Writing Process
Why Do I Start Writing Books But Never Finish Them?
Sitting on this fallen tree reminds me of what it’s like for a writer to abandon the words they’ve written. Certainly, there are times when it makes sense to step away from something you’ve written. Plus, it’s so easy to lose track of a chapter or a blog post draft in the invisible dark space inside your computer. I know I’ve lost files there. They become like abandoned tree trunks—making a home for beetles, ants, and other crawling critters. The tree serves a purpose when it’s living and sprouting green leaves. It’s full of life and provides shade to protect new saplings. Likewise, when you start writing books, they serve a purpose for both you and your readers.
When you chop down a story that you’ve already breathed life into, it topples to the ground, making way for its next phase of life…as a trunk laying on the ground, with bark chips breaking away a little more during each rainstorm. The trunk cracks open just a little more after each freeze and thaw.
I grew up playing in the woods in Pennsylvania. There’s a voice that keeps calling me back to the woods to savor the lessons nature has for me. She prompts me to start writing books. She speaks so softly, whispers arriving in the wind. She draws my attention when birds chirp or squirrels run by. I must return to the woods more often, where composition paper returns to its mother trees.
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