Most writers, especially those working on novels, write with the hopes of publication. For many it’s the ultimate achievement. However, the actual publication rate compared to the number of writers out in the world is, as one would expect, quite bleak. So why is it important to keep writing? Especially when you’re just starting out and you realize halfway through a manuscript that it’s either not meeting your standards or it’s not something that you think will catch on, it’s easy to just move on to something different.

But what about everything you can learn from seeing that project through? Imagine taking that story that maybe you once loved or maybe you didn’t and reworking it, finding everything that takes away from the heart of what you once believed in, and making it shine. There is so much you can gain from simply seeing a project through to the end and I hope that by the end of this post you might feel inspired to try it for yourself.

Reason #1: Learning to Write Without Inspiration

I think that by now most writers by now have generally accepted that writing without inspiration or motivation is a necessary skill. However, for many new writers, doing so can be one of the greatest hurdles to getting that first manuscript finished. Deciding early on that the manuscript you’re writing isn’t something you intend on publishing can make it much harder to feel motivated to finish it. I would argue that’s exactly why you should finish it. Make yourself take the time to work on that manuscript that you don’t believe in or that you don’t have goals for. You’ll train yourself—for lack of a better word—to work through your writers block and not rely on inspiration or motivation bursts. Honestly, I’m a big proponent of the idea that the best writing comes out of working writing rather than inspired writing. I’m not saying that inspiration never leads to greatness, but I do feel that people can be swept up in inspiration. When you write with a plan and when you have to fight for the words you put on a page then you’re able to think more clearly about how your writing for the day will fit into the story as a whole. By writing even without the motivation of the publication end goal you’ll become more used to working through your writing and will be able to finish more projects in the long run.

Reason #2: Evaluating Strengths and Weaknesses

Of course any manuscript, finished or otherwise, can be used to self-evaluate your skills and weaknesses as a writer; however, I personally feel that “abandoned” projects are even more useful in this regard. Assuming that the manuscript is one you’ve set aside because you’re not happy with it, taking the time to break down why you’re not happy with it can be incredibly helpful. Is there something about the prose that you feel isn’t working or is it that the form of the text doesn’t play to your strengths? Maybe you realized you’re not connecting with whatever genre you started out in. Whatever the issue may be, breaking down a list of what specifically isn’t working can help break you out of that mindset of “this is bad” or even “I can’t write this.”

Once you’ve broken out the negative generalizations about your writing and the manuscript, you’ll then be able to find what you do like about it. You started writing that book for a reason. Whether you wanted to experiment in a new genre or felt passionately about the subject or characters, there had to be some reason why you decided to write that book. The first step in reacquainting yourself with an abandoned manuscript is rediscovering it’s purpose. From there, you can set aside the list of things you don’t like and really take time to appreciate all of the good points within the text. I promise you than nothing you’ve written is 100% “bad” and, after all the work you’ve put into it, you deserve a break from the criticism to recognize your own skill and effort.

Reason #3: Exploring and Finding Your Passion

This reason may be the most important, in my opinion. I’ve known far too many writers who get tripped up by the idea of their audience or their manuscript’s marketability. Those things are important, for sure, but they can distract from your initial vision for the piece. As such, writing a manuscript just for the sake of writing it—not even writing it for yourself but writing for writing’s sake—can allow you to explore your writing preferences without the constraints of concerns such as “will this sell” or “how can I pitch this” or even, “is this style ‘on trend’ right now.” Freeing yourself from the concerns of an outside, unknown, or even fictionalized audience can allow you to explore the topics and style that most fit who you want to be as a writer. Once you become comfortable with who you want to be and what you want to write then you can worry about how to “sell” that to an audience but I believe that every writer should have at least one story you build entirely for yourself.

In the end, you may end up reworking the manuscript to publish it or you may take what you can out of it and set it aside. Either way, when you first feel that urge to give up on a project I urge you to step back first. Give yourself time and come back to it. Unfinished or personal projects are a wealth of knowledge for you and your writing; you just have to take the time to uncover it.