Sometimes I think I have attention deficit disorder. I got up in the morning to write and I could hardly get a thought recorded before I moved on to another, totally unrelated thought. I am like a cat that moves from a squeaky toy to a piece of string to a beam of light streaming through the window, absorbed in each, but only for a moment and only until something new comes along.
This kind of tangentiality is often associated with creativity. But I find that it is hard to create when my mind is in this state. It seems to me that creativity requires two things: first, there must be a spark of imagination, an idea. Secondly, creativity requires focus, sustained attention to an idea. I am good at generating ideas; I struggle to maintain focus.
On days when I am particularly focus-challenged I give myself permission to write badly. Holding onto a thought for long enough to articulate and expand on it may seem impossible, so set the bar low. Just write. Just put the pen to the paper, the hands on the keyboard, just get the words on the page.
One of my literary heroes is Sy Safransky. He is the founder and editor of The Sun, a literary magazine that exists through his own grit and determination. In each issue he has a page with his own musings. It's one of my favorite pieces. Well usually. This month it wasn't as captivating or inspiring as usual. The thing I appreciate most about it is that Sy put it out there anyway. Thanks Sy for inspiring me to write anyway.
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