If you can, always carry a notebook with you, large or small, whatever is most convenient for you. If you have an app on your phone, put your notes there and add to it every time one of those fleeting thoughts come to you, which could be any time or any place.
I have been writing since I was about 10 and as a child wrote with wild abandon. As the years went by, I would write if I was passionate about something or for a college assignment or if an inspiration for say, a poem hit me and I would write it down immediately and it would be completed.
Over the years, I pretty much stopped writing or I would stop and start and never complete anything. My problem is over-thinking. I don't know when this started or why but it has literally paralyzed my creative mind. At least it has where writing is concerned. When I wrote purely, without such harsh self criticism and need for some semblance of perfection in my very imperfect world, I liked what I wrote. I don't think my writing was good enough to be published by any means, at that point. But, for some reason, it felt better and I got my point across in ways that at least sounded pleasing to the reader.
I have decided to just write is better than waiting till all your thoughts and ideas are perfectly aligned before you write. Writing (and reading) makes you a better writer. To not write is simply not an option.
Being present in your daily living, no matter how simple or mundane any given moment may be, can open your mind and help you write better. This morning, I purposely watched how I pour my coffee into my cup. Its seems like nothing but its evidentally a ritual for me. First I pour some Creme Brulee coffee creamer into the cup and two packs of raw sugar. I then add about a teaspoon of Vietnamese cinnamon and am stirring as I pour the coffee into the cup. Then I sit down to drink that comforting coffee and my day begins.
I never realized how much all the little things in life add to the wholeness of our lives. It seems I have spent much of my life on this earth waiting for big things to happen. Or hoping big things would happen : the big promotion that never happened, the beautiful home in a idyllic setting, etc., having a partner in life that truly valued me...
While I was caught up in ridiculous relationships that I never knew when to quit until too much time was wasted, while I was struggling to raise my kids and work jobs that got me nowhere, I lost complete sight of all the little things. I see them now with the clarity of 20/20 hindsight.
The only way to truly enjoy life and not miss the little things is to be mindful of them while you are in those moments. It takes practice to slow down.
Its in this slowing down my thoughts and my life that I have come to the conclusion that it is better to write now than to wait and write later.
I may never become a published writer (that hope never dies) but I am sure someone somewhere will like to read something I write.
