Throw it, or Keep it?

Put it away for later ...

Sometime ago, a young man told me he had finished writing a book, but when he read it over, he decided he hated it.  He asked if that was normal. Did all writers feel like that? 

I told him he should feel proud he wrote and finished a book. Then he asked if I thought he should throw it out, or try and salvage it. 

There are times when we pour so much time and effort into something, we get tired of it and no matter what we do, we’re unhappy with the finished product. Some might call it ‘burnout’, but whatever you call it, whatever you’re feeling, that’s normal for you.

I suggested he put his book away for awhile. Let it rest and bring it out again sometime later. He might be surprised at what he finds.

Then I told him about something from when I was a child. Mama would sit at her sewing machine long into the night, magically turning a stack of fabric into something one of us children could wear. By anyone’s standards, she was an accomplished seamstress, but Mama had always wanted to learn how to tailor, something only the best were able to do.

When I became a teen and could babysit my younger siblings, she finally signed up for an evening adult education class at the high school. It was specifically for learning how to tailor.

For her project, she chose a soft wool plaid material and pattern to create a lightweight coat —for herself, for a change.

Mama worked hard over the six-week course, cutting, sewing, measuring, often ripping out seams that “didn’t look quite right” to do over again, sometimes more than once. It was exciting to watch her progress week to week. Her coat was beautiful and truly something to be proud of. But Mama was a perfectionist.

By the end of the six weeks, even after receiving an ‘A’ for the class, she knew where every imperfection was and she hated the coat. It was folded, tucked in a box with tissue paper, and hidden deep in a closet —out of sight, out of mind.

Years later, the coat suddenly reappeared when Mama wore it to church on Easter Sunday. The coat was beautiful and she was proud.

My final advice to him was, “Put your book away for a while. When you bring it out again later, you may find a hidden treasure after all …”

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