Step 2: Capture ideas
Do you know how much total power is contained in the brains of all humanity? I don't either, and it doesn't matter. What matters is all the brainpower that you are wasting every day by not capturing the ideas that can arise at any time. These ideas can be anything from the way you feel after watching a movie, to an absurd picture that pops into your head during a lecture. Some ideas may seem unworthy of recording, but the mental block for ideas is just another aspect of writers block, arising from a fear that what comes out won't be good enough. But writing is just the organized recording of ideas, and a writer without ideas (both good and worthless) is like a sculptor without clay.The traditional way to record ideas is to write them down. Find a good note pad and pen (pencil allows you to erase which is never good when it comes to recording everything without discrimination) and keep it close to you at all times. You can also buy a good audio recorder. It's excellent for certain special situations, like when you're driving alone and talking to yourself. Why not record those conversations for later perusal? And while "perusing" an audio track is more slow and cumbersome than flipping through pages, it also allows for a more complete capturing of thoughts since the abbreviations of writing quickly aren't necessary.
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