Unfinished Fics Discussion

[louisev]

I have had many instances of losing the inspiration on a story, so hopefully my tips can help you get back on track!  Let me know, would you?

By the way, are you still reading the Greenlea Tales?

[NavyVet]

An update on me:

Hello, everyone!  Hello, Louise!

Overall, I'm doing pretty well.       Still trying to keep up with numerous fanfics in numerous fandoms, though lost track of various message boards and forums that I enjoyed.  Busy with other things, but still addicted to reading and TV.  I love my new laptop - a Qosmio F50.  Going to Washington, DC next week and looking forward to it.  Last year, I was switched to a different medication, which works much better.  I feel better and so far I've lost 21 pounds since January!

Louise, I took your advice and it really helped.  I went back and re-read a lot of my work (not all 232,000+ words!) but a lot.  Then I did a bullet outline, listing points and events that still needed to be covered and the order they needed to happen in.  Anyway, I  wrote and sent another 3,300 word installment to my faithful Beta, and it was posted.  I am seeing the end in sight and hope to wrap everything up soon.
Unfortunately, I think that particular fandom is pretty much dead or maybe just too much time has gone by between postings.  I have no idea if anyone is reading my story as I've not received one comment, review, e-mail, etc.

I believe the only thing worse than getting negative feedback is:  Getting no feedback at all.  Can anyone here imagine that?  Somehow I doubt that's ever been a problem for BbM fic authors.  Fans either love it or hate it and seem to be very vocal about it.    
Wonder what it feels like to write something that people actually get excited about?
Anyway, I'm trying very hard to not take it personally.  It's a bit discouraging, though.  I'm determined to finish what I started way back when, if just to say I finished it.

Louise, I'm afraid I lost track of your saga.  *hangs head in embarrassment*  I think I had left off at Chesterfield Fortune?  IIRC, that was around the time of the 'transition' and I simply couldn't stop picturing the original (you-know-who) and get used to the new names.
*sheepish grin*

Hugs,
NV

[louisev]

I'm glad my suggestions helped.  And believe me, I know what it's like to not get feedback.  That's my life up to and including my fourth completed novel.  I couldn't get a single friend of mine to read my manuscripts.  I don't know whether it was because I was too whiny about it, or because my friends weren't readers, or didn't like fiction or what, because the reasons were different for each person.  Wait - there was a single exception - my friend Mary, who is a voracious reader and read and liked what she wrote because she likes historical fiction.  That was all I wrote then, historical novels with a military component. 

I never got comments outside of my one friend until I tried my hand at Brokeback fanfic back in April of 2006... and man, that was a whole different experience!!!

And about the "transition" to the new character names... you weren't the only one, I lost about half of my readers, or maybe a little more.  But not all of them.  In fact, while I was a bit dejected that I lost readers through no fault of my own - I had to either scrap the stories or rewrite them - I was also overjoyed that so many people went back and reread with the new names and the extensive copyedits I did on the first two books and were very pleased.  So it was a mixed blessing.

[Marge_Innavera]

I have had many instances of losing the inspiration on a story, so hopefully my tips can help you get back on track!  Let me know, would you?

One of the things that my venture into fiction writing has taught me is that the inspiration can come and go. There are times when it just seems to have to lie fallow for a time, with things presumably happening underneath.