Writing Secrets - #1 Sketching

Scenes must brew in my mind. 

But first an idea is born. I jot in my moleskine. I do not force x number of daily words. I write often and freely but without measurement. Instead reading and mental sketching are where much of my time is invested. Ideas simmer, they bubble, they marinate.

Several years ago I read the Five Faces of Genius in hopes of understanding my child as well as my colleagues. A great book, it describes five unique mental architectures that foster creativity. Much of my scientific work, as an applied mathematician and interdisciplinary researcher relies on what author Annette Moser-Wellman describes as the “Alchemist.” I blend and connect traditionally distinct areas of study and work at their interfaces. 

However, my creative writing perhaps tasks other cognitive areas. As a memoir author my practice leans toward Moser-Wellman’s “Seer” those who create a developed image. 

When I can almost see an entire scene’s structure,

When my finger tips are ready to burst,

I put words to screen. 

Have I ever started too early, picked the tomato before it was ripe? Yes, and at times it has killed an episode and my momentum.

So I am patient with myself. 

Once the scene's sketch is seen, my writing begins.