Should I Delete My Terrible Articles?
I wrote the following in 2018 after setting myself a goal of publishing 300 terrible pieces of writing on the internet and stopping after about twenty. It became clear to me after doing it for a while how terrible they truly were and I found them embarrassing. I’m curious what folks think about the following reflection of three-years-ago me:
I started out with a premise that I would post terrible articles. The idea was just to write. I needed to overcome the idea that I had to write well before I could write. Today as I read them they actually are terrible and embarrassing. Why would I want anyone to see that?
So I wonder. Should I delete them from the internet? Should I hide my shame? What value do they have out there?
There was value in writing them. I got uncomfortable. I forced myself to publish. I learned a few things about what is wrong with my writing. I didn’t have a way to see those things before.
It sucks that I still haven’t fixed those things. I haven’t managed to take the time yet to learn to be a good writer. I began the process and as I dug into it I was faced with the reality that this is a long journey that requires a lot of commitment and I set it aside for now.
I haven’t lost the aspiration. I will get better at writing. Will I get good at writing though? I’m not sure. Maybe my seventies will be full of blissful writing. Maybe they’ll remember me.
Let’s get back to the question of should I delete my smear from the fabric of the internet or leave it there to remind myself. My current thinking is that I should leave it there. Let it remain uncomfortable. Let it be a witness to some other soul who may come along. Hello fellow traveller. Don’t be afraid. We are all embarrassed and wishing we could do better.
If one person can take it as an encouragement to be brave then I suppose it’s worth it. If one day I become any good at writing then it will also be worth it because I can show how far I’ve come.
For now it stays.
But what if I edit them? 🤔
Saw your blog post
It’s really fantastic
That was sarcastic (Oh, psych!)
’Cause you write like a spastic— Weird Al
What’s amusing to me now is that I’m now editing them. (Go check them out and have a laugh before I edit them all…) I can see how terrible the writing was and how much better I am at it now. It’s inspiring to think about how much better I can be in a few more years. I didn’t do nearly as much practicing in the last three years as I plan to do in the next three.
I hope that this can be an inspiration to someone. Even if one person is motivated to be brave and be willing to find their voice, then it will have been worth it.
