When Writing Becomes A Waste of Time

Is it possible? Can writing be a waste of time? Ultimately, the answer is no. Writing is always a practice in craft. Everything from journal entries to blog posts to poems to stories to song lyrics . . . sure, they may be stupid from time to time, silly, or maybe even ways to kill time, but any form of writing could never be considered a waste of time.

I am inclined to disagree. While I do admit that any form of writing is indeed a practice in the craft and therefore worth something, I am still of the opinion that sometimes a story or a poem is just completely and utterly hopeless. I am of course talking about myself here, and I am referring to a short story I have been struggling with for years. I recently commented about this particular piece in a few posts back (entitled When Revision Becomes Re-Imagine). At the end of said post I was contemplating the effort I made in trying to finalize this story which has bothered me so, and I had asked myself the very same question I am asking here: can writing be a waste of time? But a month or so ago I was hopeful that my new version of a sci-fi pseudo-drama set aboard a spacecraft was complete and successful . . . but I was wrong.

I recently read the latest version of the story (some 9,000+ words . . . far too long for general zine publication) and I am now of the opinion that said story may just have to remain one of those pieces that was purely an exercise in practice. There are many stories in my catologue that fit this bill (most of which were written during my college years), but as I am now actively seeking publication (or rather, saying that I am) I am rather smitten that I have wasted so much time on a story that I know for a fact will never see publication. I mean, it needs edited; and I'm not speaking of the basics here (spelling, word choice, sentence structure -- these are all a given in any editing process); rather, the plot, sub-plot, climax, characters, flow, et cetera, all need revision. And this is what I have been struggling with for years. I do believe that this latest rendition of the story is number seven. And throughout it all, I have both loved the idea and hated the outcome. Characters have been erased, new characters introduced, scenes completely rearranged, new ideas expressed, and when I read the latest effort I am always annoyed. I just can't seem to tell the story the way I originally imagined it. And I know that it sucks! Who would want to read my story when I myself don't even like it? And so, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot waste anymore time. It's time to pack it up and move on. Maybe one day in the future I will take another stab at it . . . maybe when I am suffering from a case of writer's block. But for now, the story is going to be packed away into a box full of stories showcasing a practice in crap . . . I mean craft.