Draft Stories Are More Than Unpublished Words
The kindling that sparks the imagination
What’s the Point of a Draft Story?
Right now, I have 44 draft stories waiting to be written. That’s more than the number of published stories I have…
Most of them just have a title and maybe a subtitle. They cover a variety of subjects from technology to environmental issues to politics, and much more. Some drafts are months old and I’ve yet to make a dent in them since I first came up with the title.
So, you’re probably wondering what the point of having so many draft stories is if I’m not actively working on them?
Although I fully have the intention of eventually writing each of these stories and publishing them on Medium, I would totally be fine if some of them never get written.
That’s because they still serve a useful purpose whether they turn into published stories or not.
Sometimes, I’ll be watching a documentary, reading a book, or even just laying awake at night in bed pondering the universe, and then suddenly, I’ll get a great idea for a story. The title almost always pops into my head instantaneously and so that’s what I write down as a draft.
I believe that some of our greatest ideas come to us when we’re actively thinking and learning, but that’s not always the case — sometimes, it’s completely random. Either way, I like to be prepared to jot down my ideas and save them for later.
Many of the stories I’ve now published originally came to me this way while thinking about a related subject. If I hadn’t immediately jotted down the title and a few words to jog my memory of what the story was supposed to be about, then those stories might have never been published later on.
More importantly, since I primarily write to educate and help raise awareness on certain issues and topics, those ideas may have never been shared with readers who, in turn, might have never come up with their own brilliant ideas from those stories. That’s what I love about writing. The fact that my words can inspire new ideas, actions, and changes in people’s beliefs and thoughts.
When I look over these draft stories, they not only help me think about topics I’m interested in writing about, but they also spur entirely new ideas that end up turning into stories themselves.
That’s where the true value of your draft stories comes in. They can be the kindling that is used to ignite your imagination and allow you to write creative stories that you never would have thought of otherwise. In a way, they can serve a valuable function in the overall brainstorming process.
So, if you’re like me with tons of drafts sitting there waiting to be written, don’t feel too bad, and instead, utilize them as a source of inspiration for your next story. Just remember to try to come back to all those drafts and give them a story of their own one day!
What are your thoughts on draft stories?
Do you see them serving a valuable function or just as a reminder that you need to write more?
Let me know in the comments!
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