After a stimulating week of discussion about what you’d like to keep, I want to turn our attention to those things we’ve written and published that we wish would go away forever.
When I was in my 20’s I wrote an article for a Christian women’s magazine. It was entitled “How to Squeeze More Time Out of Every Day.” It detailed how I had two children, helped run a political campaign, had several church ministry jobs, wrote books, baked my own bread, cooked everything from scratch…
What was one of my brilliant solutions to lack of time? It was to wean yourself back from sleep until you were only sleeping five hours a night. I did it, why couldn’t everyone else?
I look now at the photo of myself and think, how did somebody so young get so stupid so fast. I hate whoever wrote that smart-alecky article and think now that most normal women who read the article should have hated me too.
Oh, I wish that article was never written. Thank goodness it’s not on the Internet. That’s one big reason I love the Lord so much – He can wipe away all our sins and remember them no more.
11 comments:
Ha! My first query letter. The letter itself wasn't so bad. Not great, but not bad. The manuscript however had baby writer stamped on it in big letters visible to everyone but me. The story was there but it needed so much work on craft.
It's downright embarrassing to think how blithely I sent it out into the world. Like sending your child to school with no clothes on.
The good thing is that I've learned a lot since then, and like Anne of Green Gables, at least I don;t make the SAME mistake twice
Probably just a few blog comments. ;)
Nicole! Never! You always have richly deserving ideas to share. Keep it up!
As for me...how do I count the ways? The delete key has help immensely but not completely. I must still engage my brain. Please don't ask me to list all the stupid things I've written. Oh, the pain of it.
As for losing work, that's happened. And when it does I cry and moan and throw myself across the bed. Then I write something better. Without exception. The second go is always an improvement. Still, it's nice to lay on the bed in the middle of the day.
It is better to have posted and deleted, than never have posted at all. :)
(Patti, you are way too kind. I've been in a few fisticuffs [sp.?] with some bloggers. Especially the ones who insist on running down Christian fiction, having read next to none of it.)
Hi, Latayne!
I'm with Lisa. Mine would be my first query letter. It wasn't the first draft and it wasn't for my first novel, but I'd still love to redo that one. Then again, making the mistakes I did has taught me a lot; perhaps more than if I hadn't made them.
Have a great weekend!
I wrote an email to my friend in college, right after I gave my life to Jesus. And, well, I was young and passionate and not very tactful. I scared her more than anything. I wish I could take that back.
Probably just a blog post or two, which I could then delete... I am glad that my first novels weren't published, or some other first attempts at writing. :)
As part of a condo association board I wrote a letter to a homeowner regarding her Doberman dog. It made the CBC news.
You know those News Programs like Dateline etc. where they show snippets of a letter or legal document while the voice over reads the contents in a dramatic fashion?
Yeah - like that.
I have a few emails I wish I'd never sent. We had an issue with Eastern religion entering into a Christian based karate class in our home school group. I typed before I thought. I had to make many apologies.
I'm with you, Nicole. I try to leave such letters in the draft file at least overnight, but sometimes I hit send prematurely.
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