Continuing the Writer’s Digest series on mistakes writers make, editor Michael Woodson says writers err when they don’t reflect on their past writing. “So often I go back to old drafts and cringe at what I produced,” Woodson says. “I’m challenging myself to change that behavior, and I’m challenging you to do the same.”
Instead of hating on your old unsuccessful stories, look back on them and consider how much you’ve learned in the time since you wrote them. You might find that a story that didn’t work years ago might be ripe for editing now. “In choosing to reflect, I’m able to realize that some ideas need simmering, and patience in the process of my own growth is the secret ingredient in believing in myself,” Woodson writes. “The idea you had four years ago might be the story you’re supposed to write today.”
