Abandon Quote by Kelly Link
“I don't abandon stories once I've started working on them. Once I sit down and start a story, I'll be damned if I'm going to give up on it. But I do reject most of the ideas for stories that I come up with.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: 2018, The New Yorker, Kelly Link
Once a story is started, abandoning it is unacceptable; most ideas are still rejected.
In simple terms: Commit to a story once begun, but be selective about ideas.
Key Takeaway
Persist with projects, but prune weak concepts.
Themes
writing
creativity
discipline
storytelling
Mood
determined
thoughtful
Type
creative
motivational
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- screenwriting
- workshop feedback
Key Concepts
narrative focus
idea selection
creative persistence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide when to quit a story?
- What criteria guide your idea rejection?
A Different Perspective
Perseverance can lead to burnout if ideas are not filtered.
![“The most enduring and galvanizing ideas and values of our civilization are embedded in our stories, from those of Homer, […] and Virgil, […] and to Jesus. It seems to be in our genetic makeup to capture our best ideas in stories, to enjoy them, to learn form them, and to pass them on to others (25)” quote by Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/656/blake-mycoskie-4833_inspirational_the-most-enduring-and-galvanizing-ideas_1900757.jpg)
![“Ideas for stories come in really different terms and really different ways for me. Sometimes they're from books, sometimes they're just kind of out of the air, from nowhere, sometimes they're biographical, or sometimes they're other things [everyday life].” quote by Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e5a/brian-evenson-21180_air_ideas-for-stories-come-in-really-differe_1550442.jpg)
