As I finished up listening to Stephen King’s On Writing, I listened to him speak about a hypothetical beginning writer and their tale of trying to get noticed in the industry. As King read his sample query letter, the title of a fake story reminded me very much of a short story I started writing back in 2005, but haven’t touched in nearly two years. It also reminded me very much that every time I’ve listened to King read his book, which is at least twice a year as a sort of pre-semester pep talk, I remember the short story and how I’ve left it behind.
I’ve resolved to pull it out of the draw, dust it off, and give this piece of unfinished, forgotten writing a little attention. I likely wouldn’t have thought of this story without King’s verbal prompt, but it makes me want to look through my hard drive for old, lost projects and writing bits that aren’t quite ready for the graveyard. In fact, that’s how I came across a story idea I’ve been writing off and on this month. That’s two signs in a row to revive past ideas, and I doubt I’ll be ignoring them. What will you find in your old hard drives or notebooks? Perhaps it’s time to find out…
-nm
[tags]unfinished writing, query letter[/tags]
1 thought on “Dust off your unfinished, forgotten writing.”