find that sort of housing, then I’ve worked out travel times, routes etc from that fake point on the map. But it wouldn’t work, for instance, if I said it was just beside the Old Town Hall as there’s no housing of that kind in that area. | You can put in fake businesses etc. Just, if you choose to use real places, aim for accuracy. Otherwise people who live there will get annoyed (I read a story where a character left the US Capitol and then walked to a metro stop that would be an absurd walk to get to when Capitol South is right there. Took me out of the moment since I used to work down there and it made no sense). | 1 | 3,355 | 2 | ||
h14lrk | writing_train | 0.78 | When a story setting is in a real city, how important is it to be accurate with locations? If a group of characters go out for dinner or something, is it critical that the restaurant actually exists in that city? What about if a character owns a store on the corner of x street and y street, but it's a different store on the real life corner? Or maybe I shouldn't be so detailed? | ftrf8a3 | ftq51ms | 1,591,926,879 | 1,591,902,766 | 2 | 1 | Very important when you're doing famous landmarks, because millions and millions and millions of people are gonna be familiar with Trafalgar Square or the Empire State Building or whatever, and they *will* bitch about it get stuff wrong. You can get a lot vaguer with the everyday stuff though, with made up streets and shops and parks all over the place as long as they feel like they'd fit in the suburbs you're putting them in. | You can put in fake businesses etc. Just, if you choose to use real places, aim for accuracy. Otherwise people who live there will get annoyed (I read a story where a character left the US Capitol and then walked to a metro stop that would be an absurd walk to get to when Capitol South is right there. Took me out of the moment since I used to work down there and it made no sense). | 1 | 24,113 | 2 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqc25p4 | iqc5cpf | 1,664,430,349 | 1,664,432,774 | 20 | 81 | Write what you want to write, the way you feel comfortable writing it. Everything else can wait. | No, it’s fine. Ignore what people say is ‘correct’ and write how you want to write. If you’d like to see how many successful writers use first-person present, check out the replies under Philip Pullman’s tweet about it. Oh, and I’m a publisher. | 0 | 2,425 | 4.05 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqc5cpf | iqc2s5a | 1,664,432,774 | 1,664,430,809 | 81 | 1 | No, it’s fine. Ignore what people say is ‘correct’ and write how you want to write. If you’d like to see how many successful writers use first-person present, check out the replies under Philip Pullman’s tweet about it. Oh, and I’m a publisher. | It's a first draft. Write it how you're comfortable writing it and worry about the technical stuff in edits. I personally think present tense is the worst, but that's my own opinion, and I've used it myself (kicking, screaming, and swearing the entire time) a few times when the story called for it. | 1 | 1,965 | 81 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcbcv5 | iqc25p4 | 1,664,437,810 | 1,664,430,349 | 23 | 20 | You can write whatever tense and perspective you want. Will people read it? Depends. Second person future might be a tough sell in fiction. Seriously though, write in first person it if you want to. If it helps, romance is a genre that loves first person. Go to Amazon, search "rom com", select "books" so you don't get all of the 90s films, and then look at the samples. Plenty of first person present in there. | Write what you want to write, the way you feel comfortable writing it. Everything else can wait. | 1 | 7,461 | 1.15 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqc5qyj | iqcbcv5 | 1,664,433,093 | 1,664,437,810 | 19 | 23 | It's not a no-go, just a very strong color, compared to "vanilla" (past tense, third person). If used well, it can be very effective, creating a strong in-your-face, right-here-right-now mood. If used not so well, it can easily come across as pretentious, awkward, or trying too hard. So, can you pull it off? One way to find out. | You can write whatever tense and perspective you want. Will people read it? Depends. Second person future might be a tough sell in fiction. Seriously though, write in first person it if you want to. If it helps, romance is a genre that loves first person. Go to Amazon, search "rom com", select "books" so you don't get all of the 90s films, and then look at the samples. Plenty of first person present in there. | 0 | 4,717 | 1.210526 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcbcv5 | iqc2s5a | 1,664,437,810 | 1,664,430,809 | 23 | 1 | You can write whatever tense and perspective you want. Will people read it? Depends. Second person future might be a tough sell in fiction. Seriously though, write in first person it if you want to. If it helps, romance is a genre that loves first person. Go to Amazon, search "rom com", select "books" so you don't get all of the 90s films, and then look at the samples. Plenty of first person present in there. | It's a first draft. Write it how you're comfortable writing it and worry about the technical stuff in edits. I personally think present tense is the worst, but that's my own opinion, and I've used it myself (kicking, screaming, and swearing the entire time) a few times when the story called for it. | 1 | 7,001 | 23 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqc25p4 | iqclfsh | 1,664,430,349 | 1,664,446,723 | 20 | 21 | Write what you want to write, the way you feel comfortable writing it. Everything else can wait. | Walk into a bookshop or a library. Go into the mainstream fiction, non-genre section. Open books at random. Most will be written in third person, but you'll be surprised how many are in first person. If it's good enough for Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood, Vladimir Nabakov, and JD Salinger, it's good enough for you. See, there's a thing with writing advice online. People love to give it, even when they have no idea what they're talking about. And sometimes it spreads and people repeat it, even though it's total nonsense. But, there's a really simple way to put writing advice to the test. It's called reading. If someone tells you something about writing, all you have to do it pick up a bunch of books to see whether or not it's true. | 0 | 16,374 | 1.05 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqc5qyj | iqclfsh | 1,664,433,093 | 1,664,446,723 | 19 | 21 | It's not a no-go, just a very strong color, compared to "vanilla" (past tense, third person). If used well, it can be very effective, creating a strong in-your-face, right-here-right-now mood. If used not so well, it can easily come across as pretentious, awkward, or trying too hard. So, can you pull it off? One way to find out. | Walk into a bookshop or a library. Go into the mainstream fiction, non-genre section. Open books at random. Most will be written in third person, but you'll be surprised how many are in first person. If it's good enough for Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood, Vladimir Nabakov, and JD Salinger, it's good enough for you. See, there's a thing with writing advice online. People love to give it, even when they have no idea what they're talking about. And sometimes it spreads and people repeat it, even though it's total nonsense. But, there's a really simple way to put writing advice to the test. It's called reading. If someone tells you something about writing, all you have to do it pick up a bunch of books to see whether or not it's true. | 0 | 13,630 | 1.105263 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqclfsh | iqcguos | 1,664,446,723 | 1,664,442,793 | 21 | 7 | Walk into a bookshop or a library. Go into the mainstream fiction, non-genre section. Open books at random. Most will be written in third person, but you'll be surprised how many are in first person. If it's good enough for Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood, Vladimir Nabakov, and JD Salinger, it's good enough for you. See, there's a thing with writing advice online. People love to give it, even when they have no idea what they're talking about. And sometimes it spreads and people repeat it, even though it's total nonsense. But, there's a really simple way to put writing advice to the test. It's called reading. If someone tells you something about writing, all you have to do it pick up a bunch of books to see whether or not it's true. | 1st present also shows up in romance, so I think you'll be fine. Esp as a romcom. Just go for it and write it, then see how much you want to change in revision. | 1 | 3,930 | 3 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqclfsh | iqc2s5a | 1,664,446,723 | 1,664,430,809 | 21 | 1 | Walk into a bookshop or a library. Go into the mainstream fiction, non-genre section. Open books at random. Most will be written in third person, but you'll be surprised how many are in first person. If it's good enough for Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood, Vladimir Nabakov, and JD Salinger, it's good enough for you. See, there's a thing with writing advice online. People love to give it, even when they have no idea what they're talking about. And sometimes it spreads and people repeat it, even though it's total nonsense. But, there's a really simple way to put writing advice to the test. It's called reading. If someone tells you something about writing, all you have to do it pick up a bunch of books to see whether or not it's true. | It's a first draft. Write it how you're comfortable writing it and worry about the technical stuff in edits. I personally think present tense is the worst, but that's my own opinion, and I've used it myself (kicking, screaming, and swearing the entire time) a few times when the story called for it. | 1 | 15,914 | 21 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqc2s5a | iqc5qyj | 1,664,430,809 | 1,664,433,093 | 1 | 19 | It's a first draft. Write it how you're comfortable writing it and worry about the technical stuff in edits. I personally think present tense is the worst, but that's my own opinion, and I've used it myself (kicking, screaming, and swearing the entire time) a few times when the story called for it. | It's not a no-go, just a very strong color, compared to "vanilla" (past tense, third person). If used well, it can be very effective, creating a strong in-your-face, right-here-right-now mood. If used not so well, it can easily come across as pretentious, awkward, or trying too hard. So, can you pull it off? One way to find out. | 0 | 2,284 | 19 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcguos | iqcxzm6 | 1,664,442,793 | 1,664,454,754 | 7 | 16 | 1st present also shows up in romance, so I think you'll be fine. Esp as a romcom. Just go for it and write it, then see how much you want to change in revision. | Sure. That's why you never, ever, ever, ever see any books ever written in first person. Ever. Personally, QuillsAndQuills avoids even writing Reddit comments in first-person POV. It's a sign of weakness and amateurism, which she will not stand for. (jokes aside - write whatever the hell you want.) | 0 | 11,961 | 2.285714 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcxzm6 | iqcnxvc | 1,664,454,754 | 1,664,448,640 | 16 | 6 | Sure. That's why you never, ever, ever, ever see any books ever written in first person. Ever. Personally, QuillsAndQuills avoids even writing Reddit comments in first-person POV. It's a sign of weakness and amateurism, which she will not stand for. (jokes aside - write whatever the hell you want.) | I also write first person + present tense. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Maybe it's not as common but if writing is easier or more fun that way, go with it. | 1 | 6,114 | 2.666667 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcqf7m | iqcxzm6 | 1,664,450,353 | 1,664,454,754 | 4 | 16 | Write however it feels right for you, especially if it's your first go, the more you write the more clearly you will see what suits you. I'm also currently writing a book in first person present tense, switching 4 POVs and I love it. | Sure. That's why you never, ever, ever, ever see any books ever written in first person. Ever. Personally, QuillsAndQuills avoids even writing Reddit comments in first-person POV. It's a sign of weakness and amateurism, which she will not stand for. (jokes aside - write whatever the hell you want.) | 0 | 4,401 | 4 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcxzm6 | iqc2s5a | 1,664,454,754 | 1,664,430,809 | 16 | 1 | Sure. That's why you never, ever, ever, ever see any books ever written in first person. Ever. Personally, QuillsAndQuills avoids even writing Reddit comments in first-person POV. It's a sign of weakness and amateurism, which she will not stand for. (jokes aside - write whatever the hell you want.) | It's a first draft. Write it how you're comfortable writing it and worry about the technical stuff in edits. I personally think present tense is the worst, but that's my own opinion, and I've used it myself (kicking, screaming, and swearing the entire time) a few times when the story called for it. | 1 | 23,945 | 16 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcguos | iqc2s5a | 1,664,442,793 | 1,664,430,809 | 7 | 1 | 1st present also shows up in romance, so I think you'll be fine. Esp as a romcom. Just go for it and write it, then see how much you want to change in revision. | It's a first draft. Write it how you're comfortable writing it and worry about the technical stuff in edits. I personally think present tense is the worst, but that's my own opinion, and I've used it myself (kicking, screaming, and swearing the entire time) a few times when the story called for it. | 1 | 11,984 | 7 | ||
xqzk2w | writing_train | 0.84 | Is first person present absolutely a no go? This is my first real go at writing a book, and I'm struggling a bit with the tense it should be written in. I keep naturally going for first person present, but everything I've learnt has told me that unless it's YA, that's a no go. What I am writing is an adult (characters are in their 30's) rom com type book that is based around a sport. Should I persevere and try and get used to writing in past tense, or should I go with what feels natural? | iqcnxvc | iqc2s5a | 1,664,448,640 | 1,664,430,809 | 6 | 1 | I also write first person + present tense. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Maybe it's not as common but if writing is easier or more fun that way, go with it. | It's a first draft. Write it how you're comfortable writing it and worry about the technical stuff in edits. I personally think present tense is the worst, but that's my own opinion, and I've used it myself (kicking, screaming, and swearing the entire time) a few times when the story called for it. | 1 | 17,831 | 6 |
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