Writer-In-Progress

What makes ideas so darned elusive when you’re looking for them–but they pop their heads up at the weirdest, most inappropriate times?

 

Spent the other morning working on an article for a writer’s anthology I was invited to submit to. Had my slant, bullet points (yes, I outline rough drafts) and the draft in my mind ready to be forced onto paper.

 

However, the article had other ideas. It refused to come out in a neat and orderly fashion, so I had to squeeze it out. Like fresh orange juice, it splattered all over my paper, but I took what I could get.

 

Later that morning, at a massively important meeting with the boss and girls at the office, the entire, full-blown article idea that’d been on the tip of my brain came rushing full speed. It had no sympathy for the fact that I was trying to keep up with program changes at work, thinking of the methodology section for my thesis, mentally proofreading something else for work–it just jumped out.

 

I frantically scribbled in my own, unique shorthand way everything flying at me, and it all made sense later in the day when I went back over the notes. Beautiful. Emailed some editors for quotes and fleshed out the rest of the article over lunch.

 

Moral of the story: If the idea ain’t there when you want it, just wait. It’ll come. And if it doesn’t, well, I can’t help–but maybe it wasn’t the right idea for you.

 

Happy Writing…

Beth