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 Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:02 pm
I'm feeling weird, and I can't seem to finish anything. I can start, I can write, I can almost finish a chapter, but I can't FINISH it.
I have 5 unfinished chapters. (Most of it is fanfiction, the rest is my fiction)
Any advice?
Oh, and my reviewers and best friend are going to come after me soon. I haven't updated, in like, forever. sweatdrop
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:52 pm
In a way, I kind of don't finish all my chapters either, but I post them anyways, claiming they're finished. It's just that the end of the chapter strikes me as awkward, like it ended on the wrong note. Reviewers have told me it isn't as bad as I think, but I cringe just about every time. I'm just plain terrible at it.
Really though, you can end a chapter anywhere. There's no minimum number of words you have to have for a chapter. If you're having trouble finishing a chapter, cut what you have in half or something, and then post that. It'll at least be an update. Maybe a cliff-hanger, but an update just the same and that's better than none at all.
You could also try writing out the entire story first, without worrying about chapters, and then cut it up later. It isn't necessarily the best idea, but it might help.
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 10:29 pm
Thank you for the advice! heart
I know there's no minimum. But I could never bring myself to cut what I have in half or otherwise. Because, I have certain goals for each chapter, like, "this has to be revealed" or "this must happen" otherwise, I get lost, and the plot dies. sweatdrop
And, if I post an incomplete chapter, my best friend will notice immediately that it's unfinished, and ask me about it... which is troublesome...
I really should write it all out before I post it, eh? I'll attempt that with a fic I'm writing now, but I don't know yet if will work for me...
If I find that I can't reach the goal in one of the chapters of the fics the most reviewers are asking for, I'll cut it, and see how it affects the rest of my story, but does anyone have any other advice? Or am I screwed? Because I don't really think that will work for me. sweatdrop
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 3:23 pm
Well, do you at least have a general outline for each chapter? Like an idea of 'this is going to happen then I'll stop it there, and make this happen in the next chapter'?
I find that if I do that vaguely I can get in everything I want to easily into a chapter. Although I haven't written lately due to severe de-motivation but...
Maybe try writing, just write. Get all your ideas down, or write what you think you want in a chapter. And then write beyond that. And then maybe try cutting back on that after you've finished?
Or maybe try taking a break from them? Write something else? Practise getting chapters done?
Perhaps you could try thinking up what's going to happen in the next chapter due to the events that take place in the current chapter? If the character needs to get to point C due to something in your current chapter and you know this maybe you could try and work towards finishing the chapter with the goal of 'point C' (whatever it may be) in mind?
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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:28 pm
I believe you should never force such things (unless for school). It is okay to have some unfinished ideas, you need to work the ending out in your head, make note or a timeline.
Get yourself exctied about finishing it and you'll be able to, and then carry that motivation over to the next one.
I tend to start something, then start off in another direction midway through and then come back to it and I bring something new that even I hadn't first expected. I write my own fiction, but the concept is generally the same. Don't focus on when you update, focus on what you update with and it should relieve any stress you feel about the unfinished chapters.
good luck!
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Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:37 pm
Thanks guys, for the awesome advice. heart I guess I'll try that....
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:14 pm
I have to same problem as you.....well sort of. I mostly write at night and after a while (this happened last night) I got too tired to finish so I had to put it away. It's already 3 o'clock and I haven't picked it back up yet.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:19 pm
Like many of you, I too have the same problem. I think it's also because I feel a bit sad when I end a chapter and/or a story. It's like you're finalizing that that's that, the end, the stopping place forever. I feel like I'm destroying a story rather than creating one by ending a chapter.
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Matelia legwll Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:48 pm
I usually drag my stories out longer than they honestly need. First because I can't bear to say goodbye to the characters, and second because I want to make sure I have the best possible endings. It's an area I find I need work on, so I do try to work on the endings.
But yes, don't worry about having some unfinished ideas when you post. Maybe a reviewer will have some inspiration for you on how exactly to do the things you want to do.
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