Why I Hit Delete: Discovering My Writing Voice

Well, this week was… productive? Kind of?

Of course, if you’re reading this, I owe you an explanation. So, I wrote three whole articles this week. Not drafts — actual finished pieces. Whole sentences, complete thoughts, edited and polished. One of them even had custom artwork. Like, I spent actual time on it. I picked the title carefully, adjusted the layout, and even made a few witty remarks. I thought to myself, Hey, this might be pretty good.

And then — delete.

Three times. Every single one. Gone.

Let’s break down how this disaster unfolded.

The first article started with promise. I had an idea — a solid idea! So, I sat down, opened a blank document, and the words started coming. Slowly. Painfully. Like trying to push molasses uphill with a fork. But I finished it! I sat back, convinced of my genius, read it over, and… wow, it was boring. Like, painfully boring. I kept thinking, This will get better once I hit my stride. Spoiler: it did not. It was the writing equivalent of oatmeal with no sugar. So I deleted it. No regrets.

The second one was trying too hard. You know when you get halfway through writing something and then, somewhere along the way, you can actually see yourself forcing it? Like you’re standing there with jazz hands going, Look how clever I am! It was wordy, and overthought, and had that annoying tone of someone who’s just read a thesaurus and wants you to know it. When I read it back to myself, I physically cringed. It was that bad. Not even salvageable. Straight to the trash.

The third one was the real heartbreaker. This one I actually liked. I edited it. I polished it. I made artwork for it — actual artwork! I spent time making sure the colours were just right and the header image lined up perfectly. The whole deal. And honestly? It was good. It made sense. It flowed. What more could I ask for? But when I read it back, something just felt… off. It didn’t feel like me. It was kind of like wearing a sweater that looks great on the rack but makes you feel vaguely uncomfortable when you wear it in public. So, after sitting with it for a while, and re-reading it about a hundred times, I hit delete. And then immediately questioned all my life choices.

So yeah, three finished articles — all gone. And honestly? It was kind of freeing.

One of the many things I’ve learned since starting out is that writing is weird. Sometimes, you write garbage and know it’s garbage while writing it. Other times, you write something that seems pretty decent — and then you read it back and realize it’s not you at all. The process is messy, annoying, and occasionally soul-crushing.

But also — it’s the process.

I didn’t waste time this week. If anything, I learned what didn’t work. I figured out how not to say what I wanted to say. And sometimes, that’s more valuable than nailing it on the first try (at least, that’s what I’m telling myself).

So, in the end, three deleted articles and three lessons learned. That’s progress, right?