When the Ideas Come…

Have you ever pondered how ideas come to you?  I tend to get ideas at the strangest times.  It is almost as if an entire story or blog post will write itself in my head.  If I can stop what I am doing and write it all down, then the words flow and I am totally in the zone. However, I find that if I do not act upon them quickly enough, they go away!

Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book Big Magic, “Ideas have no material body but they do have consciousness, and they most certainly have a will. Ideas are driven by a single impulse: to be made manifest. And the only way an idea can be made manifest in our world is through collaboration with a human partner.”

That certainly is an interesting thought! Ms. Gilbert goes on to explain that if the chosen human is not receptive to the idea at the time it visits, it will seek someone else.

I am not sure that I see ideas in quite the same way as Ms. Gilbert, but I do find myself thinking about this whenever an idea happens to find me.  I try to be receptive and at least take a few minutes to begin the writing process in hopes that I capture its essence.  That way, when I come back to it, it is still there, waiting to be fully drafted and revised.

I know that it isn’t always possible to stop everything and tend to ideas, but I am making more of an effort to do so.  Who knows, maybe doing that will pave the way for more ideas to come my way.

TeroVesalainen / Pixabay

9 thoughts on “When the Ideas Come…

  1. This was one of my favorite parts of her book!!! I love this post and your thoughts about it. I believe the more we write, the more we pay attention and ideas that were always there find us more easily. Thanks for the great post!

  2. I forgot about that idea about ideas! It is kind of lovely to think of ideas looking for homes. Sometimes ideas come to me at night or in the shower- I think I’ll remember this post and Big Magic and think that the idea has finally found its home!

    • I like the thought of ideas finding their homes. They need just the right people to settle down and find their place.

  3. I haven’t read Gilbert’s book (I know, I should. But that’s a convo for another time.), but I think I understand what she means. My SOL found me in the strangest time last night. And I was forever thankful. It’s interesting how ideas can find us when we least expect it.

    • Yes, and for me, it is key that I somehow capture the essence of them for later reflection or they simply disappear!

  4. Ideas find me (or I find them) when I write through confusions or write without knowing where I’ll end up. I haven’t read Gilbert’s book, but I’m going to put it on hold at my local library now!

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