If you're a creative person and you've got something you haven't finished, take a moment and think about whether you actually want to finish it.
Is it something that you're eager to work on again? Something that sparks something inside of you when you think of it?
Or is it something that feels like a dead weight around your neck? Like a homework assignment you're dreading having to do?
It's important to remember that starting something doesn't mean you have to finish it.
If you spend all of your time forcing yourself to finish things that you hate or that you're not interested in anymore, you won't have time and energy left to spend on the things you love.
Appreciate the time you spent with that creation. Enjoy the part of it that you have. But don't feel like you need to get through that one before you can move on to what you really want to do. Just do it.
Be free. Be happy. Be creative. And remember that hobbies aren't homework assignments. They don't need to be finished to be enjoyed.
If you don't know how to let a project go, there are a few things you can do to help yourself through the process.
Figure out why you don't want to finish it. Is it too big and overwhelming? Are you worried it won't turn out well? Do you need help with a skill you require? Do you need someone to talk it out with and help you find your direction?
If the answer comes down to, "I just don't like it anymore" or something similar, then make the conscious decision to abandon the project. By actively deciding it's not getting finished, the end result is the same as ignoring it - it doesn't get done. But the emotional baggage of guilt is gone.
If your guilt is based on sharing your WIP and not wanting to disappoint people, again the result is the same. Either you tell them that the project is abandoned and then share what you plan to do next or you avoid talking about the project at all and leave them wondering if the next piece will ever appear.
Letting go of the guilt and the weight of responsibility you've put on yourself will free up your emotional and mental space to start something new. Or maybe even to go back to something else you've shelved and have a new spark for.
And if you really do want to finish it, but you don't want to devote the time it would require to do so, take shortcuts. Skip scenes. Do a sketch instead of full ink and colours. Write a paragraph explaining what you would do if you continued it. Whatever it is that you need in order to feel peace when you turn to a new page.
You don't need to be productive in order to be valued. Projects don't need to be finished to be worthwhile.
Amazing advice, but I have a question that don't know has an answer
What if the wip both makes you feel eager and dread
Like, you love your wip, it's all you think about, you love it dearly, but when you sit down to write, you're filled with dread, you would rather do anything else, it feels like a chore
It's something I've struggled with recently
You need step one above. Figure out what's causing that dread. What's worrying you about it?
Did you start the story in the wrong place?
Did the story go in a wrong direction at some point and you actually need to back up and fix that before you can move forward?
Are you worried about how a potential audience might react?
Do you have a plot hole that you can't figure out a way around?
Do you need to get the characters from A to B and you have no idea how to get them there?
Is there something that needs to happen and you don't know how to fit it in?
Talk it out with a friend or speak aloud to yourself. Think and reflect and determine where that sense of dread is coming from.
There are a dozen more questions that might lead you to the root cause of the issue, but until you can figure out what the problem even is, you won't have a lot of luck solving it.
Also, take a look at what else is going on in your life. It may not be the WIP itself at all that’s causing you grief.
Sometimes, when there’s just Too Much Else that’s stressful, or I’m feeling especially under the weather, or the depression is being extra nasty I just... Can’t write. And that itself gives me so much anxiety and worry and stress. At that point the only thing to do is just let it lie until things change--either circumstances improve or I get a better handle on things.
This means my Big WIP that I really want to write... Gets worked on very slowly, in bits and pieces. But trying to force it makes things worse when I’m in that “I’d literally rather do anything else” mood, so I just... Don’t. In my case I’m not even gonna start posting until it’s finished (though the WIP has been privately shared w/ trusted friends), so I can see where this might be frustrating for somebody who’s got an on-going WIP that they wanted to update more often, but there’s no shame in going on a hiatus and only sporadic updates if that’s all you can manage due to outside factors in your life.
