Below is a series of tiny pen & ink sketches that were designed to be placed at the end of each chapter of a novel I wrote more than a decade ago. That project grew into a trilogy, which now languishes in my junk drawer. At some point I hope to return to it and rework the manuscripts, as I still find much to like about the story. There are many good ideas and great characters in the books, and I've learned so much about writing since abandoning the project that it's possible that what wasn't workable then is something I might be able to make work now or in the future.

 

The one thing you learn in art, is that sometimes there comes a point when you have to concede that something just isn't working. It wasn't easy to set aside a project as big as that trilogy (which I'd worked on for three years), but my own critical eye determined that it simply wasn't ready. It was far from a waste, however, because as the old adage says: "Practice makes perfect." Just as you have to draw a lot to hone your skills as an artist, you also have to write a great many words (generally) to become a writer producing books that are publishable.