My Mind Finished Writing My Article While I Was Asleep
How losing the moment of inspiration can cost you dearly
What’s more painful for an artist than to lose a great idea? Just recently I saw a David Lynch interview where he said he always writes down his ideas immediately, because if he doesn’t, he loses them forever. But he seems to be a quick learner — he’s only lost a couple of ideas so far.
How much I still underestimate the power of inspiration. That thing that happens just out of the blue. An emotion triggered, perhaps by a thought, a conversation, a street scene — it may come from any direction — and if you’re not ready to write it down immediately, it may be gone forever.
As so often, I had to learn it the hard way. I’ve dozens of unfinished stories on my hard drive which I started writing with great enthusiasm, but put them aside for a few hours or a day to finish some paperwork or other obligation, just to find out that my whole concept of the story disappeared below the surface of my brain never to return. It’s one of the saddest things to experience as a writer.
This is even worse than a writer’s block, because it was there, and now it’s gone because of a mistake. And it is that mistake I want to talk about.
