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[honey]

Have we talked about this before? 

I personally hate falling in love with a story and then getting to the end just to find out it hasn't it hasn't been updated in like a million years, *cough* Yesterday's Blue Skies *cough* so I recently took down all the stories that I basically know I don't plan on finishing and I was just wondering what all of you think on the subject. But them I'm kind of conflicted about it too, because sometimes even an unfinished story is worth reading, whether it ever gets finished or not, *cough* Yesterday's Blue Skies *cough*

Anyway,

I hate not finishing stories, but there are a couple I have that have just always been a headache and I'm tired of stressing about them, like poor "Kevin's Song", so I said forget it. It was kind of hard to turn in the towel, but I do feel a little relieved now.

Have any of you guys done that? What do you do with your unfinished stories? Do you make yourself finish them? Do you leave them up, but incomplete? Do you take them down?

And, haha, go figure the week after I take down "The Day I Fall", I get in the mood to work on it and have been writing it all week. That one has been in the works for years now though, and I only get the urge to update it like maybe once every six months or so, so maybe I'll post it again if I ever finish it. I dunno, what do you guys think?

[Sakabelle]

I hate hate hate that!  And I'm really bad for starting something and not finishing it.  I have four stories in progress right now (Well, five if you count "Broken Hearted" but that's technically done and just needs to be typed up).  I'm really going to force myself to finish my unfinished stories.  Red Herring will get done, I just kind of lost my inspiration with the writers strike and no new House episodes.  Maybe I'll go watch my boxsets or something.  Not Like We Predicted is pissing me off lol.. but it's been in progress for so long, and has had so many iterations that I need to get it done.  Even if no one reads it, I really need it to be finished one day.  Inner Core will of course get done, but I mean that one for me will be really really easy to write. 

I'm actually quite surprised with myself for managing to finish "In Pieces"  I just started it because I was bored honestly.  I ended up falling in love with the characters, and now I'm writing a sequel.  I'm not going to start anything new until I finish two things.

But to answer your question Kelly, I think I'll just leave them all unfinished on the site.  I do intend to finish them, but when I don't know.  Red Herring especially, it had such a positive response, so I really want to finish it just because there were so many people that seemed to be enjoying it.  Even if I decided to never finish it, I think I might leave it up, and maybe open it up so others could try to finish it.  That might be cool.

[starbeamz]

I posted a note at the end of mine apologizing to my readers for being a jerkface and losing the inspiration to continue. I do feel bad because I always meant to finish the stories, and some of them were meant to be super awesome, but I just couldn't find the inspiration after a while. I'm not sure if it's because I lost interest in the BSB fanfic world, if it's because I had too many stories up and felt overwhelmed, or if it's just because I moved into original fiction. Either way, I am mad at myself for having all these awesome story ideas and starting them only to never finish.

I do, however, plan on finishing Hensley because it's a really awesome and much more serious story for me than anything else I've written, except maybe Then Again. I love murder, I love mystery, I love romance lol though the romance has been downsized in this story to a subplot. Anyway, that's the only one I plan on finishing now. I did convert my original fic to a bsb fic for my readers on AC, which means that that one will definitely be finished. All else...I didn't take them down, I just let the readers know it won't be happening. That way, if any of them do want to go back and read it, they can. I know it really bugs me when authors take down their awesome stories because I always want to go back and re-read all of Kid Sinclair's stuff on her site, but she removed it all

I hope that answered your question, Kelly. Though I know I've talked with you about this before, but yeah.

[Rose]

I left them up, put a note on the summary saying that story is on hiatus. I never take them down, cause I hate when authors do that lol, but I do give a warning.

That, and at random I end up writing something for it.

[MellzBellz]

Yea this is a frustrating topic! I have two unfinished stories up right now on AC Quarter Life Crisis and Scandalicious. As far as QLC goes I'm not sure if I have the desire to finish it. It's only like four chapters in or something and I was a bit unclear. I think it was going the dark, depressing, Anti Sue route anyway. I was actually consdering taking it down and if inspiration strikes picking it up again, but then I guess its good for readers to see my writing on a story outside of UMS/ALTOS.

As far as Scandalicious I'd love to finish it someday. I've gotten REALLY good feedback on it for being only three chapters, but suspense doesn't come as easy to me and it takes a lot of planning. I simply do not have the time to devote to it right now, but I may keep it just in case I hit writers block with ALTOS. Right now though I'm freakin in love with it lol

It sucks though because I have at least four other good ideas I'd like to explore for stories, but no time I'd like to start them, but experience tells me that when I try to do more than one story at once. I get a few chapters in and then go back to my main story and never pick up story B again.

[mare]

I was just thinking about this today Kelly lol that's so weird.

I tend to apologize to the readers for my lack of delays but I am highly considering using the dreaded 'on hiatus' for my Scars story. I do think i'm going to leave it up though, because for me, as long as it's there I will feel obliged to finish it one day, where as the second I take it down it's my out and I never will.

As far as the 13th Step, I have given myself a deadline of the end of April to either finish it or chuck it so i'm sure i'll get my butt in gear for that.

I hate when stories sit unfinished forever with no hint or sign that it's just in limbo. That's what should be in the summary instead of a banner. It should say something to the effect of I haven't finished this one and it hasn't been updated in over five years so if you read it be aware of that! lol 

It's always sad when stories go by the wasteside but in the end it might be the best thing because if you are writing just to finish it, you're probably not doing it justice and that's how i'm feeling about my writing lately.

[honey]

yeah, that's how I fee. And I honestly didn't feel that bad when I finally said, "I quit" to the two or three I knew I wouldn't write. And none of those were very far in. The only one I'm conflicted about is "The Day I Fall" and that's because I'm not entirely convinced that I won't ever finish it. That one is so far into it now, and I do (eventually) update it, and like I said, after I took it down, I read the whole thing over again and I'm surprisingly in love with it (seeing as how it's a Nick drama.) I would hate to give up entirely. I wonder if putting it back up would be better.  don't know.

You really think readers would rather have part of a story and a warning that it might be a really slow process, than none at all?

[starbeamz]

hey mare, do you write other stories outside the fanfic world that aren't up on AC? random question, i know, but just curious...

[starbeamz]

You really think readers would rather have part of a story and a warning that it might be a really slow process, than none at all?

I think it would be nice of us, as writers, to let them know because I feel really horrible about canceling some of my stories that people had expressed a lot of interest in. I know, as a reader, I always get frustrated when a story isn't updated for ages. I know I'd appreciate it if a writer had that "on hiatus" warning rather than none at all.

Also, I always say "never say never!" I'm weird in that, months from now, I might cycle those stories back out of the vault and work on it some more. At the moment, I can't see that happening but...Never say never!

[mare]

hey mare, do you write other stories outside the fanfic world that aren't up on AC? random question, i know, but just curious...

I write plain fiction as well. I've posted a fair amount of itvon the AC site but no one seems to want to read it lol which is understandable . The only time i've written outside of BSB fanfic wise was that SN story I posted the other day.

[mare]

I think it would be nice of us, as writers, to let them know because I feel really horrible about canceling some of my stories that people had expressed a lot of interest in. I know, as a reader, I always get frustrated when a story isn't updated for ages. I know I'd appreciate it if a writer had that "on hiatus" warning rather than none at all.

Also, I always say "never say never!" I'm weird in that, months from now, I might cycle those stories back out of the vault and work on it some more. At the moment, I can't see that happening but...Never say never!

Yup! I agree with this. I think readers who are really into the story will come back to it once it's updated. I mean Chaos hasn't updated his sequel to Ground Zero in decades but the second it shows up on the recent stories list i'd fly over to read it. I do think when some time goes by we do owe it to our readers to at least let them know what's going on.

[nicksgal]

I don't think I'd ever take them down... But yeah, I really tend to focus on one story at once. lol

I agree with what everyone so far.

[Kagoma]

I've been none to just take them down with out thinking. I wish that I didn't, but i did. I'm actually thinking about bringing back one of the stories, i would just have to rewrite it over again.

[julilly]

I think when it gets close to a year since my last update I'll put in a little effort... uuugh I mean, every day I spend 23 of my 24 hours sitting in quiet contemplation trying to think of what to write. That's exactly what I do.

[nicksgal]

Is that other one hour for sleeping or eating? lmao