When It’s Time to Let Go by Sally Shupe

We know it’s hard to let go. Hard to let go of how we do things, because we’ve always done them that way. Or, hard to let go of those few extra pounds we’re always trying to lose. Or, hard to go in one direction when we’ve gone so far in another direction. As I write this, I am learning to let go of my son. He got engaged over Christmas and is leaving home to move to Florida. 10 ½ hours away. We’re packing up today and driving down with him and his fiancé in the morning. But, by letting go of him, I get something in return. A soon to be daughter in law! And a chance to see a state I haven’t been to before. One that is much warmer than it is where I am right now, as an extra incentive. As I thought about this, writing came to mind.

Do you have a story that is just not quite working? Are the characters being more obstinate than usual? Not talking to you, or the scene is not working out? Have you received feedback that goes against what you thought your story would be? Maybe it needs to be let go. Could the story take place in the city instead of the country? Could the hero be a surfer instead of a snowboarder? (Someone had asked my son if he was trading in his snowboard for a surfboard. He said no, in case you’re interested lol.) Could it become a suspense instead of a sweet romance? Or maybe your editor or agent has requested changes. Do you find it hard to follow their directions and let certain aspects of your story go? How do you handle letting go of a story that you’ve worked so hard on?

Just as it’s hard for me letting my baby boy go, it’s just as hard to let a story go. One that we’ve worked on for a long time. We’ve gotten close to the characters. Watched the characters, and the story, grow from an idea, to chapters, to maybe even a completed story. But do you know what you get when you let certain things go? A better story! One that resonates with more people. One that is stronger.

Step back from your story and see it from all angles. Could your story benefit from letting go? Only you know the answer to this question. It may end up looking drastically different. It may take lots more work to get it where it needs to be. But we’re writers. Writing is what we do. Once you’ve looked it over, studied the feedback from editors, agents, or beta readers, dissect the story and see if what they’ve suggested makes sense. If it does, your story just may benefit from letting go!

Are you struggling with letting certain aspects of your story go? Or, have you had to let a story go? Please share how you handled it so we can all learn, and know we’re not alone. We can encourage one another along this journey.

How do you handle letting go of a story that you’ve worked so hard on? @SallyShupe1 #amwriting #writetip #seriouslywrite

Sally Shupe lives in southwest Virginia with her husband, two grown kids, and a whole bunch of pets: five dogs, three cats, a rabbit, and birds at the birdfeeder (and the mandatory snowman when the snow cooperates). She writes contemporary Christian romance, with two completed manuscripts and others in progress. They are part of a series located in small town Virginia.

When Sally’s not writing or working full-time, she is a freelance editor for several authors who write fiction and nonfiction; students working on dissertation papers; a copy editor for Desert Breeze (now closed); a content editor for Prism (became part of Pelican); performs beta reading for various authors; publishes book reviews on her blog and with Valley Business FRONT’s monthly magazine; is a member of ACFW and ACFW Virginia; and loves genealogy, running, and crocheting.

Sally uses her love of words to write about God’s amazing love.