Most people have talent and they use it on command. My creative writing process is more like a talent that uses me on command. It goes something like this:
I watch something, see something, read something that makes a few synapses fire at the time but nothing too exciting. Then a few hours later I lay down and try to sleep. At which point the synapses decide that this is a fine time to set up shop and go to town. They zip back and forth creating images and scenarios and ideas. It's like a country road suddenly flooded with L.A. traffic. There's no where to go and it needs an outlet somewhere so instead of sleeping I slowly reach critical mass until there's no way sleep can happen. So I build my own off ramp. I write until the idea has run itself out. Sometimes it's an entire short story but most of the time it's a scene or a snapshot. I check the traffic report. The new exit has allowed traffic to die down but it's still pretty busy, I'm already writing and if I try to sleep now I'll get nowhere quickly. So I write some more. I write until we're back down to a few stray cars rumbling down the streets at respectable speeds. I close the ramp and my computer and allow the Sunday traffic to roll through town softly lulling me into sleep.
It's nearly 2am on a work night and all I want to do right now is sleep... doesn't look like it's in the cards for a while.
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