Scrapped Stories

Every writer has them. The stories you start out writing. You cut your teeth on them and when you go back and look at them after a few weeks or months or years, what do they look like, a chewed up toy. Yuck!

Keep them around if you want, just be careful who you show them to. Not all words that come through your fingers onto the page or computer screen are glittery gold and there’s always another story to write. That’s what the experience of learning the craft of writing is all about.

If you knit or sew or carve wood or stone or weave baskets, the first few projects you make will be difficult and most likely not come out as well as you’d like. Figure out how to make it better. Read a book, take a class.

Writing is like any other art form you have to learn the craft first. What holds the story up and holds it together? How do you draw the reader in? You may be able to glean these answers just by studying the novels you read. That's never worked for me, though. I get caught up in the story and forget about looking for the hidden architechture.

If you're just starting out, let yourself make some mistakes, but learn from them. Also, be patient with the process. It won't do a thing for your creativitiy to beat up on yourself.