The Junk Drawer

Most writers’ processes are different (so I’ve been told). My process involves the junk drawer. I’ve learned the hard way to never delete writing (because at some point I’ll end up rewriting what I already had the words for). Even if I can’t see a use for that particular sentence or paragraph at the time, it may come in handy later on. I’ve become essentially a word hoarder, unable to delete phrases once they’ve manifested on the page.

So, I have what started as one file and has now grown into a folder of files filled with odds and ends from creative and professional writing projects. The junk drawer contains the pieces I carved out of past essays, stories, or poems and the brilliant ideas I sketch out in the middle of the night that seem much less brilliant in the light of day, such as “flute as assassination method.”

When I moved into my first apartment, my mom told me that everyone needs a junk drawer, a place where disorder is okay, where the misfits can gather. She was right; there is something calming about containing my chaos to a rectangle tucked beneath the counter. In writing, as in life, the junk drawer has offered surprise combinations and inspiration when I’m stuck within a project or struggling to start something new. Next time you are writing any kind of content, before clicking the delete button, see what can be salvaged and if there’s a place for a junk drawer in your writing process.