Delete That Draft?
Or Save It For Later?
If you’re anything like me, you probably have many story or article drafts spread out or hanging out in one location.
But sometimes, those incomplete or un-started drafts just sit there for weeks or months until you get around to finishing them.
So, at what point is it time to call it quits on an unfinished and unpublished draft?
When to Delete a Draft
While I try to believe every draft has a purpose, sometimes, it’s best to let them go for reasons like:
Too Much Time Has Passed
Occasionally, I have deleted drafts because I waited too long to work on them, making them irrelevant.
Examples would include writing challenges I missed or personal stories I didn’t get around to writing.
It’s No Longer Authentic to You
Sometimes, between the first drafting of a piece and coming back to it, a radical change or shift occurs in your life, and that piece no longer represents who you are.
When to Save That Draft
Of course, deleting drafts will-nilly isn’t the best idea, either. Plenty of reasons exist not to purge those drafts, including:
Content Can be Added to Another Piece
At times, you will find that while your unfinished story can’t stand on its own, it can be integrated into another one.
It Can Be Published on Another Platform
As I’ve stated in other posts, some content works on one platform but not another. So, consider switching your stories around and see how that works.
Moving Portions of Content to a Blank Document
If you like portions of what you wrote but don’t want the entire draft to clog up whenever you store the stories you plan to publish, copy and paste the information onto a new document and label it Misc. Writing or TBD.
Despite not being the biggest fan of it, I recommend using Google Docs for ease of access and its auto-saving.
Do I Delete Drafts?
Rarely, although it’s usually just the title when I do. Sometimes, a draft just doesn’t work out for me, even if I love the concept.Â
And I’m okay with it.
It’s part of the writing process.
So, Be Careful if You Choose to Delete it
Because you never know when an idea, sentence, or paragraph could benefit another story.
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