Scraps - The Makings of a Blog Post

Where do ideas come from? And, more importantly, where do they go when you don’t write them down? I wish I knew the answer to that one so that I could retrieve all of the wonderful ideas which have gotten away when I didn’t get the chance to jot them down. It’s precisely for that reason that I carry a pen and paper everywhere I go. I’d hate to miss something later on.

I could use the electronic devices I carry to make a note to myself, but that just doesn’t feel natural to me. I’m a pen and paper type of guy. And by paper, I mean anything made from the pulp of a tree, be it a legal tablet, notebook, or even a paper bag; preferably one from the fried chicken place, complete with grease stains. There’s something very Faulkner like about writing on a bag of fried chicken. And that’s especially true when you live in North Carolina.

I have written poetry on napkins, book reviews on tiny pieces of paper which had already been written upon; leaving me only the margins within which to write. Ideas are ethereal and unless it is something conceptual, which can be later recalled, capturing the essence of the idea is imperative. This is especially true of songs, which I consider to be gifts; taken right from the air. There are melodies floating out there just waiting to be received. You just have to be tuned in.

And when committing these ideas to paper I usually throw away the notes; eschewing them for the essence of the original thought; and then just go with it. But it’s always different, and that’s what makes it fun.

I don’t pretend to do any real creative writing on here. Oh, now and again a good story works its way in; but they are becoming more and more rare as the years pass. I suppose I am running out of stories worth telling, and I’m not much for fiction. And things like “The Old Black Man” or “The Lovers” are just gems which fall into your lap. The only responsibility for the writer is to record them as accurately as possible, perhaps with a bit of flair to add some drama; or pathos; that will elicit the empathy of the reader.

Does this little article have a purpose? Not really. But it was on one of the scraps of paper indicating that I had thought about writing something on this subject. And, now that I have, I can’t imagine why. I should have written that part down...