Unfinished Writing Projects

 

One thing we all have in common as writers is unfinished projects. We let these documents exist on our hard drives or printed drafts that are then tucked away into folders we stuff into desk drawers. For fun (and out of curiosity!) I decided to go through the files on my computer and examine just a few of the drafts that have been left uncompleted. Maybe I’ll uncover something I want to revisit! 

In my fiction folder: 

Pieces of a novel titled “Crying Wolf” that I began in 2004. There are only a few chapters and an outline in the folder and I have no recollection of writing this. Based on the subject matter, I was working through frustrations with some uncomfortable family dynamics at the time. 

The first novel I ever completed, which has changed genres twice (from adult to young adult) and has evolved through at least three different titled changes. Completed but never published. 

A middle-grade time travel book titled “Camp Big and Bright.” Completed, but never published and needs revision. 

A young adult romance/thriller novel titled “Screen Play.” I sent the first few chapters off to Writer’s Digest for a critique by one of their contractors and was so mortified by her comments that I never opened the document again. 

My latest novel, a suspense/thriller, which a few agents requested but never offered representation. I’ve put it on hold for now, but it also needs more revision. 

A new draft of a novel, an adult contemporary time loop story, that has 6,000 words and a full outline in the folder. I’m currently back to working on this project. 

Short stories: 

I have a lot of completed drafts in this folder, some that have even won awards, but there are also drafts of only a few pages in at least three or four documents. This folder is worth revisiting because I think there are stories that could be submitted to various markets with beta readers, critiques, and additional revision. 

In my non-fiction folder: 

There’s a short piece I wrote fifteen years ago about the steps I went through to become a writer. Maybe that’s worth revisiting. I have several essays I’ve written, revised, and submitted to contests with no luck in the past several years. I can look for new markets for those. 

A full outline of a true crime book based on stories I’ve shared in my podcast has been completed. Text and sources have been transferred into this document—but it needs more work. 

I found a folder of a few drafts of blog posts from when my kids were still small, and I thought about breaking into “mommy blogging.” They are in their 20s now. I think I’ll just let those be. 

A draft of an essay I started writing about the contentious posts you see on the NextDoor app and neighborhood Facebook pages. I wanted to lean into humor on that one, but I originally started it during the pandemic so some of the bullets are no longer relevant. That might be worth taking another look at and revising. 

These are just a few things I found on my hard drive, and they don’t include my published work. But there is still plenty of raw material to work with! I encourage you to go through your own files soon and see where you can find some new sources of inspiration. 

Have you unearthed any hidden treasure in your writing files lately? I'd love to hear about it!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer who also produces the weekly true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. Learn more about her at FinishedPages.com.

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1 comment Renee Roberson, revision process, works in progress, writing projects

The Difference a Year Can Make for a Writer

It’s been an interesting past year.

While many writers I know are in the thick of National Novel Writing Month, I had to let it pass me by this year. One reason I did is because I don’t really have any new ideas for a book, since I have a few different manuscripts that deserve attention before I make another commitment.

As I was looking over my list of goals I gave to my writing accountability group at the beginning of this year, my heart sank a bit. One goal was to revise a YA novel that is close to my heart. I haven’t touched it since January. Another goal was to continue researching agents for my YA novel, Between. But after several rejections, including more after I revamped my submissions package and opening chapters once again, I stopped sending out queries. Instead, I uploaded the novel to Wattpad to enter their Watty Awards. The book went nowhere in the contest, as I just don’t think I’m the right demographic for the platform. Now I’m not sure if I should pull the book from Wattpad (it has almost 500 views spread among the chapters) or if I can even pitch it to agents any more. It’s a little frustrating.

Another goal I had was to enter two writing contests each quarter. Looking over my spreadsheet, I did a pretty decent job of sticking with that plan, but the stories and essays haven’t received any recognition, leaving me wondering if I should put them all on the backburner and simply attempt to write something new.

I’m trying to give myself grace. It was around this time last year that I realized I was in a full-time job that wasn’t a good fit for me and it had really dampened my spirits. I would tell myself I would learn how to be better at the job, but my efforts weren’t getting me anywhere. In early spring, out of the blue, I was presented with an opportunity to edit a magazine I have freelanced for since 2010. It couldn’t have come at a better time. The past several months have required me to ramp up in my new position, meet the writers and photographers, do a fair amount of reporting on my own articles and attend various networking events.

I guess the point of this post is to commiserate with any writers whose plans have gone awry this year. You never know what life is going to throw at you, and there are lows to go along with all of the highs. The good news is that I’m taking tiny steps towards producing my true crime podcast I’ve been talking about forever, and that wasn’t even on the list of goals I made in January.

How have your writing plans changed and evolved since the first of the year? How do you keep moving forward when you feel like you’re not making enough progress on your projects?

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and magazine editor who lives in North Carolina. Learn more about her at FinishedPages.com.

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5 comments choosing a path when writing, finding balance, Renee Roberson, writing advice, writing projects

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it

My computer is full of recorded ideas that have not been fleshed out, projects that are halfway finished, or finished and looking for a home. Sound familiar?

As a member of a writer's group, I've found the support and encouragement I need to work on/finish these projects, and I'm making progress. But recently, it seems like my computer hides files and documents that contain the perfect paragraph or description of a sunset or character sketch I know I wrote, but can't find.

Earlier this year a writer friend asked for advice regarding which project to work on next. He had made a list of the projects, and determined that the simple act of making a list helped him organize the tasks at hand. Viewing his options meant that he could measure them, and then manage them.

I decided to follow his example, and realized that naming them and placing them in one folder titled WIP (Work in Progress), also made me feel more organized. I discovered that I have seven major projects I'm working on, and my list looks like this:

Novel 1 Contemporary - Finished but not polished
Novel 2 Eco thriller - Plot hole problem that I recently solved but haven't actually written
Short Stories - A bunch, one in particular that I just figured out how to finish, and another one with a complete plot, but needs more depth and emotion
Poetry - Way more than I realized, with one group/collection going out in a few days
Nonfiction article/book 1 - Women's History
Nonfiction article/blog/book 2 - Minimalism
Nonfiction book/article/blog 3 - Education/Teaching

My work has been divided into the seven writing projects listed above, coincidentally, one for each day of the week. I made a folder for each one and inserted all pertinent files, which took much longer than I thought.

All of the projects are rather lengthy except some of the short stories, which I'm close to finishing. I don't always work on a regular schedule, and don't necessarily start one project and work until it's finished. I tend to jump back and forth between projects.

If I have an hour, I can pick one and knock off some writing that puts me closer to my goals, instead of spending time trying to find that perfect description of a sunset I know I put somewhere. Adding five pages a week to any of these projects means 260 more pages at the end of the year.

If I don't write, I can submit to literary journals or promote something on social media. There is no shortage of projects, so there is no shortage of work to be done. But now that I can measure it, I can manage it.

Mary Horner is a certified medical writer, teaches communications at St. Louis and St. Charles Community Colleges, and earned the writing certificate from UM-St. Louis.

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5 comments achieving goals, If you can't measure it, organizing computer files, writers groups, writing projects, you can't manage it

What's in a Name?

My school had the pleasure of hosting the lovely and talented Nina LaCour, author of We are Okay, a few weeks ago, and she answered several questions about publishing her books. Her stories brought back memories of my own publishing experiences.

After signing my first book contract with a publishing company, I could not wait to work with an editor. I had grand expectations, and had romanticized the idea so well (as much as anyone can romanticize the editing process) that I believed the experience would be, well, completely different from what it was.

When I received the first email from my editor, I was giddy. I clicked it open and started reading her comments. She wanted to start with plot problems which, as any writer knows, are inevitable. A character’s eyes changed color. Another character left the scene two pages ago, but was suddenly present again. These were mostly little changes, which polished out the story.

Then, my eyes dropped to the next line. The editor hated my main character’s name.

I blinked, convinced there was an error. I read her words again. I hadn’t misread. The editor thought my main character’s name didn’t fit - that it was too strange. She couldn’t force me to change it, but it was her strong suggestion that I find something more suitable.

How could this be?

If you are anything like me, you become very attached to your characters. We name them as lovingly as we name our actual human (or fur) babies. We develop our characters for months, or even years, so to suggest changing their name is abhorrent.

But there it was. I faced a tough decision.

Despite initial my misgivings, I explored other names. I developed a list of possibilities and tried them out. If a name worked in print, I took the next step and dared to say it aloud. I tested a few names on friends. Still, a voice nagged at me. I loved the original name I had chosen, and it hurt to know that someone else hated it.

Back then – before my publishing experience – I believed that I, alone, knew what was best for my novel. I had heard horror stories of authors who gave up what they loved the most about their books just to see their work bound in hardcover. Our books are our own, but once we sign a contract, we must make concessions. I have yet to speak to an author who did not change something they loved about their book at the publisher’s request. The publishing process has to be a give and take, but what emerges is a polished, publish-worthy book of which we can be proud.

Despite my hesitations and sadness, I did eventually change my main character’s name, and it was the right move. We write for ourselves, yes, but we also write for our audience. Both are equally important. If we can find a name which we love and which makes our audience happy, then we have succeeded.

I even ended up liking the new name better than the original one.







Bethany Masone Harar is an author, teacher, and blogger, who does her best to turn reluctant readers into voracious, book-reading nerds. Check out her blog here.

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4 comments Bethany Masone Harar, books, character names, editing, names, Nina LaCour, novels, protagonist, Publishing, shakespeare, We are Okay, writing projects