Do you hang onto writing pieces that no longer have a use in your life? When writing on paper, it’s fairly easy to throw out what doesn’t work. But online it’s a different matter. It is easy to hit the save button and put half finished writings with no direction into a file designed specifically for unfinished work. Hundreds or even thousands of words could be sitting in your online files, clogging your writing files, and clogging your mind. You tend to focus on old titles you feel you “should” finish instead of getting to the fresh ideas that want to come out.
Guess what!
It’s alright to erase or delete stuff that is just not working. It’s alright to get focused on your writing and to start over. It’s also alright to rewrite, combine, update, pick a few words or sentences from the writing, use those and let the rest go.
Today could be the time to go through your files of unfinished projects and see what stands out to you. What moves you and generates new creative thought? Use those as a springboard for new writings. You can delete what just doesn’t work at all.
Delete
*Writing that will never get finished.
*Writing that upsets you because you don’t like the direction they’re taking you in.
*Writing that gives you excuses not to get finished with your real projects.
If you’re not sure if you want the writing or not, save it – simple. Put it in a file marked “Drafts” or make a printed copy and put it in your writing folder, binder or where ever you keep printed copies. Download it to a CD for “works in progress” and file the disc away. If the writings want to be reborn later to fit into a piece that is working, or you fall in love with the topic again, you will have the pieces. If not, you can discard them all over again later.
After clearing some files, put your timer on and get ready to write for 20 minutes.
“If you had $50,000 to go off and write about anything, what would be the topic and where would you go to write about it?”
Tell us about it in the comments.