Finally admitting defeat, or waiting for the right moment?

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.

Don’t forget to click the link to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.

We’ve talked about stories we’ve revised after many years. Have you ever given up totally on a story idea because you didn’t feel you could handle it, either technically or emotionally?

It’s not in my nature to give up once I decide to do something. But there have been times when I’ve thought that I can’t carry on with a particular story, because the words just weren’t coming. The voices in my head that narrate these tales had stopped talking to me.

I have no idea why it happens, any more than I do about why they chose me to use as a conduit.

What I do know is that, without them, I can’t see a way forward. And that means there’s no chance that I can finish the story on my own.

Largely because I haven’t got a clue what happens next. And I never have, even after all this time.

At first, I worried that they’d never come back to complete whatever it was, but I always kept what I’d written. There’s a folder on my computer called WIP (Works in Progress), and it’s full of all my partially finished projects. They sit there, some dating back to 2015, and they wait.

I’ve learned patience.

Occasionally, the voice narrating a particular story returns and, without explanation, continues from exactly where it left off.

Did they stop because they were bored, or were they waiting for further information?

I often wonder about the voices that give me the stories. Who they are, where they’re from and what it costs them to tell me the things that they do. Because everything’s there, the whole story with nothing held back.

Whatever, it’s a particularly satisfying moment when one of them restarts. It means that you get to find out what happens. And where it leads.

That’s another thing I’ve learned. No matter how much you want it to, a story won’t appear until it’s ready.

What do you think about this week’s subject?

Let me know by leaving me a comment.

While you’re here, please click the InLinkz link to check out what my fellow writers have to say about this week’s topic.

OpenBook Bloghop. Feb 2nd, 2026.

We’ve talked about stories we’ve revised after many years. Have you ever given up totally on a story idea because you didn’t feel you could handle it, either technically or emotionally?

I’ll be back with another post on Thursday. See you then. Meanwhile, have a great week.

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