The most interesting thing about the written word is that it originates from running thought – uncontrollable, unforced – and often un-trigger-able at the time of intent. While we may choose to lose out on writing down that something that seems to be formulating in our heads - fact remains that the words are still being thought. And you may do all you want to try and hold onto them for later, but we all know how that ends.
How many times have you found yourself waking up from a dream and thinking “Wow, that would be an awesome story!” or how many perfect moments have you visualized while staring into space? There is no paper to scribble on, no rock to carve – just another piece of visual you hope you can store in your pensieve to reproduce at a later time. But can you find it that easily? The perfect paragraph : word for word?
So how about reversing the process of thoughts being lost? What can you do to hold onto the sand that keeps flowing through your eyes – and you don’t find yourself motivated enough to move the pen to paper, forget finger to keyboard to stop it from running through you?! Of course you think you can save a text in your drafts and it'll solve all your problems...but will it really?
A few minutes and a couple of really funny jokes later, your potent thought remains all but buried under all that fun - then the phone dies.What if you forced yourself to prevent the feeling that causes this mind freeze - nothing short of the glory following a hard disk wipe out?
What if , every time you thought of something, you decided you were not going to let it flow away – you do something about it - you run and load an application, or grab a post-it and scribble out your idea and stick it right there – on your screen to force yourself to come back to the idea at a later point. Who knows what that scene you create can expand into? a premise for a whodunit? or the climax point of a story you think you’ve always wanted to write but needed a moment to bring it all together?
Think about it..
And while you're reading read this piece, silhouettes of your previous ideas have started to come to you- hazy and blurred- you’ve remembered things you wished you’d made note of – and you want to kick yourself, since you remember the key frame and can’t for the life of you remember how you reached that scene or what it’s plot point was.
You know what would really work right now? Fire up that word processor and write about all that you think.
Then do that Everytime you have an idea or a thought.
Everytime. Every single time.
You’ll thank yourself later!
-The Ed
How many times have you found yourself waking up from a dream and thinking “Wow, that would be an awesome story!” or how many perfect moments have you visualized while staring into space? There is no paper to scribble on, no rock to carve – just another piece of visual you hope you can store in your pensieve to reproduce at a later time. But can you find it that easily? The perfect paragraph : word for word?
So how about reversing the process of thoughts being lost? What can you do to hold onto the sand that keeps flowing through your eyes – and you don’t find yourself motivated enough to move the pen to paper, forget finger to keyboard to stop it from running through you?! Of course you think you can save a text in your drafts and it'll solve all your problems...but will it really?
A few minutes and a couple of really funny jokes later, your potent thought remains all but buried under all that fun - then the phone dies.What if you forced yourself to prevent the feeling that causes this mind freeze - nothing short of the glory following a hard disk wipe out?
What if , every time you thought of something, you decided you were not going to let it flow away – you do something about it - you run and load an application, or grab a post-it and scribble out your idea and stick it right there – on your screen to force yourself to come back to the idea at a later point. Who knows what that scene you create can expand into? a premise for a whodunit? or the climax point of a story you think you’ve always wanted to write but needed a moment to bring it all together?
Think about it..
And while you're reading read this piece, silhouettes of your previous ideas have started to come to you- hazy and blurred- you’ve remembered things you wished you’d made note of – and you want to kick yourself, since you remember the key frame and can’t for the life of you remember how you reached that scene or what it’s plot point was.
You know what would really work right now? Fire up that word processor and write about all that you think.
Then do that Everytime you have an idea or a thought.
Everytime. Every single time.
You’ll thank yourself later!
-The Ed
No comments:
Post a Comment