Write for the Rubbish

If you are a person who writes often, whether as an author, journalist, musician, or even a student, you may well know this phrase: “Write for the trashcan.” This phrase is intended to help people learn that we can’t write perfect published works on the first go, but that it takes numerous drafts, edits, and revisions. If you think about it, our daily life is one draft after another. It’s about attempting to do what is right, saying what you really need, and trying to reach to some ideal, yet always waking up to another draft to try it all again.

I probably spend too much time wanting to achieve a published piece, when more time should be spent drafting. I’m not trying for perfection because I’m concerned about criticism or backlash if my work is terrible. Someone is going to think that anyway. I’m actually worried that I haven’t given my best self. I don’t want those I write to or those who know me, to feel I’ve only given them a working piece. I don’t want to be offering so little, something that could be seen as not trying. But then I reminded myself, life is always about trying. We are imperfect beings and we all should forgive ourselves more. That doesn’t mean settle for less or approve of the mistakes we do make, it means understanding we can improve if we want to. It means, we are always a working piece in the making.

All of our ideals are relational. What we might think as the “best” thing is an opinion in relation to what we might consider the “worst” thing. Everyone will have different idea of “perfection.” That’s the key. I know what I’m saying is not original. But it’s often forgotten. We think we have to make this great impression for the world or in my case, write good shit. But one person’s treasure is another person’s trash, right?

So write for the rubbish bin.