Your idea in motion

I’m realizing one thing that gets me stuck, that freezes me
up, is that I want so badly to get it down perfectly the first time. Who was it
that said our thoughts are always grander in our mind? That they can never
compare to what we get down on the page? It’s so true. They’re certainly
intimidating, those grand thoughts. Just getting it down has been my mantra
this year. Not thinking too hard about it. Just writing, and then coming back later
to sort and sift, to create something more cohesive. I love this quote by David
Lambuth as it reminds me that writing begets writing, that we can create
momentum, that we can always come back and fix things. Why do I always forget
this?

“Use
your eyes and ears. Think. Read…read…and still read. And then, when you have
found your idea, don’t be afraid of it—or of your pen and paper; write it down
as nearly as possible as you would express it in speech; swiftly, un-selfconsciously,
without stopping to think about the form of it all. Revise it afterwards­­—but only
afterwards. To stop and think about form in mid-career, while the idea is in
motion, is like throwing your clutch halfway up a hill and having to start in
low again. You never get back your old momentum.”

-David
Lambuth

Today is all about not being afraid. About forward motion. Ready…go!