5 Ways to Know It's Time to Let an Article Die

One thing I'm learning as a freelance writer is that everything I write is not worth writing. To all of those reading this article I hope you won't think this article is one of those cases once you've finished reading it. There are some articles I've started writing that I've had to let go of because it was getting too hard to write, or perhaps the content wasn't the quality I wanted it to be. Regardless of the reason I needed enough maturity and respect for writing as a whole to realize that what I'm writing is not worth releasing to the public. On the flipside, I've had some articles that I thought were really good and didn't get a lot of reads at all. Not so much that it was a bad article, but it wasn't very attractive to the reading public at the time of release.

Years ago I wrote poetry and it didn't take much for me to be inspired. Most of the poems I really liked, but there were others I thought was just "ok". The ones I recited were the ones I thought to be the most powerful and/or thought-provoking to the audience for that engagement. I feel a similar conviction about my writing. I want to write articles that are of good quality and great use to the reader... and if that's not the case, then I would just as well not to write it or save it for another time when it may be more appropriate to release.

So as a writer, how do you know that it's time to let an article die?

Hint #1 - The subject matter is no longer relevant. If you're writing an article for someone based on time-sensitive events, and the event is happening, coming close to happening, or already passed... there's a chance you should let the article die. Unless it's imperative that you write it, you should let it go and move on to something else. You may be one of those writers that don't write well under stress. If you can't handle time-sensitive deadlines then either pass up those articles to more experienced writers, or perhaps consider just writing for fun. Either way, articles whose shelf-life have passed as far as response from the viewing public should probably rest in peace, or be used as a portfolio piece somehow.

Hint #2 - The research for the article is of no interest to you. When you get to a point that the research is losing interest, perhaps the article you're writing for that topic should be laid to rest. For some articles quality research is what will make the article come alive. Appropriately placed statistics, facts, or even humorous analogies are what can make an article real for people. When that type of information is dead to you, it'll be dead to your reader. When it gets to the point that the research hits a dead end or the research isn't giving you what you thought it would, lay the article down and move on.

Hint #3 - Your inspiration for the subject has faded. It happens from time to time that you are excited about a certain topic, then over time or for other reasons that interest gradually decreases. It could be due to stress, it could be due to lack of material, it could be due to other obligations... whatever it is, when the inspiration is gone so will the excitement. Readers can tell when a writer has written something they are passionate about... it shows up in the writing. The inverse of that is true as well. When a writer writes about something they're not interested in, the article seems lackluster, dull, or like a whitepaper - just informational, but no heart or soul attached to it. Kill the article if you see this happening with your writing. In order for a piece of writing to be alive the author must have inspiration and passion about the subject. Remember, you're sharing information, but you're also sharing emotion.

Hint #4 - Opinions become more important than the facts. There is a place for conjecture, but unless it's an opinionated article, there should be some facts involved somewhere. The beauty of opinion pieces is that they can turn into freestyle articles. You are freer to "talk" instead of write. When it's more of a purposed article that needs to be written, you have to know how to balance making this piece your soapbox versus making it informative. Soapbox articles are better utilized in personal blogs or corporate blogs where you can rant and others can agree or disagree with your rantings. I don't have a problem with opinions, but if I need facts then give me facts. Let the article die if you find more opinions are used than facts in an article that really needs the facts.

Hint #5 - You have writer's block for this article but not for any other you're writing. You have a sheet of paper in front of you, or a blank Microsoft Word template. You're having a problem with the title, the first paragraph, where to start, or how to end... give it some time. Don't give up on it right away, but if after some time you're still stuck... let it go. Put it to rest. That article may not be meant for you to write, and that's okay. Write about what you know, and what you can talk about. Sometimes as writers we have to discuss things that are not completely familiar to us, but that should be the exception not the norm. If you're experiencing a sudden case of writer's block... perhaps it's a sign that you should be blocking that article from your collection.