Dumpster

I couldn’t begin to tell you how much junk I’ve accumulated.

I don’t mean physical stuff, though maybe I should examine that as well. I mean the overflow of words that didn’t make it to their intended projects. Many notes are piled on top of each other, virtual and otherwise, each containing thoughts and ideas that couldn’t find a home.

I doubt I’ll get back to much of the excess, but I keep some of it around just in case. There may be some interesting kernel in there somewhere. And it’s not as if I go digging through the junk piles every time I’m desperate for a certain je ne sais quoi. Writing something down, even if it’s useless in the moment, makes for more effective memorizing. When I happen across a gap in whatever I’m working on, I might suddenly recall that I wrote down that random thought about ice cream cakes, then go searching for it.

Do you keep a dumpster of your darlings? Or do you kill them and let them deteriorate?