I've noticed that the bulk of the posts here seem to be seeking opinions on whether or not people should continue projects or pursue story ideas. Now I'm curious to know if people actually finish, or even really start these projects that they come here to ask about. Or do these ideas exist only in this forum and are never fully realized and never find any sort of conclusions?

- Have you ever come to the forums to ask if you should continue a story?
- If so, was the story even started, or just an idea you were deciding whether or not to work on and what made you seek out the opinions of others than deciding for yourself whether or not to work on your idea?
- Did you ever finish the project you sought advice on?
- If you didn't, was your lack of progress based on the response (or lack thereof) from the forum?
- If you've never asked a forum to make a judgment call on your ideas, how do you personally choose which ideas to work on?

I think that's more than enough questions. Maybe we can get some discussion going.

Well, you probably already know my opinion on half of this. Haha.

But I've never come to a forum to ask whether I should continue. (I've considered posting something for concrit. but really only because it seems fair that I should. I mean, I nit-pick on some of the people on this forum and they've been gracious enough not to throw rotten food at me.)
I choose by two criteria.
1) Do I think the characters are fun to write for?
2) Do I have a friend who wants to read the rest.
So long as I have one of those two, I usually write the rest.

I should probably answer my own topic huh? XD

I've never gone onto a forum to ask if I should start, continue, or finish a story. Other people's opinions of my stories are never a deciding factor. I occasionally show my works to my friends and receive constructive feedback on grammar and characterization, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not the same thing. My friends' opinion aren't determining factors, they're essentially betas.

My only criteria for working on a project are if it's fun or interesting to me personally. Is it a story I really want to tell? I'm full of stories, but the most fun and interesting ones are the ones that get finished. Granted, I have some that are fun and interesting and never finish, but that's because I'm just a very lazy writer.

Originally Posted by For-Chan Cookie

I'm just a very lazy writer.

Haha. Aren't we all?

My (close) friends can be deciding factors. It really depends on if they think I need to change something in the plot or fix a character. (And I end up agreeing.) Because, really, at that point if something that major is going to change it really is a different story.
So I don't consider that 'continuing' anymore. That's just something new that's spawned out of a previous story.

I suppose we all are. But I've seen some really speedy writers too. It amazes me. I was telling some other people earlier that I finish maybe one out of every twenty projects I start. I have so many hundreds of unfinished stories, it's just sad. I really should make myself write more. In my defense, a lot of the projects end in my head. I kind of close them up for myself once I know what's going to happen.

Oh me too. But I just make myself feel better by saying they were just scenes anyway and not meant to be full stories. Heh. That, and I always seem to start writing in the middle. It can make actually starting a story really confusing. =\

My stories end in my head too, and I just loose interest in writing them. I'm trying to stop doing that though so that I actually write.

That is a lot of questions. My answer to first one is no, I have never requested feedback from a forum on whether the continuation of a plot line or character setup or anything of the sort was worth it. To me, if I question that plot line or idea enough to post it on a forum requesting feedback then it's not worth it to me.

Not on Mene, but on other forums I have sought for some advice in the conclusion of a story more or less and "finished" the first draft and then just stopped the project.

I don't think my decision to end that project was based on the reaction of the Forum. It was just as far as I could take it at that point in time.

As for personal criteria, I also want something original. I thought of once doing this whole story that took place in a boarding academy and I thought I was so original until I went to Borders and saw the other 500 vampire academy books. In my mind I have this ultimate goal of my perfect fantasy story which if I could really get that going would probably be amazing but I get to complicated for my own head sometimes.

Good discussion questions, I like having to think. :)

@Nolori - I'm pretty linear about how I write. I start at the beginning. Once I start, I might skip around, but it's pretty rare. That might be part of my problem. I don't know. I'm not very disciplined.

Oh, hey hayzel! You stalking me? XD

I don't know if you can come up with something completely original. I mean, ideas just seem to run parallel to each other and intersect and overlap and it's a jungle out there! I think the best way to deal with stuff like that is to take a concept and make it yours. Own it. So what if someone already has a vampire boarding school idea? If you put your own spin on it, it will be unique and yours. That's how I feel about that stuff anyway.

Discussions are good. More people need to have them in here than just coming in here for an instant validation or something. This isn't like getting your parking validated people!

We're all stalking your Cookie! -insert evil laughter here!-

I get bored at the beginning. I already know my characters, so introducing them to other people is tedious to me. Same with the ending. The middle is where all the new stuff is!

And I agree. I remember reading once that there were only seven original stories in the world. (I wish I could remember what they were. It was something like the quest, the adventure, the epiphany, and so on and so forth.) All other stories are just take offs of that. I always found myself agreeing with that thought. Everything is inspired by something else, thereby taking away originality from the get-go.

I don't think it's about being original. I think it's about being interesting and loveable.

When I said originality I probably should have clarified it a little more. I meant more along the lines that something that isn't extremely overused. Vampire Academy stories are in my opinion, over used. When you see a million stories that have the same basic idea. The plots might be different but for the most part the setting is the same. Also, there are degrees to originality. I very much agree with the saying "There is nothing new under the sun" because it's true. Originality in this day an age is kind of gone. I agree it is about being interesting and loveable however I think having a certain amount of cleverness in the storyline is also important. A good idea is the beginning of a good book.

For example, in the one book Identical by Ellen Hopkins, the twist at the ending I never saw coming(and I'm usually the one who gets halfway through the book, figures out the end and then read the ending just to see if I'm right and I usually am). In that book there was a degree of originality.

Mostly now a days, originality is putting all the pieces together in a different way.

I've never bothered ask anyone if I should or shouldn't continue a story. For the most part, I probably wouldn't listen to them. >>; I have many whimsical ideas floating around in my head, and they sort of mellow and develop up there until there comes an occasion in which I can introduce the idea. So basically, the ideas I end up writing about are the ideas that live the longest in my head and interest me more than all the other ideas crammed in there, and the ones that come up when I feel particularly inspired.

8D;; However, I confess. Most of my stories never get an ending. Most of them never get a beginning, now that I mention it... owo;;

@Nolori - Oh noes! I don't need a flock of stalkers. They're worse than seagulls, always tearing through my trash and crap. =/

Yeah, I'm sure everyone's heard some variation of "There's only ____ number of original stories" or "Put monkeys in a room with typewriters and eventually one will create a masterpiece." I wouldn't put a number on the first one and the second one is just so unlikely. I mean, look at all the monkeys on the internet typing up stories now. You don't see all that many masterpieces as you should do you? XD

All joking aside, there are a certain number of common themes and elements that get recycled and reused and all that jazz. But we all have a personal touch we can add, so it doesn't usually bother men unless I feel like I'm reading the same exact story twenty times over. Unfortunately, that happens a lot in fanfiction. Regardless, there's some good stuff there.

I think it's hard not to be original sometimes. Every individual will bring their own ideas and outlook to things, so it seems almost inevitable that they be original in some way. Others might disagree of course, but cynical as I am I do hold some hope.

Originally Posted by hayzel

Mostly now a days, originality is putting all the pieces together in a different way.

Exactly!

@Dystopia - Oddly enough, it seems to be the ideas that I bang out the quickest that I end up finishing. The ones that stay in my head and turn into epics are the ones that never see the light of day XD

And most of my stories never get endings either, mostly cause the endings stay in my head.

@ For-Chan - xD;; The ideas that last the longest are the ones that are remembered when I finally feel inspired to write something.

@Dystopia - Makes sense. My flashes of inspiration tend to go farther though. If I build up an epic in my head, when it comes down to write, it's just so overwhelmingly long and I am so lazy that I don't XD

I always feel so stupid when I think I have a great idea and then forget it... So I tote around this HUGE(300 page) notebook and my favorite pencil everywhere. :) It helps me when I'm just sitting around waiting for something to describe the setting and the feel of the surroundings and stuff. Makes me look like the nerd I am but hey, It makes me a better writer. :)

@For-Chan: You're trash is too interesting to be left alone, sorry! hehe

@Hayzel - I have a very small notepad in my purse that I use to write stuff down. I don't use it as much now as I used to.

And stay out of my trash! =P

hehe, I'm always buying cool journals at Borders. I go through like three or four a month. I have a whole box full of them.. x.x maybe I should slow down.

And other than writing, how else should I spend my time if not going through you're trash?

I never fill paper journals. There's something about messing up the pages that drives me nuts. I dunno, I have a few but I never do anything with them. I keep an online journal though, but that's mainly for the boring diary-type writing.

You could read.

please? I enjoy any kind of good writing. Even the "day-to-day" stuff.

See now I find it so endlessly satisfying every time I fill up the last page of a journal. Makes me feel accomplished.

I read cereal boxes at breakfast XD

yuck. I have fruit for breakfast. cereal is yucky. :P

There's hundreds of thousands of kinds of cereal in the world. There's hot cereal like oatmeal or cream of wheat or grits, and then there's all the stuff you eat with milk. It's impossible to hate all of it.

Well I don't like artificial sugar for breakfast. Makes me sick. and the rest is just very bland compared to fresh peaches, grapes, strawberries or cherries.

I use paper journals when I'm out and about because I don't like having to tote around my laptop, boot it up, open word, save, close word, shut down the computer and then do it all over again for something that I could write in a notebook in four seconds.

I mostly use them for notes to myself though and bits of story that come from nowhere. For the most part, I don't write entire stories in them. I'm too afraid they'll get water on them, or rip or some such.

And yeah, hayzel! Stay out of Cookie's trash! I already claimed it with my stalker-claiming... powers. Or something.
-rumages through trash-

It depends on what I'm in the mood for. I Usually save the first 5-8 pages of the journals as a sort of contents, and I number each page so I can go back and find stuff. For the most part it's mix and match. When I finally get around to putting a story on my computer I usually have to go through a few journals and find all the pieces first.

@Nolori - Fine. I'll just go through yours!

*knocks over Nolori's trash can* hehe