23 Unfinished Stories and counting
A challenge to myself
My eyes glass over as I gaze upon another challenge from Vocal while at the same time watching my subscription notices pile in from other writers who have completed yet another story, article, or poem. While my screen light glows empty with unfinished projects of my own.
Most are fictional stories, as that is what I am most comfortable with. Now that I wrote that line, I think of what a business mentor of mine once said.
'Don't become comfortable, it is too close to being complacent.'
I don't know if that is true, but...
To be fair, I have three finished stories ready to be submitted. The thing is, I do not feel they are ready. WHY? because I like them and do not want to submit something I feel deserves better. They are good stories but not great, not yet.
Look, I know what this is, it is me stalling to write or finish another story. Vocal is my prime writing forum; however, I belong to other writing groups and forums as well. Also, like many I work full time and still try to see friends and be with family. Hence the twenty-three unfinished pieces, twenty-four if I do not complete this one.
When I was a young parent my children (family) were my attention, I always wanted to become a published author but back then I used writing as a way for me to cope with life and frustrations. Write something, then delete or throw it away. I found it calming, therapeutic.
One of the few I kept (On paper) was for my wife, when we were younger, money was short, so we made our own gifts. Mine was a continuous Christmas tale I wrote for her over a three-year span. A few chapters each year. She says I need to publish it, to me that would take away the gift I gave her.
My question to you is, how many stories do you have on the go?
I should mention these twenty-three unfinished stories are only on my Vocal site. The number does not include what I have written down in my notebooks or other forums, or the two novels I have in the works.
My goal is to finish these before I embark on a new adventure, of course we know that as one writes, other stories automatically pop in the head, so if anything, this number may increase. Still, it is a goal I plan to try to complete.
As far as writing for Vocal challenges I must really decide whether I will continue to try. To date no story of mine has won or even made it to the honorable mention list. Clearly I need to rethink and work on my submissions. Recreate my style perhaps?
I know full well my writing is raw, but it is truthful and honest. Not Forced by regulated rules from university professors that refuse to let go of a pompous attitude they feel is the only way to write. These types of people are the same ones who refuse to recognize writers such as Stephan King, Tom Clancy and Brandon Sanderson (To name a few) as legitimate authors. Oh, that felt good to rant a wee bit.
I have issues with that line of thought; it is trying to harness imagination with guidelines. You should never try to harness imagination, let it fly free and wild.
In my eleventh grade math class there was a poster that I read everyday I was there. It became a mantra for me and has stuck with me ever since. It let me know I was normal, not weird. There is nothing wrong with a child who daydreams, why was that always a negative comment on our scores in school. My heart would swell with pride when my children's teachers would tell me they are daydreamers.
Who am I to disagree with Einstein?
I do acknowledge that structure, proper thought process, plot and editing is necessary.
It is just before midnight and I fear that what I am writing right now, is nothing more than procrastination at its finest. Therefore, tomorrow March 15th , shall be the day I make a promise to myself that I will finish and submit the works I have yet to finish or delete them into oblivion. (Mostly likely I'll store them in a separate file, after all you do not throw away your children).
Let me know that I am not alone.
Do you have unfinished pieces? If you wish to Challenge yourself and complete some, if not all, please tag me, so I may read them. I have a feeling that there are some wonderful unfinished works that need to be shared with the world.
Perhaps, I will add them to this as a continuous running challenge to us. Our reward will be to see them shared with others.
Thank you for letting me go on a tangent, but I really must get back to writing a story or two.
Jason,
About the Creator
JBaz
I have enjoyed writing for most of my life, never professionally.
I wish to now share my stories with others, lets see where it goes.
Born and raised on the Canadian Prairies, I currently reside on the West Coast. I call both places home.
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On Winning and Losing
Recently, the pleasant surprise of placement on the Vocal Bonus Leaderboard sent me down a rabbit hole. Now, rabbit holes are a pretty common place for me to spend time, but I don't always feel the call to write about them. To be honest, the thought of sharing some of them mortifies me.
By Dana Crandell4 days ago in Writers
Comments (41)
Excellent piece! Thanks for the motivation! I have at least one! :)
I had writers block for a few years . Publish your raw stories . I finally published some or rather quite a few poems and stories I wrote as a teenager . It felt good to finally do that . Upon publishing those writings my writers block was removed . It is one's thoughts and emotions and perspectives that are written onto paper that count Not everyone wins a Publitzer Prize . Your story about unfinished stories is a true story about each of our lives . We carry on throughout life creating stories all-day as we walk our path .. Keep creating and one day you will get first prize Life is not a bed if roses without thorns . Go for the gusto !
I subscribed coz I wanted to see how many you get done this year. I have too many unfinished pieces so I only remember the ones that means a lot to me. It's not that I feel like I lose my pieces once they are published. It's just that I cannot work through the thick of it. If the emotions are too dense, philosophies too deep, it costs more than a few hair to capture the ideas and lock it in ink (computer ink...).
Thank you, Jason, for sharing these thoughts & struggle with us. Yes, I have at the very least a few begun here on Vocal where I've been thinking of creating pillar posts to mark their progress. But yeah, I've been procrastinating with that, too. It's like the old college joke: I have a double major--sex education (with plenty of labs) & procrastination (though I haven't gotten around to starting it yet).
I have 3 on Vocal and a bunch that I had on paper and threw out before completing.
This is a great piece that I resonate with. I feel the same. I have always had a massive WIP folder that I work from and sometimes pieces remain there for an age. Recently I have gotten into the habit of working on things after and inbetween work work content writing and then let them ferment. Generally, I just let things go and into the ether...because when I first started my journey on Vocal and writing for myself I decided early on that I needed to hit publish once something was finished because if I didn't I'd overthink it too much. So I get where you are coming from with this post and hope you do push ahead with more of your unifinished stories...like many have said...you are not alone though. I currently have like 49 ideas of varying degrees finished in my Vocal folder on my computer lol. Congrats on this piece getting Top Story, sir. I think it's helpful for others. :)
I have many chapter stories to finish in my profile; some of which I started a while back. I agree with what you said about writing. I'm not a professor, but I have taken courses, and I have a Certificate in the Humanities, which I completed with the Open University. Writing is about using your imagination and creativity, and I admit that sometimes I break the rules and conventions so that I can write out of my limits.
1) I would bet good money that just about every writer on this planet has one or more unfinished stories. For me, if the inspiration doesn't hold up and/or there isn't an external factor like a challenge deadline, they tend to drop off, and I think that's a good thing. I only want to put out into the world pieces that kept my attention, because that (hopefully) translates into engaging prose for the reader. 2) Not the main point of the article, I understand, but I would advise that you back up EVERY piece that you put on Vocal (not just the ones you don't end up publishing here). Sounds like you're drafting in the platform and using the site as your repository, but Vocal/Medium/WordPress and every other online writing site are businesses. In the event that Vocal ceases operating, you could lose access to all your hard work on here. Whether you use Google Drive, OneDrive, or your local machine, it's worth the extra effort to archive.
I have about 10 drafts waiting on Medium, 2 on Vocal, 3 on Substack. You’re not alone.
I don’t just have a ton of unfinished stories, poems and musings here… I have notebooks filled with them…. And 400+ phone notes of them 😂 and I love that. I have no self pressure at all. When I don’t have the creative spark to begin something new, I read the ‘old’ and see if anything stands out to me that I hve inspiration to complete. Something always does. And it always flows naturally. No forcing. No strictness. Funnily enough? I even have an unfinished article on this exact topic 😂😂 Many of my recent stories and poems were recently completed - having found them in last years notebook and phone notes. Loosen up your rules…. Let your creativity be more chaotic and free. It will profoundly benefit you in every way!
Have one unfinished story! Guess that makes you the winner, Jason!!! Fabulous story & congratulations on Top Story!!!❤️💕
Ha! Hey fellow procrastinator! I have loads of very, very rough story ideas on the go that will probably never see the light of day. This piece really resonated with me! I really enjoy your work and this was a great top story.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
This is so incredibly relatable, Jason. Perfectionism and the fear of putting something that is "unperfected" out into the world are always the challenges. I currently have 9 unfinished stories waiting to be completed at some point. It's definitely a struggle! Congrats on the Top Story!
I like your attitude about imagination and literary criticism. I feel weird sometimes about my slow pace as compared to others, but comparing ourselves is never a good idea. I always enjoy the stories I read of yours. Keep being awesome 😎 I also have a bunch of stories on simmer, but I usually “not feeling it.” It can be tough. Good luck 🍀 I know you can do it, you’re very talented 😊
This was so fascinating - I can never move on to another story until the one in my head is gone. Funny how dfferet minds work! Your wriiting is beautiful and I am 100 pc sure that the reason for the no 'win' scenario has got more to do with key word filters and sifting bots than it has to do with your actual work 🤍
I have a couple stories I’m currently working on now and a few I’ve left abandoned for now. I do feel a lot of what I do is just not worth it or good enough too, but the story or character means too much to me to stop.
Congratulations on top story! Currently, I have 17 pieces in the works with Vocal. No guess how many in Word. I get distracted or frustrated or disappointed, or simply run out of time. I also edit a lot—never quite content. But I love editing so there’s fun in that.
Congrats on Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
Just did a count… I’ve got 43 on vocal alone 🫣 I don’t dare peek at the “writing in progress” folder on my laptop. But, just last week I finished one from there! I find I never regret letting a piece sit, but I do regret posting stories that need more work. Maybe I should be more committed to revisiting my hibernating gems. Thanks for sharing this story, Jason - I feel less alone now haha.
I have loads, JBaz. Loads. I reckon about 10 maybe? Publishing every day means longer stuff gets neglected but I can't fault my output really so they'll sit until they're ready for the attention. I liked this insight into your writing and the story about your wife's Christmas present. Just lovely.
I have a few, but not near that many. It's been so long since I looked at WIP folder, I have no idea what's even in there anymore. Maybe I'll have a look. Congrats on the TS.
Ahhh yep. Totally relate to this! I feel guilty over it but 🫣🤷🏼♀️. Maybe I’ll get around to finishing some too soon! 😬
What struck me the most about this, Jason, was your recognition that we tend not to publish things out of fear that they aren't ready yet. But, as you say, imagination isn't a tendency or state of mind that begets restriction. At the same time, it sounds like you want to do right by these pieces before putting them out there. I too have many, many unfinished pieces; on Vocal alone, I probably have at least ten, but in my notebook, Google Drive, and saved on my laptop, I bet I have close to fifty combined, and counting. I keep story stems in the margins on my day planner and across a menagerie of notebooks, scattered about my classroom and my house; they often come to my mind in meetings, when I'm in the middle of teaching, or in the early hours of the morning. I never experience a shortage of ideas or material. So, why don't I finish them? I read recently, from someone at Poets & Writers Magazine, that we should pay attention to the stories over which we obsess. Any story is worth finishing; naturally, though, the ones that we will finish are the ones that we will feel we need to finish. Thank you for this.
I've got four pages of drafts on Vocal. How many is that? 🤔