The wastebasket is a writer's best friend

The wastebasket is a writer's best friend

Isaac Bashevis Singer, the renowned Polish-American writer and Nobel laureate, once famously said, "The wastebasket is a writer's best friend." This statement holds a profound truth for many writers, including Singer himself. The act of writing is a process of creation, revision, and refinement, and the wastebasket plays a crucial role in this process.

For Singer, the wastebasket was not just a receptacle for discarded drafts and ideas; it was a symbol of the writer's willingness to let go of what is not working and to make room for new and better ideas. Singer understood that writing is a messy and imperfect process, and that sometimes the best way to move forward is to let go of what is holding you back.