1. Even 500 words of a story is an accomplishment worth celebrating.
2. You’ll forget about the unfinished stories that never would have landed anyway — and that’s OK.
3. You will forgive yourself for walking away. Most of the time, it’s for the best.
4. Continuing to work on a project you have no passion for or interest in is never worth it.
5. Not every idea is a good idea.
6. Not every story is a story you’re meant to write.
7. Pieces of unfinished stories stay with you. They are meant to be recycled.
8. Just because you don’t finish something doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.
9. And just because you don’t finish one thing doesn’t mean you won’t finish many other things in the future.
10. Leaving an unfinished project behind is not a failure. It’s progress.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor and writer, and a 12-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food, and Star Wars.
Meg Dowell Writes 
You know, I used to think they were utter wastes, but then looking back over them a few years later, I realized they were so worth it because I got the shit out of my system and discovered the seeds of later work. So I look kindly upon them now.