Summary

The author discusses their struggle with focusing on a single writing project due to an abundance of ideas and the inconvenient timing of their inspiration, and expresses gratitude for a prompt that helped them reflect on their writing strengths and weaknesses.

Abstract

Kasey Sparks, the author, admits to facing difficulties in maintaining focus on their writing due to a plethora of ideas that often strike at inopportune moments, such as while driving, showering, or in the early hours of the morning. This has resulted in a drafts folder filled with potential titles and unfinished work. The author finds solace and direction in a prompt shared by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐, which invites writers to discuss their writing strengths and weaknesses. Sparks takes this opportunity to introspect and lists their own: a wealth of ideas that come too frequently and at inconvenient times, the challenge of capturing these ideas quickly enough, and the struggle to type out ideas before the demands of the day intrude. The author notes that their best ideas originate from a place of inner quiet, but this is often overshadowed by the noisy and domineering nature of their fully awake brain. Despite

PROMPT | WRITING STRUGGLES & STRENGTHS

Will A Prompt Help Me Regain Focus?

Or am I tumbling down yet another rabbit hole?

I’ve been dragging my feet a bit lately with my writing. Or maybe I’m not dragging them per se. Maybe it’s more that I have so many ideas luring me in so many directions that I’ve lost my focus.

My drafts folder is full of titles. I can’t seem to settle on one and complete it before tumbling down the rabbit hole to follow another shiny idea.

How fitting it was then to find the prompt Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) posted about sharing our writing strengths and struggles? Perfect timing!

Thank you, Lucy!

🌟 What are your writing strengths and struggles?

Sunny Side Updates with TBIN Week 71

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To follow Lucy’s format, here’s my list:

Strength: I have a boatload of ideas Weakness: They come to shore at inconvenient times

Why is it that the best ideas seem to pop up while I’m driving my car? Or in the shower? Or at 3:00 am?!?

Seriously.

They come sailing in when I don’t have a good way to jot them down or when I should be sleeping. The maddening part is I can’t seem to remember them when I have paper in front of me.

ACK!

Strength: I wake up full of good ideas Weakness: I can’t seem to pound the damn keys fast enough

So often I wake up with thoughts and ideas circling inside me. I just need to get them from the inside to the outside.

I madly peck away at the keys then glance at the clock.

Dang! I’m gonna be late!

I’m not finished but I need to get to that blasted 9–5 that pays the bills.

Sigh.

Strength: My best ideas arise from a quiet place inside me Weakness: My brain is loud and bossy

I think one of the reasons I wake up full of good ideas is that my brain isn’t online yet. It’s still in the rebooting wake-up phase.

Because of this, my soul has a chance to guide my fingers.

Once my brain is fully activated, it wants to be the boss and take over. It drowns out my soul and the words don’t seem to flow nearly as easily.

If only I could type while I’m still half asleep!

Was this prompt yet another excursion down a rabbit hole? Maybe. But it was a fun one to tumble down.

Wanna share your writing strengths and struggles? Please do! I’ll tag a few to get the ball rolling. If you post something, be sure to tag me so I can read your story. :)

Thank you for reading. To quote Ram Dass, “We’re all just walking each other home.” If you’d like to join me on the journey, click here. If you’d like to access thousands of writers and their soul-stirring stories on Medium, click here.