The Subconscious Is A Storehouse For Writers

Writing. Almost all of you who read this blog are writers. Writing is what we do. We do it consciously and subconsciously, as well.

Even when we are not sitting in front of our computer, or have pad and pencil in hand, we're thinking about something to write. Again, it might be so far into the recesses of our mind that we are not aware of it. One day, it will surface and you'll be off and running on a new story or poem. 

Everywhere we go, our mind functions as a writer. We observe, we process what we see and file it away in some special compartment of our brain for later use. It's a storehouse for writers.

Ever see a mother and child battling it out in a checkout line? You probably tried to look uninterested, just knew you were glad it was her and not you being totally embarrassed with a screaming child in a busy store. Even so, you filed that scene away and might pull it out a year later to use in a new story you're writing. When it surfaces, you'll most likely remember it in detail so will find it fairly easy to write the scene. 

Think about a holiday dinner with family gathered around the table. What it looks like, the sounds you hear, the aromas, the tastes the touch of hand to flatware and holding water glasses--all of this and more register with you. It's stuffed way back in your mind, ready to pull out when needed. Even bits and pieces of the conversation will come floating back to you. 

Another way we gather information for what we write is in our dreams. Many people claim they don't remember their dreams. Maybe you don't recall them the next morning but some of those dreams remain locked in your mind, ready to pop out when you are writing. 

Take a walk in your neighborhood. Your mind is registering the many things you see along the way. This includes the houses you pass, the condition of the yards, the people who might be outside their home gardening or washing a car or watching children play. Your mind tucks away the natural surroundings you see--the trees, shrubs, flowers, birds or a baby bunny. They are all yours for the taking when you need them while you write. 

Don't say that you write 2 hours a day because you are tapping on a keyboard for that amount of time. Instead, you could claim that you write all the time. You do it whether you're aware of it or not. You're a writer and it's a way of life to process all you see and do as a writer. Kind of neat, don't you think? 

Writing--it's what we do.