I've always struggled with writing a few chapters of a story and then getting bored and stopping. For once I want to stick with a story. How do you all combat impatience and laziness with writing? How do you stick with a story without losing the storyline? Because usually I can think of a prompt, but once I start writing I don't know where it's going, and then I abandon it. Thanks for the advice!
[long post, sorry!] i struggled with this for so long. i would abandon projects as soon as a new idea hit and never get more than a few pages done at any time. and since inspiration wasn't always there, i went days and weeks without writing anything. that was the problem.
i made a promise to myself two years ago (new year's 2016) that i would write every day. that was it. it didn't have to be the same story, i just wanted to write every day. and before i knew it, i wrote a novel. then i wrote a second one! somehow, writing every day (in a notebook) helped me push forward with a story. i was able to look at it every day and get involved in the characters' lives. i like writing in notebooks because it lets me slow down and think about the characters and the plot.
i had no idea where i was going when i wrote my first novel. or the second one. i don't plot (which may or may not be a good thing). i just wanted to write whatever i had in my mind and it often resulted in unforeseen plot twists. and i made them work for the overall story. and that's okay. you don't need to always know where your story is going. i like to think of writing a novel as a living, breathing thing. it evolves and changes. new ideas come and go. characters die, characters change. it's okay if you don't have everything figured out right off the bat.
but i think the most important thing is to keep writing. if you have one idea, push forward with it. write a word, a sentence, a paragraph every day. it will become a habit, and then you won't want to break that habit. it might not work out after all. the plot might never fall into place. but giving up might be one of the worst things you can do as a writer. there will always be times when you feel like giving up (me, yesterday). and then there will be times when you just can't stop writing! if you get stuck, keep going! you can take a break to work on something else (i have two other stories i started when my third novel became too difficult, but i know i need to focus on this novel first). it happens. but if it ever begins to feel like a chore, that's when you know you need to change gears. writing should be fun! not everyone has it figured out, professional writers have their off days, and the only advice i can really give is:
write, write, write!!!
Thank you so much for this advice! This will definitely help me with patience, and I'll make an effort to make writing a habit. It's nice to see other writer's experiences so you can learn from them. Thanks for inspiring me!