Looking through my posts list today I noticed there were several unpublished drafts. They go back a couple of years and sit here and there in the post timeline. I started to look through each of them and they are all unfinished. The majority of them are also about procrastination. Hmm, imagine that- unfinished blog drafts gathering dust for several years without being finished, published or simply deleted.

I made a decision to go through each one and either complete or delete. Hey, wait. Did I just stumble upon my new writing mantra? Complete or Delete, Complete or Delete. It has a nice ring to it.

I hear from writers all the time who say you have to purge unfinished projects every once in a while. Stories you may have started and set aside, but never could get the inspiration to finish, should be dropped in your recycle bin. That's a hard thing for me to do. I always think there has to be merit to it if I once thought it would make a great story. In my heart, I know I am better off without all that poorly thought out baggage dragging me down. That doesn't make it any easier to trash something you created.

As I complete my spring cleaning in my house I am also going to do some spring cleaning in my writing life. I plan on going through all the papers tucked away in the desk drawers and all the electronic writing files I have to see if there are any forgotten gems or any useless pieces that need to lighten my load.

I am feeling very positive about this now, but we'll see how my mood is once I actually start my purge.

I have been so busy working and looking for new jobs I have not taken the time to do what I love — write. Last night, after I had just gotten settled and comfortable in bed (isn't that when ideas always come?) I got an idea for this month's First Line Fiction contest. I stayed in bed for awhile weighing the pros and cons of interrupting my slumber and finally got up and started to write. It's funny how freeing it is to just write like that with no interruptions. It's the best I've felt in a long time. So, I am about halfway there, loving my main character and the way he views the world. I think I'll sit down and write some more tonight and see what happens.
                                                                 

If you are so inclined, check out the First Line Fiction contest for July. Entries must be submitted by July 27th and the first sentence is by Stuart Nadler — "He brought in his shirt pocket the last photograph he'd taken of his son."

These contests are a great way to get motivated again. When mine is done I will post it here.