I know this isn't a new issue haha, but I find myself in love with, or, in more accurate terms, obsessed with my new writing projects. I get the idea, I develop and strengthen it, hit a roadblock or two, struggle with said roadblocks, and then inevitably have a new idea. From there, I can either continue my current project or begin building a new one. As much as I would love to stick with a project and finish it, I always seem to lose interest and passion for it. Does this sound like an issue with self-discipline? Or since this is a creative writing project meant to bring me joy, is it normal to quit if it no longer brings me joy? I think completing a project, despite my passion (or lack thereof) for it by the time of its completion, would be a major accomplishment and confidence booster. Any thoughts or tips? Thanks 33
It doesn't sound so much like quitting as generating lots of ideas for future projects. When a project runs into a snag, it depends on what the snag is—if it needs some finageling in order to become viable, then you're not quitting. You're putting it away to let it simmer for a while. Sometimes when you do that the idea will hit you after a while for how to fix it. I mean, if there's a huge problem in early development there's no point in continuing unless you can solve the problem somehow, right? It's actually not a bad idea to have several projects going in various stages of development, so if you hit a snag on one or lose interest in it you can switch to another one. Then come back to the first one if you peter out on the second one. But it sounds like you're just talking about the very early development stage. At that point you're not losing much if you abandon ship. You didn't have much time and effort invested in it yet.
I think it's common to drop something and instead pick up a new thing that has more appeal, not just in writing but in anything. I have multiple projects that I cycle through depending on my moods, I lose interest in them all the time. And let me say, writing isn't always gonna be about joy. Sometimes (in my experience, a good amount of times) I'll write even though I hate every word I'm putting out. It's just about processing the garbage out of your system. But if you really want to finish something, you're gonna have to stick with it and keep going despite a roadblock or two. A finished story, no matter how long, comes with many roadblocks. You just gotta hunker down and go for it. Fix it up later if you hate it, or never look at it again. And if you have a lot of ideas that make up their own stories, maybe see if any of them could work together, try and mix them into one, maybe you'll get a more fleshed out story that way.
Well, there's pleasure and there's joy. Pleasure is experienced when the project is going well. When the project is going poorly, however, we can usually say goodbye to our positive feelings for a bit. But just like virtually any other pursuit, true lasting joy comes from seeing the endeavor/commitment through to the end and accomplishing something. If you strictly write for pleasure, then by all means drop every project as soon as it stops providing that. The real joy comes through finishing things, though, and man does it feel good. What's probably the case is your plotting skills are underdeveloped and this will stay a pattern unless you break it. If you fight through these hard parts, however, your plotting skills will improve and these problems will seem easier to solve in the future.
This is the same as the difference between infatuation, which can last a few months and is extremely intense and irrational, opposed to love, which can last a lifetime, is less intense, and much more subtle. Infatuation is the kind of thing many people become addicted to, and they end up having a series of brief relationships, leaving when the infatuation phase is over and the thrill is gone (to use BB King's words). It's also like the difference between addictive behaviors, which are focused on the short-term thrill—a dopamine rush that lasts maybe a few minutes each time but leaves you empty and just wanting more—and a resilient and lasting enjoyment found in hobbies or projects that don't give such a short-term burst of pleasure, but a much more sustained (if less powerful) satisfaction.
