So, in the Klempner household, preparations for Pesach — Passover — are in full swing. We’re vacuuming and scrubbing the house, the car, and the van like crazy. I’m muttering things like, “Why do I let them eat in carpool?” and “How do you get cookie crumbs in sock drawers?” under my breath.

Photo by Pptudela and available through Wikipedia Commons

One of my favorite parts of Pesach cleaning is finding things you’ve lost: the missing token from a game you’ve been wanting to play on rainy days, spare change, receipts for purchases you’ve been meaning to return, missing socks.

I’m not suggesting you pull out the 409 and start scrubbing down your file cabinets (although, if a toddler has access to its drawers, it might be a good idea). I’m suggesting that you flip through some old stories — ones you discarded incomplete, or complete but not yet ready for prime time viewing — and revisit them.

A couple weeks ago, my writing group was scheduled to meet, and the only writing I was currently working on were parts of my upcoming serial — and I didn’t want to share those because I don’t want to spoil the mystery for my friends — and a project that I was contracted to write but not talk about. And an essay that was REALLY not yet ready for prime time viewing. So I dug around in my computer files and found something I’d discarded.

I shared it, and not only do I think it’s salvageable, I think it will be salable.

To top it off, I just interviewed a writer (G-d willing, I’ll post it after Pesach) who shared that the book she’s soon releasing was originally written 30 years ago. You read that right: 30 years ago! And now, she’s having it published by a well-regarded publishing house and I think it’s going to be revolutionary.

So why don’t y’all dig around and see if you can find some lost belongings around your files. You might strike gold…or find maybe find your missing watch.

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