Writing Advice: So you've broken up with your story?

It happens. More often than people like to admit. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve given up on, and honestly? It just is what it is.

(Ugh, I hate that phrase. But sometimes it’s the only one that fits.)

Falling out of love with a story isn’t the same as falling out of love with writing. It just means that this particular story, this idea, this draft, this “relationship”, isn’t working anymore. So, what do you do?

Sometimes, the cleanest choice is to let go and start fresh. A blank page. A new story. A new idea that isn’t tangled up in frustration or burnout. Treat it like an actual breakup, don’t look back, don’t re-read old scenes, just move forward and create something new.

But what if you still love the story? What if the idea still matters to you, but it just doesn’t feel right?

In that case, I go full Frankenstein. I dig through the wreckage and salvage the parts I still love, characters, moments, world building elements, and transplant them into something else. Something that might work better. Something that gives those good ideas a second chance.

When I used to write fanfics, I had one character who kept showing up in almost every story I started. The plots never worked out, but that character stuck with me. I never found the right story for them at the time, but I wasn’t ready to let them go either. Sometimes, it takes a while for good ideas to find their home.

There’ve been times when I couldn’t let a story go, no matter how much it frustrated me. So, instead of rewriting it line-by-line, I’d restart it entirely, from a fresh angle, with a slightly different tone or theme. Maybe it’s the same world and lore, but it’s got a new coat of paint. A new perspective. And often, that’s enough to spark something new.

Of course, if you’ve been working on something for years, hearing “just start a new story” doesn’t help. You’ve invested time, effort, and emotion, and walking away from that can feel like a failure. I get it. I’ve been there. It sucks.

When I’m feeling that way, I step back. Not forever. Just for a week. A little space. Then, if I still care about the story but can’t see how to fix it, I give it to a friend. A fresh pair of eyes can see things you might've missed after staring at the same sentence for the hundredth time.

I once dreaded editing a section of a manuscript I was certain was weak. But when a friend read it, they told me it was one of the strongest parts. That little bit of outside perspective snapped me out of my spiral and reminded me that maybe the story wasn’t broken, perhaps I was just too deep in it.

People say writing is a solo act, but to me, it’s a dance. You and your story need to move in sync. You need rhythm. You need trust. You need to know when to lead and when to let the story take the next step. And when that rhythm’s off, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. It just means that maybe, for now, this story isn’t the one.

But that doesn’t mean it’s over forever. Some stories come back to you years later. Some characters don’t shut up until you finally find the right place for them. Others quietly fade, and that’s okay, too.

If you’ve broken up with a story, you’re not alone. You’re not a failure. You’re just evolving.

Keep writing. The next dance partner might be the one that fits just right.