Should I start writing a story I don’t know the end to? I have characters, but I’m not sure what their goals are. I know I want certain things to happen in the story. This would also be my second on-going project, but I feel like it could help me with writer’s block OR make it even worse if I feel like I’m failing. So many questions, so many doubts!
As far as I know, there are no writers who don’t have doubts.
It’s part of being a writer.
Should you start this story even though you don’t have an ending? Why not? Lots of people write from the seat of their pants. On nano, we call them pantsers. Another name for that style of writing is “intuitive” writing, which probably better honors the nature of that work style. But you aren’t really going in there with NO plans. You do have some. And maybe as you write, you will find what that ending is.
As your second ongoing project, I don’t think that is a problem, as long as you don’t use it as an excuse to forget your first problem. I’ve sometimes used multiple projects as a way to get around writer’s block. When I was stuck on one project and subconsciously mulling through what I needed to do next, I could switch to the second story and keep the creative energy going. When I got stuck on THAT one, I could go back to the first.
If that doesn’t work for you, then you learn working on two projects doesn’t work, and you don’t do that next time, but rather focus on one at a time. When I did two projects, I found that the speed I with which I wrote a story did go down... but I wrote FAR more than I would have if I only had one project. So I wrote each one at 75% of my usual speed, but i was writing at 150% of my usual wordcount. I kind of wish I could go back to that, but my ghostwriting wordcount demand is too high. I get exhausted. However, doing both stories at once might have enabled me to write that much in a day.
ANYWAY, what I’m trying to say here is that there are no answers. You don’t know what will work until you try it and see if it does. If it doesn’t work, stop and do something else.
If it ends up being a failure as a writing plan, you take it as a LESSON. It’s important to know who you are as a writer and get to know your own writing process, because that helps you to write better and more smoothly with less resistance next time you write.
The only caveat is that you have to make sure you aren’t running away from your original WIP. Are you using the second story because you’re afraid of your first one? Avoidance is real. BUT if it doesn’t stop your previous work, then go for it. OR if you decide your original work is so flawed that you need to drop it and move on, then you can make that decision... but then you have to make sure that it’s the actual story, and not your own fear of finishing.
And if you do realize that FINISHING is what you’re afraid of, then no. Do not start a new project. Sit down every day with that WIP and FINISH IT. Then move on to the next story. Keep notes. It won’t go anywhere if it’s a story that needs to be told.
