The Writer With Too Many Beginnings (And Why That’s Not Failure)

Too many beginnings there’s a quiet kind of guilt that lives inside many writers.

It shows up when you open a document titled:
Final Draft_v7_REAL_FINAL_THIS_TIME.docx

…only to realise you haven’t touched it in weeks.

Instead, you’ve started something new.
Again.

Another idea.
Another opening chapter.
Another spark that feels fresher, sharper—more alive than the one you were supposed to finish.

And just like that, the cycle repeats.

But here’s the truth most writers don’t hear often enough:

• This isn’t a lack of discipline.
• It’s part of the creative process.

Your Brain Isn’t Broken,
It’s Doing Its Job

There’s actual cognitive science behind this.

Psychologists studying creativity—particularly in the field of Creative Cognition—have identified something called:

“Incubation”

This is the process where:

• You step away from a problem (or project)
• Your brain continues working on it subconsciously
• Solutions or clarity emerge later—often unexpectedly

Research going back to Graham Wallas (who outlined the stages of creativity in 1926) shows that creativity isn’t linear. It follows phases:

1. Preparation
2. Incubation
3. Illumination
4. Verification

Most writers get stuck because they think they should move straight from start → finish.

But real creativity?

It loops. It pauses. It wanders.

Starting Something New Isn’t Avoidance

It’s Momentum

When you leave one project and begin another, it feels like avoidance.

Sometimes it is. Let’s be honest.

But often, it’s something else entirely:

• Your brain is still creating.
• Your imagination is still active.
• You haven’t shut down—you’ve shifted lanes.

Studies on creative productivity show that working on multiple projects can actually:

• Reduce creative fatigue
• Increase idea generation
• Improve problem-solving across projects

This is sometimes referred to as cross-pollination of ideas—where one story feeds another.

Writers aren’t machines.
You don’t just “complete task A before task B.”

You’re more like a compost system.

Messy. Layered. And weirdly productive over time.

Not Every Book Is Ready When You Want It To Be

Here’s the uncomfortable part:

Some projects stall because they’re not ready.

Not because you’re not ready.

Because:

• You haven’t lived enough of what it needs
• You haven’t understood the characters deeply enough
• The emotional truth isn’t fully formed yet

And forcing it?

That’s how books end up feeling flat.

There’s a reason so many authors talk about “coming back” to a manuscript years later and finally seeing it clearly.

Your story didn’t fail.

It just… waited.