The story of the story of my Work in Progress (WIP) is a bit of a story. Got that?
Sigh.
OK, back to the beginning.
In late 2016 I wrote a stand alone character sketch of a local oddball (not real! fictional). Later I added a little to it and brought the idea of “the old mill” into the story. In the spring to early summer of 2017, I wrote and posted a serialized novel, The Old Mill, starting with those stories. This was a very rough draft of a story, as I posted each chapter the day that I wrote them. The good news was that I used story ideas that had been kicking around in my skull for years.
At the end of 2018, I decided I wanted to sharpen it up and release it by the summer of 2019. I did a lot of rewriting and drafting, and was pretty much done by late August 2019. I didn’t reach my goal, but having it out in the late fall was very doable.
Through the autumn of 2019 I posted teasers, sketches, and even a big chunk of one of the chapters of the reworked work.
But it was never published.
In fact, by late September/early October all desire to publish had been drained out, I was just going through the motions of promotion.
In fact, I decided I totally hated the idea.
But the new year brought renewed interest.
In the winter of 2020 I did a two more drafts. Much better! In May, I asked for beta readers and had a few.
And then it came to a halt.
I am back to where I was almost exactly a year ago – I hate the idea… Maybe.
A part of me wants to sit down and do that final editing and then the formatting and that stuff to get it ready. I have a cover. It shouldn’t be difficult, I just have to do it.
But another part of me says, “Why bother?” A story posted on my blog gets more likes than the number of books I have sold, and that is all five of my books combined. If I count free copies during my promotions, the grand total out there still falls below the average “views” I get for a single posted story. If I want people to read my work, I should just continue to post it here, so why bother?
That side, the “Why bother” side, is winning big time.
I have a million and one reasons to feel this way, though I won’t bore you with them right now…
But then I keep reading those “Inspirational” things, and think, “Why not? Just do it. It won’t hurt anything…” Really, why not?
That said, my energy level to do that final push is still about zero.
So why am I bringing this up now? (-shrug-) Not sure. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. In fact, I have thought of doing a post like this off and on for at least a year. In many ways, my writing in general has been on hold for this last year as I sort this out.
So that is where my WIP is – limbo. How much longer will it be stuck there before I decide to either press ahead or scrap it and start something new? Not sure. I hope soon ;)
Trent's World (the Blog) 
Status? Hmm, maybe you say on a later post?
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Yep, look at a later post ;)
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I rarely scrap anything, Trent. But I do put projects aside and give them space while working on something else. It’s a weird time and the muses are cranky. Finish it or shelve it for now, but don’t hit delete!
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The muses have been very cranky lately… At this point, most of the hard work done, I do feel I should just get it out of the way, but… we’ll see. thanks.
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Oh, the pains of being a writer! I think we all have at least one of those love it/hate it projects on our shelves. For some of us, it’s all of them. 😂 Wishing you luck whichever way you choose to go! 🤞
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I do think all writers have it. And, yeah, I have a few unfinished things on the shelf, most which will never see the light of day, but this one is so close… ;) Thanks. I most likely will pick it up again and it will be fine, but getting that start is the hard part.
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I am publishing A Ghost and His Gold into a Covid-19 world even though nothing is right, no-one has any money and I can’t promote it in person. I’ve written it and it is an improvement on my previous work. A few people will buy it and I’ll get a few reviews, some good and some with feedback which I will incorporate into my next work. Why not I say?
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Good points. I think that once I force myself to start that final edit I will be fine, but it is psyching myself to start it that is the hard part…
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It happens to all writers, sometimes.
My suggestion is finish it, if only so you can move on, because it’s a good idea to move on to a new project with an uncluttered mind from past works. Whatever you decide, good luck!
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You are right, I do need to get it out of the way. I’m sure that once I start working on it again, it will just flow. The problem is getting that motivation to start again :) Thanks.
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Trent I have three WIPs in Limbo, you are not alone 😂💜
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lol, I guess misery loves company ;) This frustrates part of me because it is so close to being done – all of the hard lifting has been completed!
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Thank last mile is always the hardest 💜💜
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The first step and the last mile… :)
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