How do you get the motivation to finish a story after leaving it for a while?

CynicalStrawberry

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I have a story that I stopped writing a couple of months ago because life became busy. It's at chapter 35 which, for me, is longer than anything else I've ever written. I know where the story is going, at least in the next 15 chapters or so.

However, after reading the latest chapter I have almost no motivation to continue. I promised one of my few readers not to drop the story in a comment and now I really want to at least write the next 15 chapters to give it some sort of minimal closure. But I just can't seem to find my motivation. What would you recommend doing to regain motivation or interest?
 

Psycholor

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Sounds like you found something in that last chapter that you didn't like, even if only subconsciously.

I would suggest trying to re-write it and remove that something or fix it, and see where that takes you.
 

CynicalStrawberry

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Sounds like you found something in that last chapter that you didn't like, even if only subconsciously.

I would suggest trying to re-write it and remove that something or fix it, and see where that takes you.
Huh, I didn't think of that. I thought it was the story as a whole that was bothering me. Maybe you're right though. It all just feels like so much work...I'll try and redraft the last chapter though to see if that works!
 

Scaver

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I have a story that I stopped writing a couple of months ago because life became busy. It's at chapter 35 which, for me, is longer than anything else I've ever written. I know where the story is going, at least in the next 15 chapters or so.

However, after reading the latest chapter I have almost no motivation to continue. I promised one of my few readers not to drop the story in a comment and now I really want to at least write the next 15 chapters to give it some sort of minimal closure. But I just can't seem to find my motivation. What would you recommend doing to regain motivation or interest?
Your brain doesn't wanna do hard work. It wanna relax. It's true for everyone. I love imagining certain scene except don't wanna start writing cuz it's hard, really. Just force youself. Write a while you will get in the zone. If you don't then stop i geuss.
 

KiraMinoru

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Every scene is written in the moment. When you leave it and come back to it, you’re living in a different moment of your life and feeling different things. You no longer feel the same way you felt at that point in your life. A month seems like a short time, but when writing, a month can translate to a year away from your characters even if they’re always at the back of your mind. It’s best to not try and force yourself back into that moment you’ve left them frozen in time at and just move onto the next scene you feel like writing. So just end that scene and begin a new scene rather than trying to force the continuation of that old scene.
 

CynicalStrawberry

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Every scene is written in the moment. When you leave it and come back to it, you’re living in a different moment of your life and feeling different things. You no longer feel the same way you felt at that point in your life. A month seems like a short time, but when writing, a month can translate to a year away from your characters even if they’re always at the back of your mind. It’s best to not try and force yourself back into that moment you’ve left them frozen in time at and just move onto the next scene you feel like writing. So just end that scene and begin a new scene rather than trying to force the continuation of that old scene.
Oh that's a good idea, I might leave this part for a bit and transition to another.
 

ModernGold7ne

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Edit, edit, edit some more, that's what i do when i want to write but am not in the mood.
I write my chapters bit by bit but rarely in one go, i tend to hate what i write when do so.
Guess a normal person might just tell you, take a break, if i did that, I'm unlikely to write, just do what you want, but don't read your story everyday, that'll just make it painful.
 

Kitsura

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Forcing myself to write, I might be an absent mother but I'm going to write that story to its completion.
 

CynicalStrawberry

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Edit, edit, edit some more, that's what i do when i want to write but am not in the mood.
I write my chapters bit by bit but rarely in one go, i tend to hate what i write when do so.
Guess a normal person might just tell you, take a break, if i did that, I'm unlikely to write, just do what you want, but don't read your story everyday, that'll just make it painful.
That's an interesting strategy and I agree that if I take a break I'm unlikely to write. But if I edit I'm worried I'll also not write but I'll just keep editing what I have.
 

ModernGold7ne

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That's an interesting strategy and I agree that if I take a break I'm unlikely to write. But if I edit I'm worried I'll also not write but I'll just keep editing what I have.
Then compromise, whenever you have a idea, note it down on your phone so you can realise it later.
Whenever your imagination is overactive, visualize your story, you're more likely to get good ideas that way.
Also, there is nothing wrong with editing, you should go over what you write, not eveyday, but at least at the end of an arc, you'll be making it easier for new readers to get into your story.
Though what i said still stands, don't read your work too often, that'll make it painful.
 

doravg

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I have a story that I stopped writing a couple of months ago because life became busy. It's at chapter 35 which, for me, is longer than anything else I've ever written. I know where the story is going, at least in the next 15 chapters or so.

However, after reading the latest chapter I have almost no motivation to continue. I promised one of my few readers not to drop the story in a comment and now I really want to at least write the next 15 chapters to give it some sort of minimal closure. But I just can't seem to find my motivation. What would you recommend doing to regain motivation or interest?
You read it. Or, in my case, you read it, you reread it, then you listen to it by making it into a MP3 and then think...that was ok, but it needs an ending. People deserve an ending. Then, you whip your ass into shape and write that ending.
 
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