Martijn Winkel

Searching for a lighter in the night outside the club. Observing a stranger’s peculiar habit on the train home. Lying awake despite Tension Tamer tea’s empty promises. Walking life’s tightrope. Staring at the ceiling while existential questions flood my mind. The weight of uncertain tomorrows. The beautiful blindness of new love. Two boys colliding. Sleep dust falling from my tired eyes. And the constant pull between opposing forces.

I’m a person who often experiences a whirlwind of emotions. Over the years, I’ve discovered that writing down these feelings helps me create space for them, offering a sense of peace. The things I write tend to live in the notes on my phone, often forgotten after I’ve put them down. But recently, those notes began to take on a life of their own, slowly forming the foundation for Until You Fall Asleep, a larger story born from the same fragments.

Learning to write is a continuous journey for me, one that I hope will only improve with time. But I’ve come to realize that sharing the imperfect parts is just as important as celebrating progress. The Things That I Have Kept From You is a collection of fifteen notes that I’m now ready to share with you. I hope you appreciate it for what it is.