Authors on Hiatus/Inactive Forever: Would You Ever Let Someone Else Finish Your Story?

[Eldoria]

I don’t see it that way. My child has only one life. My story can have many lives.

Well, I respect your opinion. However, I also have my own.

 

[FRWriter]

Handing over your fiction to someone else to finish is like giving your biological child up for adoption to a stranger. As a mother, I'd rather care for my child, even if I were miserable alone.

There's a reason they're called parents: raising your children and being responsible for them until the end is a parent's responsibility—at least in my opinion.

Usually, I 100% agree with you and I agree with you again in this thread, but I feel like the argument is not about giving up a child, but someone abandoning their child that they can't care for any longer (for example not continuing to write on it for 5-6 years because he or she are no longer interested and can't devote any more time to that hobby. Wouldn't it be best for everyone, including the child (meaning the story), if it gets picked up by someone who truly loves and appreciates it?)

For example, the original author could provide a rough script, and if a dedicated and skilled fan could try to finish/continue it.

It doesn't even preclude the original author from continuing on his own.

It would merely be a fanfic, a "what if" scenario, blessed by the author. Or a way for the author to at least give his loyal readers some form of closure.

I think that's a win-win for everyone, but of course, I respect your dedication to your story, and it's understandable that you wouldn't want anyone else to touch it because it's yours alone.

 

[Eldoria]

Usually, I 100% agree with you and I agree with you again in this thread, but I feel like the argument is not about giving up a child, but someone abandoning their child that they can't care for any longer (for example not continuing to write on it for 5-6 years because he or she are no longer interested and can't devote any more time to that hobby. Wouldn't it be best for everyone, including the child (meaning the story), if it gets picked up by someone who truly loves and appreciates it?)

For example, the original author could provide a rough script, and if a dedicated and skilled fan could try to finish/continue it.

It doesn't even preclude the original author from continuing on his own.

It would merely be a fanfic, a "what if" scenario, blessed by the author. Or a way for the author to at least give his loyal readers some form of closure.

I think that's a win-win for everyone, but of course, I respect your dedication to your story, and it's understandable that you wouldn't want anyone else to touch it because it's yours alone.

Your argument is valid. However, I still want to raise my own child, even though I'm miserable. And readers?

I just see them as guests who happen to be visiting. I will welcome them warmly, but I will not give my child to a guest.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

It would depend on the story and the person ... and why I abandoned it.

If I abandoned it because I died, then I honestly don't care if someone wants to finish it.
If I abandoned it because I just didn't have time to work on it, then I'd have to have someone send me their proposal and some writing samples before considering a hand-off. Some stories I could very easily pass on, some not and some only to the right person who could capture the tone I wanted, even if they did it in their own voice.

 

[Tetrahedron]

Generally, no. Unless I had a mandate that I post it in this site to pick up where my story left from, no chance I'll let anyone pick up my (hypothetical) story and continue it.

 

[MFontana]

It really depends on a lot of stuff, but for the most part, no, I will not support anyone continuing my stories while I am alive.
At least, not while I'm still alive. (I won't be around to care if I'm dead after all).

If/when I happen to pass away, that is another story entirely. The piles of notebooks I have here with all of my notes, for all of my stories, will be entrusted to the care of the right person to see to it that those notes are also released publicly on here in that event of my (untimely) death so that the fans can write their own endings in the form of "endorsed" fan-fiction projects.

As for my setting (The shared universe my stories take place within), that is essentially part of the public domain by design. Anyone is already allowed to use it for their own stories if they wish, so that won't change, and I will encourage anyone who wants to use it to tell their own stories, to do so in accordance with the rules for its use. Those rules governing its use are already released, and already public on this site within its series-posting.

 

[MythicalForest]

If someone else finished it then none if it would be my story.

 

[L1aei]

If I'm gone for good, why would I care about what's left behind?

 

[Jalvin]

I'm precious with my story and characters so I can't, lol. I'm a kind of author who focuses on tight story-telling with as little fluff as possible, so there's a higher chance that I'll be able to finish it. Most of the time people will get 85-95k stories from me depending on the genre.

 

[GearMagical]

I agree to hand over the story, but everything would depend on the person. Whether they suit me or not. Generally, I would write the story to the end if people were very interested in it. If not, then it means few people are interested. I think most people think this way, do you agree?

 

[L1aei]

I agree to hand over the story, but everything would depend on the person. Whether they suit me or not. Generally, I would write the story to the end if people were very interested in it. If not, then it means few people are interested. I think most people think this way, do you agree?

No. I don't agree. I believe it should be prioritized if you are interested in completing it, not others wanting it done; if they want it done, they can do it themselves.

 

[GearMagical]

No. I don't agree. I believe it should be prioritized if you are interested in completing it, not others wanting it done; if they want it done, they can do it themselves.

I don't know English as a language, but I am translating for you. I didn't quite understand you just now, but I will try to answer in more detail. I write books for free. I always write books for free. I started writing a book for free. If I have written a certain number of chapters of my book and I realize its popularity is zero, I will not continue writing it. I don't take money for the book, but I at least want my book to be liked or to be useful, do you understand? It is a different matter if my book is popular. My book is popular, but let's say I know that for some reason I must stop writing it and will not be able to continue. Then I will tell the fans of my book: "Forgive me, I am stopping writing the book, but I will hand it over to you. Any of you can continue, or even all of you can; I am giving you all the rights, and it is free."

 

[JayMark]

I'm still trying to solve the mystery of Edwin Drood.

 

[L1aei]

I don't know English as a language, but I am translating for you. I didn't quite understand you just now, but I will try to answer in more detail. I write books for free. I always write books for free. I started writing a book for free. If I have written a certain number of chapters of my book and I realize its popularity is zero, I will not continue writing it. I don't take money for the book, but I at least want my book to be liked or to be useful, do you understand? It is a different matter if my book is popular. My book is popular, but let's say I know that for some reason I must stop writing it and will not be able to continue. Then I will tell the fans of my book: "Forgive me, I am stopping writing the book, but I will hand it over to you. Any of you can continue, or even all of you can; I am giving you all the rights, and it is free."

I believe I get the gist of what you're saying. I understood you before claiming that writing it depended on popularity. Thing is if you are basing your motivation on the audience's attention, then I don't agree. You're doing this for free, and it sounds like you are not doing this for the fun of writing but for the attention. I'm not supportive of that intent. But that's just me.

 

[GearMagical]

I believe I get the gist of what you're saying. I understood you before claiming that writing it depended on popularity. Thing is if you are basing your motivation on the audience's attention, then I don't agree. You're doing this for free, and it sounds like you are not doing this for the fun of writing but for the attention. I'm not supportive of that intent. But that's just me.

You can get the pleasure of writing down letters simply by writing them on a sheet of paper and then burning it, can't you? I think, according to psychological research, a person wants to receive approval for their work. Some people love money and consider it the ultimate measure of labor value. I believe only what a person thinks matters. Would I like to write only what I enjoy? Yes, I can do that, and I do not limit myself! The paradox is simply that I might enjoy writing what others enjoy; is that really a bad thing? Are altruism and selfishness applicable here?

 

[L1aei]

You can get the pleasure of writing down letters simply by writing them on a sheet of paper and then burning it, can't you? I think, according to psychological research, a person wants to receive approval for their work. Some people love money and consider it the ultimate measure of labor value. I believe only what a person thinks matters. Would I like to write only what I enjoy? Yes, I can do that, and I do not limit myself! The paradox is simply that I might enjoy writing what others enjoy; is that really a bad thing? Are altruism and selfishness applicable here?

My opinion does not judge whether what you do is correct or not; it's my opinion. It's no different from the people in the background of a live news feed making funny faces and gestures for attention. And, yes, I have a shit ton of novels I've written and never published. They're not burnt because they are digital, but I have deleted a lot too. Today, I've deleted... let me see. I wrote two similar protagonists with slightly different outcomes, both took up all of yesterday to write. They're gone now. Permanently. That was somewhere close to... oh, I don't know, I'm going to round it between 25,000 to 50,000 words just thrown away?

 

[GearMagical]

My opinion does not judge whether what you do is correct or not; it's my opinion. It's no different from the people in the background of a live news feed making funny faces and gestures for attention. And, yes, I have a shit ton of novels I've written and never published. They're not burnt because they are digital, but I have deleted a lot too. Today, I've deleted... let me see. I wrote two similar protagonists with slightly different outcomes, both took up all of yesterday to write. They're gone now. Permanently. That was somewhere close to... oh, I don't know, I'm going to round it between 25,000 to 50,000 words just thrown away?

But perhaps personal opinion does not exist in the world at all if a person sees other people from birth? Do we create or do we repeat? Do we do as we want or as we want it to be seen? This is an eternal debate between psychologists and philosophers. In fact, in any case, everything we do—regardless of whether others like it or not—is still most important for ourselves, do you agree?

 

[L1aei]

But perhaps personal opinion does not exist in the world at all if a person sees other people from birth? Do we create or do we repeat? Do we do as we want or as we want it to be seen? This is an eternal debate between psychologists and philosophers. In fact, in any case, everything we do—regardless of whether others like it or not—is still most important for ourselves, do you agree?

To be is to be perceived? You're an idealist. I'm a pragmatist.