If the thought’s really worth it, I will get up, find a notebook, and spend quite a lot of time transcribing it. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at writing blind because a particularly pernicious thought keeps sleep from me at least once a month.
Every so often, I’ll read through my notebooks and try to synthesize these notes into something better. Often, the really good nuggets are lodged so deeply that I wind up remixing them durably within a few days anyway.
If I don’t record it, I’ll probably forget that I thought it soon enough, so I can only ever feel a few days’ worth of regret at any one time. And there’s still too much material to work on anyway.
> If the thought’s really worth it, I will get up, find a notebook, and spend quite a lot of time transcribing it.
I keep a notebook (or a substitute) by the bed, for the very same reason. Writing most ideas down is worth it, in a sense of developing a habit to write all of them down, regardless of how much they're worth at the time.
I'm writing this story, where chapters are broken down by the song the main character listens to, which reflects his emotional state. I've had this great song idea for a sudden shift in atmosphere when his abuse ex messages him out of nowhere, after years apart. It's an emotional whiplash for the character.
I'm kicking myself for not writing the title down. All I remember now is that it was perfect for it.
Now for the bit nobody will care about:
If the thought’s really worth it, I will get up, find a notebook, and spend quite a lot of time transcribing it. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at writing blind because a particularly pernicious thought keeps sleep from me at least once a month.
Every so often, I’ll read through my notebooks and try to synthesize these notes into something better. Often, the really good nuggets are lodged so deeply that I wind up remixing them durably within a few days anyway.
If I don’t record it, I’ll probably forget that I thought it soon enough, so I can only ever feel a few days’ worth of regret at any one time. And there’s still too much material to work on anyway.