Monday, January 29, 2024

Don't Forget that Thought, Write it Down!

"The existence of forgetting has never been proved: we only know that some things do not come to our mind when we want them to."  Friedrich Nietzsche

Ever lost a great story idea, or forgotten just the right quote, or the perfect sentence to describe something?  If you came up with these great thoughts in the middle of the day, but failed to write them down at the moment of inspiration, the answer is probably yes!

That's why it's so important, as writers, to always have pen and paper handy wherever we are.  If you dream up your ideas, or they come to you while waking in the wee hours of the morning, have a notebook on your bedside table.  If you develop scenarios as you drive, place a little steno pad in your glove compartment.

If you're a woman writer who wants to be well prepared to hear from "the muse," carry a little notebook in your purse.  Same goes for a guy who carries a "man bag." And with a cell phone, anyone can be prepared since you can text yourself!

Write down (or text) your ideas when they're fresh!  If you don't have a handy pad or a cell phone, grab the nearest thing available!

We've all heard about great stories written on cocktail napkins! And if you're like me, you've probably scribbled on napkins from your own kitchen table when nothing else is accessible to catch that stream of wildly flowing inspiration!

Even though you can hold on to ideas for a few hours (before completely forgetting them), sometimes they're just not as strong as the original thought, once you find the time to jot them down.  It's difficult to recreate the initial pungency from the fragments left  floating around in your head.  

So be prepared, write it down! Do you have a pen and paper handy wherever you go?

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by! 

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