I have a question for all you writers out there. Have you ever been able to finish a long writing piece that you've written just for yourself? I've tried to write things about a million times, but I've never been able to finish a novel or fanfiction that I've started. Does anyone have any tips on how to see a project through to the end?
Ugh, I struggle with the exact same problem. Although recently I've been doing well with a specific fanfic (almost 30 chapters!). I think what helps is that when you have an idea, think about the future. Like, ask yourself, "do I see myself seeing this fic to the end?", you know? Also, it's good to plan ahead, because if you just kinda wing it from the start it becomes harder to piece things together to make sense, so it can bring down your motivation to complete it.
I don't have the same issue quite to your extent but it has been a problem. I do however, have some tips. First, I'd say before you even write your fanfiction, be sure that you already have the plot worked out and the ending done. Not word by word but just the concept of what's going to happen. Then start writing. Having a clear vision of where you're going is what helps me finish my stories.
I agree. Sometimes finishing a long piece of fanfiction can be difficult. I've left a lot of works of mine unfinished because I just lost inspiration for it or the execution wasn't to my liking. Best advice I can give for you is to have your main story summarized and start writing in arcs. It is also helpful to talk to others, reviewers, fans, other authors like myself for a different pair of eyes. We can give you suggestions or advice that may add a little bit of spice to your writing. I always say that if anyone needs tips on where to take their fanfic, I'm willing to take a look and float ideas over.
I only finished a few smaller fics as I used other's OC to write my fics as I was lacking inspiration or made up half the character myself and I ended up having problems with the actual person. But the ones I did finish I planned out and made sure to have things done beforehand.
I do have some issues when it comes to writing and drawing up comics. Particularly, getting started on a new page or chapter. It helps to just do a little bit at a time so you don't overwork yourself, but at the very least try to get something in every day, even if it's not much. And as @MarineAurora said, having your story planned out beforehand helps too.
I've found that for dealing with lack of motivation on longer pieces, it helps to take a break occasionally and go back to reread what you've already done. If it's a fanfiction that you upload chapter by chapter as you finish them, reading is all you really need to do, but if you're working on a novel it's also a good chance to do some editing. On especially long stories, it's important to go back and reread what you've written because odds are, after 20+ chapters you've forgotten something important that you had hinted at briefly some time in the first 5 chapters or so. Similar to what BraviaryScout said about writing in arcs, it's good to set certain milestones and plan out events that you definitely want to happen at some point. That way, it's less like writing one long story and more like writing several smaller stories that all fit together.
I've only been able to finish one multi-chaptered fic before, but that took me forever and it was only, like, 12 chapters long. I suffer from having too many story ideas and trying to write too many at once. For a little while, I was able to dedicate myself to just one fic and I got pretty far, but I eventually realised that the premise was kind of alienating and the story itself had an incredibly slow pace, so I eventually lost interest in it. I'm trying different approaches to writing at the moment. Namely, I'm creating an outline for a current project and I'm planning on working on it once I graduate and am free from the stress of school. Hopefully, I'll be able to dedicate myself much better this time around...
