How much time does it take between bouts of inspiration?
I have always envied those prolific writers. You know, the ones who walk around with a notepad or Dictaphone to catch their every dripping thought. Now they just tweet their thoughts the whole day. The relentless deluge not quite stream-of-thought but a mixture of bragging, sharing ideas and communicating with friends. I had more luck when I walked around with my camera. It was even analogue ** gasp **. Maybe as a visual person I should go back to carrying my camera around as my visual Dictaphone.
I digress- what got me thinking about the topic is a conversation I had with a friend about writing. He is a lapsed writer, life has got in the way, but the yearning has never gone away. Being the new year he is ripe with resolutions and one of these is to resume writing. What does one write about? How often? And of course, should writing only be a product of inspiration. I have read of numerous writers who paint a picture of the ordeal that is writing. A lot more than those with dripping thoughts. It seems that most of the time inspiration is just not there. It actually reminds me of quotes from many accomplished yogis. The similarity is that in both the discipline of practise is as, if not a more important quality than the thunderbolt that is the inspirational thought or the fleeting sense of enlightenment. As I too am seeking motivation for my resolutions, I thought I would share some quotations to keep the flames roaring. Good luck in your creative year ahead. I won’t ever give up the idea that we are all creative by nature.
“Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.”
W. Somerset Maugham
“However great a man’s natural talent may be, the act of writing cannot be learned all at once.”
Jean Jacques Rousseau
“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.”
Samuel Johnson
“Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.”
Unknown
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
Jack London
