I have two hobbies which I deeply enjoy. I love to read, and I love to write. 99% of the time, I’m writing something on this website if I am writing something at all. I get into a mode where I sit down to write, and things simply “happen” to make this website get updated no matter the time it takes. It can be a short trip, or a long haul. Very little of my writing is done away from the computer, simply because writing things twice (once on a piece of paper, once again for the web) doesn’t make them available for others to read, and ultimately writing is meant to be shared, or it’s wasted.
What can happen on occasion is that I’ll be struck with an absolutely wonderful idea, and have no where to take note of it. This is always a regretful crime. I spend a lot of time trying to think of something to write on a daily basis. Whenever inspiration strikes me, I’d like to have a method to capture my idea so I can best put it to use later. It’s better to write down ten bad ideas and one good one than let that good idea slip away forever.
This means carrying a notepad and pen around with me whenever I go out of the house for extended periods of time. I’m not in the practice of doing this, but I think it could help my writing. Today I went shopping for a notepad so I could have something to jot down quick notes, or longer essays if the mood ever strikes me.
I have a terrible habit of looking at very nicely designed notebooks, picking one out, purchasing it, and then never writing it it. For some reason the first few pages of a notebook are the hardest for me to write on. They somehow “set the tone ” for the rest of the pages that follow. If I use a notebook for mindless scribbles while I talk to chatty adult students, I can’t use it for my personal notes. If I use it for reflective purposes, I can’t draw something humorous or pencil in a phone number. Everything has to be “in it’s right place” for some reason.
Perhaps this mirrors my usage of my website. You can see the nicely divided columns and categories my writing falls into when I write on the web. I can expand the scope of my website from time to time by writing about something new that becomes a common in later posts, but usually I stick to the same few topics for posts on the main page.
The forums I frequent, or the posts I make via personal message are completely different in tone at times. I don’t post those sorts of messages on the main page because I don’t find them conducive to the environment I want to foster here. I’m free to express myself how I want, it’s just that where I choose to express myself isn’t the same
Just like in my notebook, certain things don’t “go” there. I know what it is for, but still, just breaking down and writing on those first few pages are still tough for me. Today I went to the store and found a nice notebook for my new bag. It fits perfectly in the pocket, as if it was made for my bag. I’ve also got a pen ready. Walking home from the store, I immediately opened up the notebook as I waited for the subway to arrive and wrote:
This notebook is for sudden inspiration. Inspiration can strike anywhere. The last thing you want is to be hit by a great idea without a pen or a piece of paper.
Just WRITE!
I think that set the tone for the rest of the pages rather nicely.
