Personally Speaking: Thoughts on Inspiration and Writing

“The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.”

~Gustave Flaubert, French 19th century writer, author of "Madame Bovary"

Writing as a Daily Practice

I start off pretty much every morning the same way-- I get up, I wait for the coffee to brew, I feed the cats and then head off to my home office to write. In a sense, it is my "sacred time" during which I attempt to organize my thoughts for the day ahead.

I have been doing this-- or some variation thereof-- for decades. Literally. Before there were computers, I'd sit down with my paper journal and write. The stillness somehow makes it easier for me to sort out my thoughts. 

Mornings work really well for me because I can "think about things" and empty my head of creative thoughts before they become "polluted" news stories, email, commerce and other types of distractions.

Inspiration --> Writing --> Inspiration

In some ways, I suppose I approach life "backwards." I know a lot of people who "do things to find inspiration to write," but most of the time I find that I "write in order to find inspiration to do things." 

I have long felt that the quote at the top of the page was very much "on the money," in the context of my life. Some would argue that I "think too much" but I have just never been someone who was able to just go forth and "do things" without first having a deeper understanding of them, their implications and their impact on others and the world around me. I suppose my life-long dedication to writing is merely a reflection of the fact that I think better "on paper" than I do "out loud" or even inside my head.

Writing serves as both a catharsis and a source of inspiration because it allows me to take the "floating brain nuggets" drifting around inside my head and make them "concrete," somehow. And once i have committed them to "paper" (electronic, as it may be) it feels like the space is "freed up," inside my head. 

De-fragging my Brain...

I've often been asked why I "take so many notes" all the time... and it would not be entirely truthful for me to insist that it's because I have a "poor memory," because I mostly take notes in order to "free up space" in my mind. Once I have written myself a note about something I was thinking about... I generally can stop thinking about it. 

In some strange and twisted way, taking notes is like "defragging my brain." 

Writing articles, and personal essays, and blog posts-- in many cases-- is an exercise in self-discovery; in "discovering what you believe," as Flaubert once said. Writing becomes a journey of "personal exploration" I have not been able to undertake through any other medium. Even when I was in therapy-- 20-25 years ago-- my therapist soon determined that the best way to "get into my head" was to have me keep journals, and she even gave me "homework" assignments. 

Of course, writing means different things to different people-- I can only speak to my own experience. What I do know about me is that it is through the written word that I find most of my meaning and direction in life.

What do YOU think? What does writing mean to you? Is it just something you do "for money" or is it something you do for yourself? Do you write for others, or for venues... or simply "because?" Is it "just a job;" do the words come, regardless of potential for compensation? Do you keep a journal-- or personal blog-- that's just for you? Do you get inspiration for life, from writing... or is it life that gives you inspiration to write? Leave a comment-- share your experience-- start the conversation!

(As per usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)