I know many writers-published or unpublished-who have those stories that are still in the writing phase and may have been so for quite a few years. They may work on them regularly or may come back to them years later. Maybe those stories are what we can surmise as “pet projects.” Ones that may never be shown to the public. I often hear people say they write stores as a sort of hobby and have no intention of publishing their work. Whatever the case, there is nothing wrong in that of course. People write stories for all sorts of reasons and what a worthwhile endeavor. I suspect that there are unpublished works out there that if they were to come to light, they would be those unforgettable stories people would talk about through the ages. The ones that stay with us always.

Quite a few years ago now, I expressed on Facebook-I no longer use Facebook- a new story I was beginning and thought perhaps someday I might publish it. I was and still am excited about the story I created. I believe that may have been the first time I shared to the public that I write stories. I cannot say for certain though. When I did post about it, I had a lady-who’ve I’ve never met in person- in so many words comment that most people don’t get past the first two chapters of their story. I don’t know the motive behind that comment or what she was thinking when she expressed her unsolicited opinion. I don’t even remember who she was and that is probably a good thing. When I read her comment all those years ago, I was a bit taken back. Whatever this person’s reasons were, it is an odd thing to say to someone who is sharing news they’re thrilled about. Despite being taken back, I know that statistically she was right but in the big scheme of things, why does that matter? I know the answers in my head that people would say why it matters. I can think of many reasons why. In the last few years, I’ve been in a totally different mind space about writing stories and why I write stories in general. I used to dream of becoming a world renown author since I was a kid. I loved and still love the written word and the adventures they inspire and evoke. To this very day, I play our scenes in my head to possibly get on paper. I remember in the early nineties when my dad gave my sister and I a floppy disk. I was over the moon excited. I began writing these short stories and my protagonist’s name was always Jennifer. She was always on some sort of adventure or caught up in drama. That subject is for another post.

Thinking back to the lady’s comment on Facebook -for some reason I thought of this recently, which I had not thought of since it happened-I chuckle and think how silly it was. I’m happy to report, she was exceedingly wrong in my case but it doesn’t really matter because I don’t write for validation or approval from others. Plus, so what if a person(s) has only written two chapters? The important thing is that they actually wrote something regardless of word count or completion. I’m here to defend those writers who have only written two chapters. That is their personal business and theirs alone until they decide otherwise.

Something else came to mind about writing when I began this blog post. I follow a few YouTubers that talk about the structures of writing and give advice on how to incorporate them. Oftentimes, I see comments from writers or inspiring writers who are so hard on themselves. They are stuck in fear and negativity to press forward. They worry so much about what others will think of their writing, they’ve talked themselves into not writing at all or they’ve put up a mental block that keeps them from writing. Or they obsessively watch these videos on how to write in hopes that it will inspire them to press forward. They’ve openly and honestly admitted that fact and then words of encouragement or expressed sentiments from others follow.

The reasons why I am sharing these two experiences is to say that if you are a writer-or a beginner writer- and you have unfinished work whether it be from self-doubt or from negativity from others-don’t allow discouragement to keep you from writing. Maybe reevaluate why you are writing in the first place and definitely ignore the unsolicited comments from people you would most likely not take advice from to begin with. Even if you don’t like what you wrote, it is not a disaster or unfixable. We learn and grow from what we deem as “bad writing”. Put one word in front of the other and see where it leads you. You’ll never know where unless you travel the unknown.

At the risk of repeating myself, people write for all sorts of reasons. If, publishing your stories is not your destination, then that is the right road traveled for you. If you’ve only written two chapters, that is okay. Maybe revisit it again one day or not. Perhaps just those two chapters was meant to be.

Write what you want to read. Write what you know. Write what you are feeling, good or bad. Write what you love. Write to discover. Write what inspires you. Write with purpose. Be you and no one else.

Just write.

Stephanie Hopkins