Stories are bridges.
But not just bridges to other countries, other cultures, other worlds. They are not a latticeworks connecting us with the unfamiliar. Stories are the unfamiliar. Stories are latticeworks. Like wooden bridges.
You have to build them carefully. You have to create an arc. There is a science to it. But passion, too.
You start with one side and you try to work toward the middle. You have to go bit by bit. You can try to jump ahead but you have to step carefully, build yourself out to that point.
You might start again from the other side, see if you can work yourself back. It isn't much easier. You still have to connect these bits and pieces. You can tell when something is not quite right. You can sense the balance is off. There is a shift and a sway. Your bridge is uneasy.
It is never too late to start over. You just have to know when that's best.
You have created something, that is the first step. Your wooden bridge may be unstable for now, but it is not too late to try again. The next will be better. And the next after that.
Stories are bridges. You'll know when they're finished.