Expounding on my last post about quitting, Spy Scribbler pointed out the root of my motivation. Thanks to wonderful her - I'm so happy to have her in my realm.
True, many writers begin a project only to set it aside when it stops talking to them, never to return. And then there are those writers like Liz Kreger and myself. May I call us anal? Speaking for myself, unfinished things make me nuts. Like the scarf I've been crocheting for the past two weeks. It should be done by now, but I keep unraveling it due to errors. Actually, I'm not a crochet-maven. (I'll leave that moniker to Erica Orloff.) But still, I'm going to make sure to finish it just because I'll otherwise feel defeated if I don't. And there's no ball of yarn on the planet that's going to get the best of me. No sireee-Bob!
But that's just me, and maybe Liz Kreger.
The point is, it's not about quitting the story, it's about quitting writing entirely. That's my point, and I truly believe that non-quitters are extremely hopeful, and that hope, in part, is a by-product of survival.
There. Case closed unless more comments come through.
8 comments:
If I love a book and characters, I won't give up on it. I felt I was stumbling on my wip, so I stopped and figured out how to make it work. Anything can be saved -- but we have to want to save it instead of going after the shiny new idea.
Well said, Edie. No wonder you're a finalist in the American Title Contest.
LOL. Sure, you can call me anal. I just feel like when I start of project, I gotta finish it. Hmmm, I should clarify. Finish something I think is important.
Writing = important
Cross-stitching that I've ignored for years = not important.
You know, I could probably sit down and name every single thing I've ever quit at, since I rarely let myself do so. And when I do quit something, I think about it forever afterward. As for quitting writing? I'm not sure I could ever give it up, not entirely. Oh, maybe for a while in a fit of pique, but forever? No way. The words, the stories, the characters must come out.
I like what Edie said. You have to want it enough to attain it. There are few time in our lives--if any--where things just fall into our laps. I think if they did, we wouldn't appreciate them as much and probably find it easier to quit. Not me. I've invested too much time and energy into making each story better. Quitting isn't an option. ;-)
Liz, good clarification. Cross-stitching isn't at the top of my list, either lol. But damn, that ball of yarn just isn't gonna win! :)
Caryn, that's how I feel as far as the characters. If I don't finish I feel like they're getting lonely there on my hard drive. Okay, maybe that sounds nuts, but I do consider them as if they're living and breathing.
Marcia, too true. If you've worked hard at something it just can't be let go. Although, I have my days of feeling defeated, I'm lucky to have friends who keep me afloat.
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