How to make something out of nothing

Magicians pull rabbits out of hats, writers make up whole universes and I … well, I’ve been known to make something out of nothing. They call it “manifesting.”

It isn’t easy but once in a while, things click. Like yesterday I woke up thinking I need to clean out my file cabinet. That heavy 4-drawer wooden cabinet has been with me for 20 years. I bought it for 10 bucks from a neighbor when I saw it sitting on his sidewalk. It is packed to the gills with stuff I deem important—or did.

These days I rarely file anything, except paid bills (old school, I don’t like to pay online) and a few news clippings when I have them. But in yesteryear I stuffed that old boy with college projects, handwritten and typed stories and poems, drawings, art tour and client folders, memorabilia. There’s even some sandpaper and old extension cords in the bottom drawer.

Almost everything I do starts with an idea, a picture in my head, a thought, or a spark of inspiration if I’m lucky. Right now, I’m working on finishing a middle-grade book about a troll in Iceland, completed my first novel in a series and halfway through the first draft of the sequel. I recently started to develop an online course for beginning writers. Plus, there’s another children’s picture book hovering in the back of my mind.

This is where the file cabinet comes in. Part of my creative task is to roundup all the info and notes I have gathered over time to use for reference material. Today was a red letter day! I found a boatload of good stuff I didn’t know I had in that magic file cabinet. Now, I have to convert my findings into a whimsical, fun manifestation. And just like that <snap>, I’ll pull another rabbit out of my hat.