Your Early Projects

If you’ve been an author for any number of years then you know what I’m talking about when I say your early projects. *cringe*

We all have them. I have them. Those stories you wrote when you were just starting out as a writer and thought anything your imagination could churn out was beautiful. But now you look back at them and, well, it’s painful, to say the least.

But I see a lot of writers discredit these stories as a whole. It’s as if they would rather burn them than ever see them again. While I won’t say I’ve never had these feelings before as well, I’ve learned a new way of looking at them. A way where I can actually… appreciate them.

Yes, you heard me right. Keep reading.

Just because our old projects aren’t the best things we’ve ever written doesn’t mean we need to turn a snub nose on them and never give them the credit they most assuredly deserve. Because they do deserve credit, whether you believe it or not. Despite all of their shortcomings and all the embarrassment they’ve caused us (let’s not even go there…), there’s one thing they gave us that we could never regret.

Growth.

Our old projects have given us growth!

And for that reason alone I can look at my old stories and smile. You have to start somewhere to go anywhere, and our old projects were our starting ground. How beautiful is that?

Now, you can’t sit there and tell me you don’t value growth. Growth is something we are constantly striving for not only as writers—but as human beings. And, just as we grow in many ways every year you are alive, you grow every year you continue writing.

Maybe right now you’re writing your first novel or—better yet—you just picked up a pen for the first time with the thought, “I’m going to be a writer!”. Either way, let me say—congratulations! To create stories with your own words is one of the most beautiful things on earth (at least in my opinion, perhaps I’m a little biased).

But whether you’re a new or old writer, press on. Fight the good fight and finish the race. Don’t become so focused on the subpar words you’ve written that you lost sight of the truly beautiful ones. Cherish them always… even when they become an old project.

Just as you don’t judge a rosebush by the number of thorns it holds, don’t judge your stories by the number of imperfections it holds. Nothing is perfect. But with a lot of hard work, determination, and perseverance, you can create something pretty close to it.

Your turn!

Do you have any earlier projects or are you currently writing your first story? How do you feel about your old projects? Do you feel that you’ve grown as a writer since you wrote your earlier projects?

Blessings, Allyson

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