Why it's never a good idea to trash your work
Have you ever been going through an old notebook, or clearing old files off a computer, and run across an old piece of trash sorry, writing? You might start skimming it and question what sort of mental state you were in when you wrote that piece, or you might have a laugh and send it to some friends with a couple lol's and laughing emojis. It's what happens after the initial shock that I want to talk about. That sense of "I hate this and want to watch it burn".
Never throw away old work.
Never ever get rid of old work.
Reach deep inside your brain and unlock that primitive hoarder instinct and keep all those awful stories and essays in little piles around your house.
The instant you forget how horrible you used to be when it comes to writing is the instant you will no longer recognize your progress. Writing isn't about being good the first time, it's about gradually getting better. Creativity is a process, not a product.
Thus, I charge you with this task. Find every scrap of old writing you can. Put it all in a pile and read it. Every word. Now, go to the most recent thing you have written and read it. I'm willing to bet that you have gotten better at writing since you first started, and I'm willing to claim that you will continue to grow the more you write. However, in order to appreciate your growth, you need to understand that you will not be perfect at writing. Ever. And that is wonderfully okay. Be proud of the growth you have made, but don't trap yourself negative thoughts. Positive statements only, and I mean tell yourself about what you already are and not what you should be.
So please, I beg you, do not throw away that emo My Little Pony fanfiction. Hide it away in a pile of other mistakes and treasure it for all of eternity.
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