Where to Sit During Inspiration

Inspiration is a magical word. It is often associated with religious writing and with the muses of ancient mythology. Generally, when a person speaks of inspiration, it is as if something external and ephemeral came into them and gave them the gift of an idea.

Great ideas and images and stories can come to you at any time. I have had them while walking down the street, talking with friends, and sitting in never-ending business meetings. Inspiration is tenuous though. When inspired at the right moments, I have sat down at a computer and written for two days straight. Other times, a great thought has hit me at an inconvenient moment and I have put it aside, never to recover it.

I have attempted to keep notebooks with me and for quite some time I carried a PDA, but neither of these truly helped capture those stray moments of inspiration. For me, merely jotting down a “brilliant” idea rarely keeps the magic intact. The idea must be acted upon.

The best place to be, when inspiration strikes, is already sitting in front of a keyboard, ready to write. The next best thing is to get to a keyboard as soon as possible and get to work. In my experience, those are the only true ways to capture a great idea in writing.

The point I am trying to make is that you need to spend time writing every day. You don’t do this because you will always be inspired at those moments; you do this because you want to be in exactly that spot when inspiration does come.

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