1. You’re not alone, and you’ve done nothing “wrong.”
2. Sometimes ideas aren’t meant to grow into full stories.
3. Some stories are meant to be told, but not by you.
4. Growing beyond a story is a sign of maturity. It’s OK to move forward.
5. No one should put you down for deciding not to finish something. It’s your choice, not theirs.
6. You tried. That’s better than not trying at all.
7. You’re not a failure. You made the choice that was best for you and your story.
8. Just because you set one thing aside doesn’t mean you’ll never finish anything ever again.
9. Sometimes quitting is OK.
10. You never know what an unfinished story idea can one day lead to.
11. There are more unfinished writing projects than there are published ones.
12. You can move on. There are other stories to tell. They’re counting on you.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
Meg Dowell Writes 