Knowing When To Let Your Stories Go

At some point, you have to let your story go. You can’t hold onto one story your whole life and never move on. Well, I guess technically you can.

Letting go and moving on applies to every stage of the creative process. Easier said than done though.

My problem isn’t so much moving on but knowing when to let go.

How do you know when to let your story go?

If you plan to submit your piece somewhere, there’s a predetermined deadline you’ll have to meet. That external force often helps.

But what if you don’t have a deadline?

Set one yourself.

Be your own boss. Otherwise, you’ll never get much work done.

It’s okay if you don’t feel ready, if your story isn’t perfect.

At least you did the best you could. And next time you’ll do better. After all, nothing can truly replace first-hand experience.

So start stories but finish them. When you’re done with one, write another. Keep going. You’ve come a long way, yet you have so much further to go.

Let go. Move on. Start over. Start again.

There’s no shame in that. Don’t you dare feel guilty for creating art the way you want.

I know I used the pronoun “you,” but I was directing this post at myself. Disregard any advice that doesn’t apply to you.

As 2017 winds down to a close, I can’t help but reflect on this year. Honestly, I’m happy with how it turned out. I can’t wait to see what lessons await me in 2018.

Thank you so much for being a part of my journey. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these posts as much as I have writing them.