Thanks for popping in here Alexis... I am not reading TTTB and AIW (but as I heard from others I should, so I will jump on the bandwagon soon when I have the time), but I love Fortunate Son and I was thrilled to see an update for that a while back. It's one of the most interesting fics out there just because of the unique dynamic between Ennis and Jack, and even though it depresses the hell out of me how Jack is now, it's also very interesting to read.
Anyway, what I wanted to add to this discussion. I write three stories right now, one of which is finishing up, and I always discuss writing with my boyfriend who is a painter and is working on 6 different paintings right now. If he doesn't feel inspired to continue one painting, then he will move on to the other, and this ALWAYS benefits his works, because when he comes back to the work he abandoned, he can always look at it with a fresh point of view. It's exactly the same thing with writing, if an author abandons a work, it's not for small reasons, it's because they have to let it rest for a while and then come back to it and know exactly what the story needs to continue.
Mel