Coming up with ideas and STARTING to write stories is quite easy for me, but then begins the process of editing, proofreading and finalising them. My problem is that I every time I update a story, I think "I'll go away and give it one last read-through later before I post it", but then I come back some time later and always seem to find more things to tweak, add or change... I always feel like I can make it better.
So, fellow writers, my question is this: when do you finally stop fiddling with a story and how do you decide that it is finished and ready to share?
When I am happy with it. If I'm still tweaking, I'm not ready to post.
It's finished when I'm done squinting at it sideways, weedwhacking the heck out of it, and finally decide that I'm reasonably happy with the whole of it.
Want to spend some time wallowing in a Recommended Read? Pick one! Or two! Or seven!
A story is 'finished' after I beat it to death with my edits, revisions, and re-writes. For erotic stories, when I can read it aloud, smile, and become aroused the story is ripe and ready to go. A story missing any of those three elements is green and eligible for additional tweaking.
Its never finished, as I've learned from joining this site. Its like your child that you release into the world and hope for the best, but you always feel you could have done something more for it. Sometimes you can. Sometimes not.
I consider a story finished when I have written the last word, edited it about ten times and have read through it so many times my eyes go a little bit cross eyed, and I can't stand to look at it one more time.
when you type "the end" at the end.
You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.
LOL @ Sprite
I declare it's finished when I read through without finding any editing errors. Aside that - I used to be very unsure of myself, always 2nd guessing my writing decisions. I got over that with time and experience. The stronger your writing abilities become the less stressful the writing process is. Especially when you have reading and response stats that Lush can give (how many people read a piece - comments and votes - and the ability to ask people who have read your work what they thought in a more private PM type setting).
All these things were highly beneficial for me. I know what's more likely to be received well and what isn't. Less guesswork.
Also - having a strong sense of plot or a goal in mind is very helpful. Now I don't really write stories without a sense of what I'm trying to accomplish, though I used to just sit down and write write until it wandered to something like an end-ish.
The actual line depends on the story, however - the overall complexity of the piece and the topics covered. Some pieces are mostly plot and little else, those are easier for me. Other pieces that involve a strong emotional character arc take more work to ensure it all comes out right.
So once my pre-story goals are accomplished then I focus on editing.
I think where it feels natural to end it.
What's the story about? What's the goal, or the point of it? If it's all about getting in her, then the end should be shortly after the good bit, with just a little aftermath so that the reader is left with the right taste in their mouth.
I rush a lot of my endings, simply because I run out of space in the 10,000 word limit, or 1,500 words, or whatever it might be. I usually have big, elaborate anal scenes planned out that I never have room for. But in hindsight, I don't actually need them. They don't add anything to the story.
As for editing the shit out of it, I tend to do that as I go, with maybe half a dozen read throughs at the end. I try not to over-think it too much. Once it's done, I just want to get it out there as quickly as I can, so that I can torture myself over the external validation of views, votes and comments.
My latest story is a racy little piece about what happens when someone cute from work invites you over to watch Netflix and Chill. Finished finally when I feel the reader will get the point of wanting more. From what I write or will write in future
I've learnt to be less precious about what I write. I once had a story printed in a magazine and they highlighted a bit of text which had a grammatical mistake in it. I went back to the document which I had written three months earlier and there it was.
Write the story; edit to the point where you're happy with it but accept that it might not be perfect. Move on.
"and they lived happily ever after"
When your characters tell you to fuck off already and leave them to their vices and devices.
"It ain’t over till it’s over."
– Yogi Berra
Never. Ever. Ever. I've rewritten stuff years later.
The day I'm fully satisfied with my writing is the day I need to quit writing.
That day you re-read it for the twelfth time and your no longer horny !
When it feels "right". Everything happens as it should given the story's internal logic. And then I spend another week proofreading it to death.
When you proofread it, maybe add a word but find no huge awful parts, it's done.
When you stop caring about making it better.
As someone once told me "Your writing is finished only when you are totally fed up with it."
At some point in the editing process, I start needlessly rearranging sentences and then putting them back where they were. At that point, I call it "finished".
