Remember Your Progress
When I was in the middle of writing the first draft of one of my novels, I stumbled across some old brainstorming notes. I hesitated to read them. I was scared that I’d remember the naïve optimism I’d had. The story had been full of possibilities back then. Eventually I’d chosen one of those directions. I knew that my notes would barely resemble the story on the page.
That’s good! A story should evolve. That’s part of the writing process. But I worried I’d be nostalgic for those early days when anything might have been possible. What if my original ideas were actually better than the direction I’d chosen? What if, somewhere along the brainstorming line, I’d taken the wrong path? Should I start over?
Then I read the notes. I could see similarities—like one can see genetic connections with grandparents—and I sighed with relief. The notes were all over the place. The limitlessness I’d been retroactively glorifying had, in fact, been a problem. There was no focus (not that there should have been at that point) but re-reading the notes reminded me how far I’d already come. In fact, instead of wishing I could go back, re-reading my notes reinvigorated me to keep writing forward.
So if you do have old notes, dig them out, to remind yourself just how much you have accomplished! And if you’re still making those notes enjoy the process! Soon enough you can be nostalgic about what you’re working on now. Either way, there’s progress.