One Apple A Day #774 - write first
Here's a new little story of mine.
This morning I sat for my writing practice. Yes, the one that created this post that you're reading right now.
I was there at my desk and, as it often happens, I had no ideas whatsoever to start with.
So, I closed my eyes, played some relaxing music and breathed.
I allowed my mind to wander freely among memories from the days before, fragments of conversations, words from books or articles, anything that may become a seed from which I can grow my daily apple.
Eventually, one idea came up. More than one, to be honest, but only one spark my desire to explore more.
It's something that emerged in a conversation just two days. We were talking about the need to define something, a collaboration in that case, and two questions arose. Questions that looked a perfect starting point for a morning writing session. In the end, nothing is better than a question to begin a journey of exploration.
Do we have to define something to fully experience it? Does something exist even if we can't describe it or give it a proper form?
To be honest, when I decided I was ready to begin writing, those questions weren't fully formed yet. The idea was still blurred in my mind, but still, it looked good enough to start writing.
So, I opened my laptop, created an empty document and began thinking of what would be the best opening point before I started the timer.
I remembered a quote from Nietzsche I read a while ago.
"It is this way with all of us concerning language: we believe that we know something about the feelings themselves when we speak of trees, colors, snow, and flowers; and yet we possess nothing but metaphors for things – metaphors which correspond in no way to the original entities."
I felt I needed something more to start, and then it's when I made a big mistake. I opened the browser and search something more about that quote. I ended up on this long article on one of my favourite website. Only halfway through the reading, I realised I was consuming all the time for my morning practice without doing what this practice is all about; writing.
As a result, my time is over, and I haven't really worked on those questions. At least, I can share with you a small piece of advice; write first, search second. In particular, if you have limited time for writing.