When I lose an Idea
Write it Down Before You Forget
I have a habit now of making small notes about ideas to explore further on paper. When I was working, I did not do that, but now, with my age upon me, I feel it is necessary.
Right now, the recording is half-assed. A Post-It note or a scrap of paper inevitably gets swept up with the other detritus on my desk as I clear the decks for a suitable workspace. The thought is gone.
I think I should create a document titled “Ideas” and record those random thoughts that come to me so that I can, when I have more time, explore them.
It’s because I tend to forget things.
A couple of days ago, I was thinking about an article I had promised my editor for the next edition of Pencil Stubs On-Line Magazine. The idea was brilliant. It made my soft parts tingle. It was exactly what I should talk about next. The next day I was ready to write, but I could not remember the idea. It was gone. It wasn’t where it should be. I had written nothing down.
I was frustrated because I’d already pondered what I would write about next. My column is called Woo Woo and describes the things that happen to me as a psychic person. I’ve written 23 articles for Pencil Stubs so far, and much of my Woo Woo life is there. What hadn’t I talked about yet? Out of the blue, the idea occurred to me.
I recognized the feeling of frustration because I had lost that train of thought. It’s like misplacing your keys when you want to get on the road now, or you will be late for work or wherever you are going. I also knew all the frustration was going to build quickly, and eventually, I would be so pounded down that there would be no chance in hell I was going to remember.
I forced myself to relax.
I knew it was only in a calm, meditative state that the idea was going to come back to me.
It surprised me when it didn’t take any time at all for that kernel of a story to rise in its entirety from the dusty, cobwebbed halls of my memory.
I had it. Rather than just make a note, I wrote a 1,000-word piece about it. It was late in the evening. I knew I needed to get to bed at a reasonable hour because lately, I’ve been spending most of my energy on the accounting project of our 2022 finances. I didn’t care. I had to get this story out.
I had thought I should look back over the other articles I had written for my Woo Woo column just to see if I’d made the attempt before. I quickly decided not to.
It’s like Maria Callas painting lilies. Or Monet painting gardens. With the telling and telling again, the artist, the writer, can focus more on the angels seen dancing on the head of a pin and find something new to focus on.
The link to my March 2023 article is here -> Pencil Stubs.
Pauline Evanosky is a psychic channel, and no, I can’t tell what you are thinking. I am a retired office admin person, a bookkeeper at times, and a writer. Soon to be published in 2023 a series of books for young folks about Getting a Job, Keeping a Job, and Looking for Another Job. I’ve written almost 300 articles on Medium and would love it if you would subscribe to my stuff. I don’t like to get dressed anymore and have a fabulous disposition, as long as they don’t take away my pills.
