When do you let go of an idea?

Big questions ...

“Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day.” ~ Book Lovers by Emily Henry (Pictured: Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh )

What I’m working on:

A better “ideas system.”

I love blank notebooks. I love scribbling down ideas. I love checking off to-do list items with pen on paper. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that keeping a physical notebook can be dangerous when thoughts get lost in unsearchable pages and impossible handwriting and limited when you’re trying to fit big ideas onto a page.

Inspired by this RescueTime blog post on the P.A.R.A. system, I’ve reorganized my Evernote documents into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archive. I’ve also (reluctantly!) shifted to a digital reading journal because a small physical notebook couldn’t hold everything I wanted to get down about the books I’m reading. (You can listen to the newest episode of Reading Like an Adult if you want to know more.)

A big question.

I want to be a better writer, something I know will only come with time and persistence. But when do I keep fighting for an idea, and when is it right to let something go?

I have an idea that’s been part of me for two and a half years now. I’ve written it, then written it again, then written it again … and then written it yet again during a lengthy revising process. We’re talking something around 180,000 words, all for one idea that wouldn’t leave me alone.

Each new version has been better than the last, but I’ve hit a point where I think the idea has taken me as far as it can go. So my answer at this time, to this big question, for this specific project, is to say that it’s time to stop fighting for now.

This newsletter!

You may have noticed that I’m experimenting with yet another new format. I’m hoping to capture more of the everyday process of everyday creativity, with shorter snippets and more off-the-cuff thoughts. Feel free to respond to this email (or any newsletter) to let me know what you think.

What’s inspiring me:

A week of quiet.

For the first week of May, I did a Julia Cameron-inspired “reading fast,” and I also didn’t listen to podcasts or music, trying to let my own ideas call out through the quiet. If you’ve been following this newsletter, you know that I believe quiet, even boredom, is essential to creativity.

My week of quiet didn’t disappoint — I felt creatively refreshed (even though, of course, I missed reading very much!) and I came out of it not only prepared to tackle my next idea but also with new inspiration for projects further down the road.

An ice skating class.

Inspired by the Winter Olympics, I wanted to learn ice dancing. The closest thing that my nearby skating rink offered was a “Theatre on Ice” class to learn dance moves and edgework to put together a program to music that would be performed on the last day.

I loved it. I can’t remember when I last did something so purely fun, with lots of effort but no agenda. As a writer, I spend endless time up in my own head, and skating let me reconnect with the physical world and other people. It was also a lesson in not waiting on things — this particular class was part of a trial program, so if I’d let myself say, “Oh, I’ll let myself sign up for the next session,” I would have missed it entirely. I’m so glad I didn’t.