How can I fix this flaw?

[zelotwo02]

so like If you look the stories I created you can see that most of them have only few chapters like 5 or less, the thing is my style is I'm gonna make a chapter today then post then tomorrow I'll make again then post and so on, my problem is that for example I was taking a bath then I suddenly thought of a good story then I'll be super hype but then.. after finishing my bath I'll lost all my motivation to write and If I maintain the hype, after few days of making a chapter and posting it I'll suddenly lost all motivation to write like what the hell is wrong with me, help me plz

 

[Plus1]

so like If you look the stories I created you can see that most of them have only few chapters like 5 or less, the thing is my style is I'm gonna make a chapter today then post then tomorrow I'll make again then post and so on, my problem is that for example I was taking a bath then I suddenly thought of a good story then I'll be super hype but then.. after finishing my bath I'll lost all my motivation to write and If I maintain the hype, after few days of making a chapter and posting it I'll suddenly lost all motivation to write like what the hell is wrong with me, help me plz

Hmm... I've had that happen a lot of times, and thus have a small pile of 10.000 word stories that will probably never see the light. I've gone back to a few of them and worked on them a bit, but in the end, the stories that really run long are the ones made with careful planning and a more or less laid-out story prepared to an extent before even making the first chapter, in my personal experience. Also, it's okay not to finish stories, everything you write helps you gain experience as a writer and improves your style. So don't worry too much.

 

[zelotwo02]

Hmm... I've had that happen a lot of times, and thus have a small pile of 10.000 word stories that will probably never see the light. I've gone back to a few of them and worked on them a bit, but in the end, the stories that really run long are the ones made with careful planning and a more or less laid-out story prepared to an extent before even making the first chapter, in my personal experience. Also, it's okay not to finish stories, everything you write helps you gain experience as a writer and improves your style. So don't worry too much.

well I mean not finishing a story is alright but you know the feeling of like you have no progress since all of your stories are dropped? I mean I see a lot of chapter updates numbering hundreds an I just think that I probably would never reach that point

 

[yansusustories]

I think the answer is in what exactly the root of the loss of motivation is. Like, for example:

Are the stories not interesting enough to you? In that case, try to spice them up.
Sit down and try to come up with something that gets you that spark back. A new shiny character or development that brings the story back out of that "boring" zone for you. Maybe something you'd see as surprising or where you don't even know what you want to do with it in the end.

Do you not know how to continue writing as in you're unsure where to take the story?
Basically the same: You might need to plan more or try to get over the fear that you won't be able to continue without hiccups if you write blind without a plot. I personally have a similar issue to this in that I always slow down tremendously before hitting the end of a story because I'm terrified of the thought of messing it up by not tying up all the loose threads. That has never actually happened to me but it's there in my subconscious so I need to work with that.

Is it lacking feedback because people don't react fast enough?
Maybe get a beta reader to look over the things and give you feedback directly to get over that stage. It can be hard to find somebody who will do this consistently (especially if you're notorious for dropping stuff I'd imagine) but maybe you could also team up with another author who needs a beta. Make sure it's somebody with similar tastes though. You don't want somebody who hates your genre/style of writing or anything like that because they'll give bad advice all around.

Maybe it's the opposite and getting eyes onto the story makes the inspiration shrivel up?
Then try to hold back from posting until you have a sizeable stockpile at least and stay on top of it. By the time you start posting, you might be in a better headspace to deal with the people reading and the opinions they leave. In the long run, this kind of problem can become smaller because you learn to deal with it a bit better each time it happens.

There are about a million other root problems that cause the loss of motivation so the way to fix the problem is to find the actual cause and work on that. Now, it's not always easy to pinpoint and this problem can even be outside of the story itself (e.g., I had writer's block once because I had about a million things outside of writing stressing me out and it only got better after sorting those out). But if you can figure that out, it's easier to get things working, at least in my experience.

 

[MissPaige36]

well I mean not finishing a story is alright but you know the feeling of like you have no progress since all of your stories are dropped? I mean I see a lot of chapter updates numbering hundreds an I just think that I probably would never reach that point

And that’s completely fine. I have reached chapter 15 on a story I started three months ago and I don’t think I’ll reach chapter 100 either. But that’s just how some stories are, you don’t have to measure up to them. Have you read Chinese novels that even have thousands of chapters? Write stories in the way you want.

 

[Snusmumriken]

You are most likely thinking of a cool premise. I've seen quite a few authors struggling to write because their most exciting part was in the introduction. At least in their own mind.

Try coming up with cool conclusions, or interesting storylines. Instead of thinking "let's explore X" or "I wonder how Y would act/behave in Z situation" Try coming at it as "I want a twist A to happen at the end" or "I want to write as B slowly turns into a C"

By placing the most hyped up part at the end of your story you are putting that carrot at the finish line making your brain work all the way till the end to reach it. Instead of stopping few steps in because the carrot is already here.

 

[Armored99]

Get a water proof tablet and write while you're in the bath.

 

[Jemini]

This is actually not all that uncommon a problem, although the fix for the problem is not all that well discussed. Sounds like this is a good time to talk about it.

Basically, you need to transition from a hobiest mind-set to a professional mind-set. That is to say, do not give yourself the CHOICE to stop working on one project and start on another one. Force yourself to just write on the project you are currently working on. Make it as much of an obligation as school work or a job.

After you get over this road-block, it will change the way your mind works and you will be more capable of sticking with a project. And also, although you have to force yourself at the start, this will not actually harm your enjoyment of writing in the long run. In fact, you will come to enjoy it more as you become more immersed in your worlds. You just have to bully yourself a little in order to get over that hump before you can start to experience the true joy of writing.

One more thing on this particular subject, do not become reliant on when the "muse" strikes you. If you insist upon waiting until the inspiration strikes you, you will never write a single thing and your writing will be unreliable. You need to completely break your dependence on the concept of what makes you feel "inspired," and just develop good work and writing habits. Make it a procedural thing rather than a chaotic random matter of when you are feeling inspired.

You can always write and let it sit if you feel unsatisfied with what you've written then come back to edit it the next day. 24 hours separation from your work is about right when it comes to being able to figure out what was wrong with the work you did before and see things from a new perspective. Do not wait longer or else you will have the same issue as "waiting for the muse."

Another thing I would suggest, learn touch-typing if you haven't already. The speed difference in the rate at which you can transfer your thoughts into words on a page will help with your ability to simply get lost in the process and keep going.

Also, one more personalized tip. I checked out your stories. The chapters are all WAY too short. You should be aiming for an average chapter length somewhere between 1500 and 2500 words. Your current chapter lengths are between 500 and 1000. There are several reasons why it is just better to go for the longer chapter lengths around the numbers I just mentioned. Those are the numbers that readers prefer to see. It is the nice happy medium between long enough to satisfy their brains but not so long that it makes their brain start to get tired.

 

[K5Rakitan]

 

[TheTrinary]

so like If you look the stories I created you can see that most of them have only few chapters like 5 or less, the thing is my style is I'm gonna make a chapter today then post then tomorrow I'll make again then post and so on, my problem is that for example I was taking a bath then I suddenly thought of a good story then I'll be super hype but then.. after finishing my bath I'll lost all my motivation to write and If I maintain the hype, after few days of making a chapter and posting it I'll suddenly lost all motivation to write like what the hell is wrong with me, help me plz

Keep a little book to write in ideas you have as they come, or use your phone to dictate when it comes to you.

 

[ConTroll]

Normally, what I do when I get inspiration is write out the basic structure in a notepad or electronic document and save it for later. I then incorporate it into the story I'm writing if I find a place for it.

An alternative is to write one-offs or a collection of random short stories. Maybe limit the stories to a few thousand words, but complete each story, even if the ending isn't the best. Plenty of authors do this.

 

[zelotwo02]

You are most likely thinking of a cool premise. I've seen quite a few authors struggling to write because their most exciting part was in the introduction. At least in their own mind.

Try coming up with cool conclusions, or interesting storylines. Instead of thinking "let's explore X" or "I wonder how Y would act/behave in Z situation" Try coming at it as "I want a twist A to happen at the end" or "I want to write as B slowly turns into a C"

By placing the most hyped up part at the end of your story you are putting that carrot at the finish line making your brain work all the way till the end to reach it. Instead of stopping few steps in because the carrot is already here.

Yeah I think that's the problem, like one of the most recent stories I created, It was about an isekai protagonist that wanted a peaceful life so he desperately avoids clichés, I thought it was pretty cool and funny but not long after I started writing it, I got bored again

 

[morhamza]

It's not bad to not finish a story, but if your goal is writing a complete story then you need to work on making it a habit to write even when you aren't motivated to. Every author loses enthusiasm for their work as they write at some point, but learning to continue to write even then is what makes the difference between completing a story or not.

There are exercises you can do, for example set a daily word count and always write something to meet that word count, anything. Could be a short story or just incoherent ramblings. Do that to get into the habit of always writing.

Figuring our your writing process also helps. Do you write better and sustain enthusiasm when you completely outline, or do you fare better flying by the seat of your pants? Most authors fall in between, but finding the balance between planning ahead and winging it is harder than it sounds. Try both and see how far you get.

That said, daily exercise is still the best. Try and train yourself to always write, even when you don't feel like it. That way when you have a story you wish to complete, you can continue writing it even when you've lost interest in it. Writing is "work" at the end of the day, and no one always enjoys working.

 

[Cipiteca396]

I can't write every day. However, there's a single statistic on Scribblehub that I like looking at.
It's Chapters/Week. Keeping it at 3 amuses me. Maybe it's because I like video games. Watching the numbers is fun for me. So I'll start writing even if I'm not really motivated. Also gives me time to write side stories and the like that I randomly thought of.
That's basically just an overcomplicated way of making it a job like everyone else said, though.