Loose Ends

So many stories, so little time. There is just so much to write and most of the time I get so wrapped up in a new story that I dive straight into that one, sometimes ‘forgetting’ older ones. Mind you, these are novels that I never intended to query so I’m less time-pressured to finish those. However, it still bugs me that there are projects not neatly tied up with shiny ribbons. Still, you can’t fight inspiration. You may have a plan to finally finish that pesky WIP, but then the muse pulls you away and shoves you into another world, one that you can’t get out of until you write THE END. It happens.

After I finished a few WIPs that I was passionate about, my head was clear enough to revisit the first ever novel I started writing and in my head it was probably not that good because it was urban fantasy and I figured by now it really wasn’t that popular any more. I mean, everybody writes about witches and demons, right? So what was the point? But it was still a special story to me, because you always remember your first. I pretty much did what writers ‘simply’ do. I sat down and wrote. I pretty much forced myself to finish this. And I did. It felt difficult because I had to force myself and therefore I believed it to be rushed and crap, but after rereading this story about a year and a half later I was actually impressed. It flowed perfectly and even though I started writing it years ago my writing itself was good. Really, firsts are always special and that shows. Even if it didn’t feel like I poured my heart into it in the end, I had done so before and secretly I was still doing it even if my head thought it wasn’t the case.

So now I’ve tied up a loose end and it feels glorious. I’ve brought out the flying monkeys, cheesecake and fireworks to celebrate. My neighbours don’t appreciate that so much, but hey, writers are weird. There is still one more story left to truly finish, but I’m beginning to realise that loose ends aren’t so bad. Sometimes it’s a sign that something better is right there on your keyboard, lingering until you start typing. Sometimes it’s also a sign that you’re growing as a writer. And you know, some stories are simply fun to work on and never finish. They’re your stories. You decide what to do with them.

Writing Exercise: Be Wild!

Write a (short) animal story with a moral. It will be interesting to write from another creature’s perspective. Besides, we aren’t that different from animals after all. Look at men. (Ha!) Explore aspects of being alive, have sympathy for the animals and it could provide a new perspective on our (and animal) lives. Make sure this doesn’t turn out all cute. *hides baby animal stickers* Explore something deeper, have a message. Use the interesting world of animals to show us something. There are similarities and differences between us and animals, so use that knowledge. Make sure you know how the animals live and develop interesting questions, a suspense, a surprise. When in doubt, put on a cat costume and TYPE!

Have fun!