IDEA, WHERE ART THOU?

Lynnette Jalufka

I love going to writing workshops, but I do not like it when the instructor asks the class to write something for five to ten minutes. I end up staring at the page, my mind blank. With time running out, I finally jot down something that vaguely deals with the assignment. Then I sit back and listen while another participant reads a perfect piece of prose. It drives me crazy. Why can’t I come up with great ideas that quickly? They usually occur hours later.

  Over the years, I’ve learned this is just how I am wired. I have to think about a subject first before an idea arises in my mind. And then it slowly comes together. I wrote a short story earlier this year on a topic I never thought I could do. The idea came a few hours after I learned about it. 

So, I’m not the fastest idea person in the world. I am getting better; this blog has helped. But knowing ideas will happen if I just give them a chance to grow in my mind is amazingly freeing. Remember, not everyone thinks the same. You just be you.