Feb 2, 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 “write” throwaway stories all the time. Or used to. Let me tell you about it.
One of the ways I used was to tell myself bedtime stories as I lay in bed. A way to settle my mind and keep my mind cleared of worries while I fell to sleep. I wouldn’t call them silly, but they were never meant to be anything serious. A little romance here, a touch of fantasy there, only short segments of stories that would never go anywhere.
Now, I might repeat the same story night after night, making only slight changes, anything to lull my brain into quietness. Fairy tales. A princess finding her true love. A sorceress spending her last days as a hermit in the mountains. Interestingly enough, but although I can write from a male point of view, those little stories never were.
Note: This AI generated
But I haven’t “written” one of those stories for quite a while. No particular reason. Don’t be jealous, but these days, I can fall asleep in no time flat. Like within two minutes. There’s barely time to form a coherent thought and rearrange my pillow before everything “fades to black.”
Back to the original topic:
Is there a story idea I’ve given up on?
If you follow me, you know I can’t write a romance. I’ve tried. But I’ve had good ideas for stories. I even tried to write a couple of those. The last one I even finished before I decided it wasn’t any good. There were a few great elements, but it needed more. The concept remains viable, but I don’t know that I’ll ever attempt revising it. (Although who knows – maybe I’ll pull another Annie McGuire and write an entirely new series based on the incident that inspired the original story. Or maybe it can become a Edwards Investigations mystery. Hmm))
There were other stories that sparked in my brain and I toyed with, but never found paper. Not even as a note in my archives. Some of those could have been genres I’m not comfortable with. (I’d use Sci-Fi as an example, but then I write The Rise Of Jack Hennessey which was written 20 years in the future.) Better to think they were the right ideas at the wrong time.)
Let’s find out what the other authors on this blog have to say by following the links below.
And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.
Goal update: I’m at 33,300 words. I wanted to reach 34,000, but didn’t get there. I’ve updated the name to The Donovan File.