A reader recently told me: "Linda, I read your articles and I get so inspired to write, but then I always get stuck. For example, I started writing a Top 10 list awhile back, but I couldn't think of more than four points so I stopped. I saved it somewhere but I can't remember what I called it so I couldn't even find it if I wanted to."
When it comes to your abandoned, half-written articles and blog posts, you've got two choices:
1. Mine them for gold.
When you look at the article draft with today's eyes and perspective, you bring a fresh energy to the table - you can make new possible connections or call on your most recent conversations with clients and colleagues.Personally, I rarely (if ever) start and finish an article in one sitting. So adjust your definition of a successful article writing session and see what you can build today out of your abandoned articles from yesterday.
2. Trash them for fertilizer.
This is one of those times where it's okay to have a little bit of clutter in your life. Feeling guilt or pressure to finish something we started can block our creative flow and can even drain our energy from other projects we're working on.
I'm not saying you have to go in and purge all of your files, but let go of them in your mind and be willing to start fresh with a new blank page. Trust that the best ideas will always come back to you.
Writing prompt: If your article writing efforts are being haunted by the ghosts of article ideas past, take action now to either try again or start fresh.
P.S. Thanks to Sandra DeFreitas, who's been writing about (and modeling) how to resuscitate a writing project.
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