Question about finishing VS starting a new project

[Omega_93]

Do you guys think it's better to finish a long script I've lost all motivation for, or to drop it in favour of a project that will be far shorter? Or perhaps even come back to it later when I've got better experience/more ideas?

For context: I'm in the later stages of the draft for a game I intend to make (On about 600k words now), but I just can't bring myself to write it anymore. I try my best to spin stuff together as I usually would but the words that come out are absolute garbage, when I went back to it it would read like a fucking business report. However, when I write anything else the words flow just like new and I feel so inspired/motivated..

I really don't want to drop this project for good considering how long I've worked on it and how much I like the actual story, but... I'm just so drained. I can't bring myself to work on it properly anymore while I get hugely into other projects.

Does anyone have any experience of dropping a project you've utterly lost motivation for and coming back to it at a later time? Did it work? Or was it hard to get back in the heads of the characters?

[Crystaline Spade]

Hello there Omega_93

While I have not been working on VNs that much, I have been creating story ideas and character designs since I was 11. Most of which will never see the light of day. So I understand what you're talking about. I personally have that happen all the time. In my case I tend to temporarily stop working on the idea and give it a rest, while I work on something else I find to be of equal importance. Sometimes I'll even stop writing and thinking about ideas for a week. It's like letting your brain recharge. So, I think you just need a break and come back to it later. In the end I don't think it's good to drop anything but, if you feel the idea isn't worth it after giving it a break then you should probably drop it.

Hope this was somewhat helpful to you. If not then please ignore it.

From Spade

[RotGtIE]

Don't worry too much about getting it right the first time. That's why it's called a draft. It's many times easier to edit and revise a work which already exists than it is to create something new out of whole cloth. Finishing your first draft is probably going to be the hardest part.

600K words is incredibly deep for an OELVN. Most commercial Japanese VNs don't even reach that length. Hell, if you're writing yourself a Fate/Stay Night, you're more than halfway done at this point.

If you just can't bring yourself to push any farther, consider releasing your story in episodic installments, or make a demo out of a portion of what you've got. Given the massive volume of text in your story, you should have more than enough material to produce something even without a completely finished story.

Either way, I would recommend against any kind of hiatus. As tough as it is to keep producing content while your momentum is running low, it's that much tougher to get it moving again from an inert position. The longer you break from your work, the harder it will be to pick up again. Hiatus is probably the number one killer of these sorts of projects.

[SundownKid]

It's already a quite huge draft, you might want to consider just stopping writing it and cutting it down to a manageable size. Consider whether the player will really want to play through 600k words. The more you write, the more you are assuming you will be able to hold the player's attention for a story of that length, which is equal to about 3-6 entire novels. There's something to be said for brevity to hold the player's interest and keep from rambling.

[LPRe]

I pretty easily lose motivation, even with things I really want to do -- something about my brain chemistry or something just really doesn't like me working on one thing at a time for too long unless I can finish it in a single sitting. So I've started a system where I rotate working on ideas -- if I get tired of one, I work on another, and then keep rotating between 2-3 projects to keep myself going for all of them. I think it's a little slower all together then just working on one, but so far my interest in all 3 things has been better kept, and I'm more willing to go back to another one after a couple of days of working on something else. So if you want to work on a smaller project and leave the big one alone for a little while, I'd say go for it.

I don't think a true hiatus is a good idea though. Taking a break is one thing, but you gotta limit the break to a certain time frame, a week or a month or so. Any more than that might make it a bit more difficult to pick up again. 600k is pretty big though, installments might work out better in the long run.

[Kikaharu]

I think just take a break and write other stuff. Don't wait too long before getting back to the one you are working on otherwise you might lose all motivation for it. But you say anything else you write is doing good. Are you writing because you have an idea or are you just free writing whatever comes to mind? I think doing some free writing might help too. Ideas no matter how random just will come out and after awhile maybe you'll get an idea for what you are writing or get motivation. Also maybe take a break out in nature or do something fun. It might help inspire you.

[Katy133]

It depends on the individual, but if I work on a big project for a long time, I need to occasionally take a break from it by working on another, smaller project. Not only does this prevent/relieve burnout, but it also allows you to come back to the big project with a fresher perspective.

[Jate]

A writer's motivation has an impact on their writing. You can force yourself to power through, but chances are the quality will suffer. Personally I would shelve it for now, and come back later when you're feeling refreshed. If applicable, do a bit of prep to make it easer to come back to - put to paper any thoughts you have that are only in your head now so you don't forget, flesh out outlines/character profiles/etc more if you haven't recently, make some notes about any particular parts of the story you've been thinking about going back to rework once you finish the draft, etc.

Personally I avoid burn out/writer's block by keeping a lot of projects going at once. When I'm not feeling motivated to work on a story I just move onto the next one in the queue until I eventually circle back. By then I'll either be ready to continue the story again, or if not, I just skip it and continue in the queue. Sometimes I've picked up a story again after not touching it for several years. I rarely abandon a project, but it can be in stasis for a long time. How often I transition stories can range from anywhere between a few hours to a few months.

I know that's not a good method for some people, though, and wouldn't recommend it to everyone. It's just what works for me. My point is more that you can always come back to it later, after working on something else. Coming up with a small project that you can finish within a couple of weeks or months is a good way to take a break from your main work while also getting something accomplished and having something to feel good about. Another option, if you like collaborating, is to offer your services to someone else, on a paid or volunteer basis, as a way to change things up.

[Kailoto]

I rotate projects a lot, but I'm not sure it's the most productive way. Sometimes, it's worth it to power through something just to get it finished or reach a milestone. When writing novels, I have to get the first draft out in a single run, otherwise ideas will start to change in my head and I'll have to redo the entire manuscript (which should be done after the first draft is finished.)