To Delete or Not Delete ...

The question came up in one of the Vocal Facebook groups the other day: “Do you delete your work that you don’t like, or keep it?" or something to that effect. It’s not a direct quote, but the gist is the same. I found it to be a very curious question. It made me pause and consider my own habits and why.

Do you delete your old stories?

There are advantages for both ways of thinking. For each writer on here, I think, it’s a personal decision. Some feel it’s detrimental to show “bad” stuff, some find it beneficial in showing progress, and I’m sure there are other reasons in between.

For myself, I have deleted a few articles of my writing, and have considered deleting many more, but, ultimately, I find it interesting to look back on some of the stuff I have written in the past, compare it to what I have written currently. And some of what I have written currently is not great, either! But most is bettter.

Becoming a “good” writer is a work in progress. Of course, good is relative. What one person thinks is terrible, another might consider outstanding. Therein lies another argument for saving your own pieces from the Destiny of the Deleted. You may be taking away something meaningful from someone who is a great appreciator of the work you deemed unworthy. That’s not a very kind way to treat your reader. It may be downright insulting! Maybe that’s a reason why it’s more important to consider what we ‘re putting out there, before we hit “submit.” Sometimes, a writer needs to consider the reader before themselves.

At times, I look back and reread something I wrote and cringe with embarrassment. “Oh, God! Did I really put that out there?” My cheeks burn, and I want to delete it immediately. But I don’t.

Other times, I can look at something and think “Wow! Who wrote that? Oh, it was me! Awesome! (Yes, I’m of the generation that used the word awesome.) I felt the same about some of the older stuff I wrote that I now feel is cringeworthy. Does that mean I look back on my “improved” writing in a year or so from now and cringe? Maybe. Will I will delete it? Probably not. What I will be more likely to do in that case, if I still feel attached to point, is try to rewrite the information into a new article with new skill.

Most of what I have deleted (less than a handful of stories at this point) is because it felt like it wasn’t representative of me. The less-than stellar items I keep still represent my message or voice. I feel like I’m getting better at portraying those most of the time, and it’s interesting, cringeworthy and enjoyable to watch the journey (which is, by no means, linear.)

Of course, I want people to focus on my best stuff, not on my worst, but I’m also proud to show how far I’ve come. It’s work to improve, not magic. I want critics to see what I have taken in learning opportunities to enhance my work.

In the future, maybe I’ll delete more items that I feel no longer represent me. Maybe I won’t. We all change. Writing is a good way to track our progression. When do we stop feeling like some of the things we created for public consumption are worthy of deletion, then? Do we ever reach the point where we stagnate, and stop striving for improvement? For me that answer is “only when I’m dead.” Until then, I refuse to be deleted.

Thanks for reading! How about you? Do you choose to delete or not? Why?