The Shape of Thoughts

Have you ever had a brilliant thought only to find out it was a lot sexier in your head than on the piece of paper you just scribbled it on? 

I have. Many times. 

We think of writing as transcribing ideas that live in our minds. 

But the distance between thoughts and words is far greater than we care to admit. 

The trip from brain to page looks more like a long and strenuous pilgrimage than a quick commute. But it is through that arduous journey that your ideas are formed. From feeble creatures, one rewrite at a time, they turn into fierce gladiators defeating ambiguity and confusion with their swords of precision.  

This is why if you ever hold yourself back from writing because you think you have nothing to say, you’re probably right. And that’s precisely the point. We don’t have clear thoughts until we write them down. 

This is why I write. I don’t do it because I have an endless list of great ideas waiting to be shared. I write because I want to take the muddy matter that’s in my head and turn it into something I can look at. Just like any visual art, writing gives ideas an aesthetic identity. It’s bizarre to me that of all art forms, writing is the only one that is never on display. Words, tightly squished between the front and back cover of a book, out of sight.  

So forget about the illusory good ideas in your head. Clear thoughts rise with the rhythmic strikes of your fingers on the keyboard. 

Think, and your ideas are screaming unintelligibly inside your head. Write, and they are dancing elegantly on the page.