Now, I don’t know how other writers view the world of words, or all the letters and words available from which to choose when composing some sort of written material. For me, I always visualize words up in the sky, like stars, and when writing, I just reach up and gather some. Sometimes they’re easily in reach, and other times not. Depends on the word, I suppose, or the day.
If it’s a day when words come slow as molasses, just give up and make it an editing day. If it’s one of those days when words pour out like water out of a pitcher, type as fast as you can to catch as many as you can. Some will spill onto the floor, but you can’t worry about that. Just keep typing and don’t even think about editing. Just empty the contents of your mind onto the page.
Never underestimate the power of words, or their capacity to hide when you’re looking for them. Or for running out the door before you can catch them, for that matter.
These days, I look up and see something different than in years past. Between my desk and the stars, I see a band of words, videos, and all sorts of devices continually zooming by in a convoluting band. Kinda like one of Saturn’s rings, but spinning and moving fast. That’s the Internet; that’s all the information from all over the world zipping by in an instant. Every second, more is tossed up into the mix. Every second, someone pulls some piece down and uses it one way or another. It’s fast, and it’s a race. And everybody around the world is contributing and it’s continually changing. It’s so unbelievably wonderful to have all this information and sharing all around the world in ways I never would have imagined even a few short years ago.
I love it.
I’ve been off the grid here for the past couple of weeks for one reason or another. Now I’m back to writing. I’ll be composing something about databases and xml and that sort of serious thing, but for now, I thought I’d just let myself get sidetracked and see what words and thoughts came to mind. I think writers need to do that once in a while. Just sit back and pluck a few stars.
Well, time for me to toss these words up on the Internet. Let them join the mix and see where they go…
On NPR I heard someone say that Gershwin just pulled songs from the air. That’s a bit closer than the stars, but not much. Must be glorious out there with words and music zipping along side by side and clusters of words who only need each other.
It’s comforting to know that even exceptional writers like you have Molasses Seizures! If you can figure out how to catch your extra words in a bucket, I’m willing to pay for them.