by Sybil Johnson
Some years ago I wrote a post on Type M about my UFOs. No, not the mysterious lights in the sky, but the unfinished objects that were around the house. It was called the Year of FPIS (Finishing Projects I Started).
I find myself, once again, working on UFOs. All of these unfinished projects that have accumulated over the years are weighing on me a bit psychologically. I really do like finishing things. I feel a sense of guilt if I’ve even temporarily abandoned a project. So I decided it’s time to get back to some of them.
I have a lot of unfinished craft projects. One of them was an afghan kit I bought probably 30 years ago. After having crocheted a number of Woobles, I decided the time was now to work on the afghan. That I knew enough to proceed. When I pulled it out a few months ago, I realized that I'd attempted to start it once before with little success. At the time I clearly didn't understand the instructions. Now I did. So I jumped right in and finished it. Here it is.
(After taking this picture, I immediately shoved the afghan off me because it's been hot and muggy here in So. Cal., even at the beach. One of the few times I wish we had air conditioning.)
I have some painting projects and other craft projects to finish off as well. I vow to get back to those soon. I also have stories I started writing and never finished. Not because they were bad stories, but because I had to focus on something else or I was stuck on a plot point or ...(place excuse here.)
One of those stories was Deadly Consequences, which I wrote about in a previous post. I finished it and it’s now out for consideration to EQMM.
The short story I'm working on now involves my repo twin characters and their grandfather, Gus, a former bit player in Hollywood. They appeared in 2 short stories, Cemetery Plot and Some Like It Raw, both published in Mysterical-E many years ago now. They’re still available to read for free there.
The story was almost finished when I abandoned it. I was stuck on figuring out the ending. Now I'm working on it with fresh eyes and realizing that it’s not that far off from being done. I also have a book idea that involves the twins. Just barely started taking notes on that one. Then there’s the historical I vow to get back to soon.
As I mentioned in one of my posts back in 2017, I think the hardest thing about finishing an abandoned project is making the decision to sit down and do it. I still believe that’s true. There are times, though, that I think that abandoning a project isn’t all bad as long as you get back to it at some point. That maybe, as in the case of my afghan project, the reason it’s been abandoned is it’s not the right time to work on it. That you need to learn something to help you finish it.
I suppose there are projects that should be permanently abandoned. I haven’t found any writing ones of those...yet. Probably because I like to finish things.
This isn’t the Year of FPIS like it was for me back in 2017, but I do plan on making a concerted effort to make progress on projects, particularly writing ones.
What about you? Do you have any unfinished projects you’re itching to get back to?
