Idea time

When I first started writing, I sometimes worried that I would run out of things to say. Maybe I'll eventually sit down at my computer, put my hands to the keyboard and... nothing. All out. These days I maintain a fairly thorough collection of ideas to write about that I've built up over time, but of course that only kicks the problem further down the road. I can't build up an infinite reserve of ideas, and if I start using more ideas than I generate, eventually I'll hit zero.

That thought tends to occur to me more when I haven't come up with any new ideas lately, but the funny thing is that I never really have difficulty coming up with ideas when I leave time for it. There's some process that trundles along in the back of my head, scooping up random fragments throughout the day and fitting them together into a sudden moment of clarity that surfaces out of nowhere. And, when I'm busy, tired or stressed, that whole process just turns off. It's not even that I try to come up with ideas and I can't. I just... don't.

But when I make time for ideas, give myself enough space away from distractions and stress, and just think for a while, it's surprising how easily it all comes back. I'm always grateful when it does, but it's strange to think how well I can get by without it. The scary thing isn't how hard it is to give up creativity, but how easy. If I wasn't specifically doing things that demand a constant flow of ideas, I might not even notice.