Inspiration comes at weird hours. For me, I’ve become inspired at 9:40 PM, which gives me an obvious limitation upon how much I can reasonably write before I should go to bed. Oh, by the way, I should be in bed already.
Inspiration, though, is like that little itch. Often times, it comes unannounced and inadvertently; You know, like real itches. It comes out of nowhere, usually at an inopportune time. It riles you up. Ruffles your feathers. Gets you inspired. You smile and get all giddy, because it’s a good itch, the kind you’ve been chasing, searching for. Because often times sitting down to write feels like you have to grab life by the neck and wring it out like a sponge to try to get at least one drop of inspiration into your terribly, terribly dry throat. I mean, that’s desperation. You’re thirsty, and you’re digging a hole real deep in a dry lake bed. But inspiration can’t be wrangled or forced or threatened into existence. It just happens, like a breeze, like an itch. But, sometimes the itch comes without the opportunity to scratch it. So, you try to file it away carefully in the back of your mind, or on a piece of paper as a brief note you scribble at work: “Remember this cool idea.” But, when the opportunity comes…poof…the inspiration has fled like an endangered animal into the brush. Who knows when you will see it again.
Hence why I’m writing at 9:45 PM. Inspiration breezed my way…and instead of trying to wrestle it out of thin air later on tomorrow, I’m casting my sails to ride on it, even if it’s just for a moment…even if it’s merely to muse on the nature of the wind pushing me along right now.
I’m a creative guy…but I’m not a consistently creative guy. I often let the winds breeze by me without casting out my sails. And that bothers me. Maybe that’s why I’m kept up at night. The thoughts pile up as if they are crying to be let out, almost tormenting me, wailing to be expressed. It may be a matter of self-control over my thoughts, but it may also be a matter of suppressed self-expression.
Either way, more writing needs to happen so that these gaps of writing aren’t merely broken with discussions on the nature of writing and inspiration itself. The heels need to be dug in and the inspiration needs to be harnessed, even if I need to tack my way through writers block. Sometimes inspiration doesn’t just float in. Sometimes you really do have to gain it, or at least know where to look for the wind. And, hopefully this place is a place where inspiration is gained and shared.
Also, the name of this blog is kind of funny…because…you know…my name…Basically a pretentiously, childish, self deprecating thing to try to make myself look clever. Just figured we could get that out of the way sooner than later.
Tom Pease on 