Stuck with writing? The shoebox!

Perfection does not exist

It will never be perfect the first time. But that does not matter. The main message is: write! Little bits, whenever it suits you. During your lunch break, on the train, while waiting for a meeting that just won't start, a pointless meeting that just won't end, or a soap opera that won't get exciting. Try it, fifteen minutes before going to bed. Or when you can't sleep. And let it simmer for a few days, even weeks.

Build up a stock of your scribbles this way. There can easily be dozens of them.

Perform a major clean-up once a quarter. This process is pretty much the same as what we do every now and then with those hundreds of photos that we take left and right with our cell phones. What happens to most of those photos? Exactly! Even professionals work that way. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The shoebox

Be careful with throwing your stuff away. Some scribbles can come in handy months, even years later. Use the shoebox for this.

Whether you work on a computer or tablet, or prefer to write by hand, the principle is the same. Create a folder “shoebox” and park your files that are temporarily on the reserve bench. A clear description, and read through them again every now and then.

Do you prefer to write by hand? Keep the box of your last purchased pair of shoes and give the box with scribbles a place where it is safe, not in the way, but where you also don’t forget it. Are you stuck with one of your scribbles? Tear it out, date it, and put it in the box.

Keep being busy

Your shoebox is your portfolio. Every thought can contain a story. Only you often don’t know that yourself yet. It’s about those rare things that stay with you, of which you feel after a few weeks: yes, this is nice, beautiful, sad, bad, hilarious or…, what actually? The main thing is: it sticks, it grabs you, it is worth your time to make more of it.

Sow to reap

To reap, you have to sow, preferably every day. And you will see: writing will become your new routine. And who knows: one day something beautiful will just roll out of your thoughts.

And then you know. Yes… this is what I’m doing it for.