Don't Throw Out The Leftovers

The day after Christmas means lots of leftovers for us from the big meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Good leftovers! Roast turkey breast and prime rib plus a few side dishes, rolls, cookies and Chocolate Eclair Dessert. We won't mind finishing those items up one bit. I had enough to send some home with my daughter this morning, too. 

In our writing life, we often have some leftovers. Good ones and some that are not so hot, too. Before the new year begins, maybe you should sort through some of those leftover stories, poems and articles that you never got quite polished enough to submit to a contest or an editor. 

You've already got the bones, so all you have to do is a bit of revising and polishing to flesh it out enough to make your story worth sending out for publication. Spend some time going through your files to see what qualifies as a 2012 leftover. They couldt appear in a different light to you now that they've lingered in a file somewhere for weeks, or even months.

You might find a few that aren't worth saving. So go ahead, take a deep breath and dump them. Or, if that is too painful, print a copy and keep in a folder somewhere. But make a list of the ones that might be possibilities. If there are too many to finish up this next week, they will make the perfect inspiration for starting 2013. 

Don't throw out your leftovers until you sift and sort. As for me, I'm looking forward to a turkey sandwich for lunch with a little cranberry sauce, a cup of tea and definitely a couple of Christmas cookies.