writing – Page 5 – Scott Loftesness

close up photo of retro tapestry fabric — Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

I recently came across a tweet from someone visiting San Francisco:

I asked a billionaire what his biggest regret was: His response was short and sweet: “I wish I wrote more down”. You’ll never remember all the ups and downs. Write it down. Got me thinking – you’ll appreciate it in 5 years. Even more in 25.

A billionaire’s life – indeed all of our lives – is a tapestry woven with threads of triumph, adversity, and everything in between. Each strand tells a story, captures a moment, and etches itself into the fabric of our existence. Yet, as time marches on, the vibrant hues of these close at hand experiences can fade, and the intricate patterns become harder to discern.

The billionaire’s simple yet profound regret, “I wish I wrote more down,” resonates deeply with me. It echoes the timeless lament of those who have witnessed life’s grand spectacle unfold before their eyes, only to find that the vivid details have slipped through the cracks of our memory’s imperfect grasp.

In the whirlwind of success, ambition, and the constant motion everyday life, it’s all too easy to let the precious moments slip away, unrecorded and unpreserved. The exhilarating highs, the gut-wrenching lows, and the countless nuances that paint the canvas of our lives can blur together, until they become mere whispers in the wind.

Writing, that humble act of putting pen to paper, becomes a lifeline to the past, a tether that anchors us to the richness of our experiences. Each word, each sentence, is a breadcrumb trail leading back to the tapestry’s beginnings, allowing us to retrace our steps and relive the triumphs, the heartbreaks, and the lessons that shaped our journey.

As the years pass, the value of those written accounts only grows. Five years from now, they may serve as gentle reminders of the paths we’ve trodden. Twenty-five years hence, they could become priceless treasures, unveiling the intricate patterns that wove together the fabric of our existence, patterns that might have otherwise been lost to the sands of time.

The billionaire’s regret is a poignant reminder that wealth and success, however grand, cannot preserve the essence of our lived experiences. It is the written word, the humble chronicling of our triumphs and struggles, that holds the power to immortalize the tapestry of our lives, ensuring that the rich hues of memory never fade into oblivion.

And, sometimes, it just might be the photograph that matters most – beyond the written word. That smart phone is our pocket just might be the best capture device we’ve ever had – even better than pen and paper. Snapping a quick photo to capture a memory can make a big impact on us later – and might be something we’re even more willing than our writing to share with other important people in our lives.

That smart phone might also become your “pen” as voice dictation has gotten so powerful and useful for quickly capturing our thoughts on the go. A tap on the smart watch begins a recording. We send that through an AI translator who makes it into words. And we’re almost done. No more excuses – we can weave our tapestry of live very easily!

Update: I received a comment from a reader worth responding to: The pertinent question could be how do you know what needs to be written down? The hindsight makes you see an illusory landscape of missed opportunities, however it’s hard to see that landscape as it’s being formed.

Response (with the help of Claude 3):

You raise an excellent point – in the midst of living our lives, it can be challenging to discern which moments truly deserve to be chronicled. The tapestry is being woven in real-time, and it’s not always evident which threads will form the most intricate and meaningful patterns until we gain the perspective of hindsight.

While it’s true that we cannot capture every fleeting detail, there are certain experiences that tend to stand out as pivotal or transformative, even as they unfold. Major life events, such as career milestones, personal triumphs, or significant relationships, often carry an inherent weight that signals their importance in the grand tapestry.

Beyond these obvious markers, it’s the small, seemingly insignificant moments that can become the most treasured threads in retrospect. A shared laugh with a loved one, a chance encounter that altered our perspective, or a quiet moment of personal revelation – these are the subtle nuances that imbue our tapestry with depth and richness.

Perhaps the key lies in cultivating a heightened awareness and appreciation for the present moment. By making a conscious effort to pause and savor the experiences that resonate deeply within us, we increase our chances of recognizing the threads worth preserving.

Ultimately, the act of writing itself can serve as a filter, helping us sift through the vast expanse of our lives and extract the moments that truly matter. As we put pen to paper, the inherent significance of certain experiences becomes more apparent, guiding us towards capturing the essence of our tapestry before the colors fade.

While the landscape of missed opportunities may seem illusory in hindsight, the simple act of documenting our journey can help mitigate those regrets, ensuring that the vibrant hues of our lived experiences remain etched in the annals of our personal histories, forever vivid and everlasting.

In other words, the most important takeaway is cultivating a heightened awareness and appreciation for the present moment can help us recognize the experiences and moments worth documenting and preserving as we live our lives. By being mindful and savoring the experiences that resonate deeply with us as they happen, we increase our chances of identifying the meaningful threads that should be woven into the tapestry of our memories through writing and documentation. This present-moment awareness allows us to extract the most significant parts of our journey before the vibrancy of those moments potentially fades with time.

The Faucet of Creativity

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
– Louis L’Amour

This quotation from renowned author Louis L’Amour gets at one of the fundamental truths about the writing process – you can’t produce anything until you actually start writing. The blank page or cursor blinking on the screen can feel intimidating, even paralyzing at times. But L’Amour’s metaphor reminds us that words won’t magically appear until we muster the courage to turn on the faucet and let them flow.

Few pieces of advice are more important than this simple reminder to begin. Launch into that first sentence, that first paragraph, without judging whether it’s perfect or polished. Overthinking and editing prematurely are among the surest ways to stifle creativity before it ever emerges. No matter how talented writers are, their genius remains dammed up unless they release it through the act of writing itself.

The good news is that writing begets more writing. Once you turn on the faucet and let those initial words and ideas trickle out, they help erode the dam of hesitation and doubt. Momentum builds. The trickle becomes a stream and then a forceful current carrying you to insights, descriptions, and creative formulations you couldn’t possibly have conceived until you began writing.

That’s because the very process of writing seems to unlock portals in our minds. The simple act of articulating partial thoughts on the page sparks neurons to fire in new patterns, illuminating connections and opening new cognitive pathways. While staring at a blank page, our brains may feel stuck in rigid philosophical grooves. But acting on L’Amour’s advice and beginning to write, no matter how clumsily or inchoately, dislodges our thinking from its ruts.

By writing, we inadvertently begin a mystical and profoundly human process of turning the lead of our murky semi-thoughts into the gold of lucid, coherent ideas and arguments. But this alchemical magic can only be triggered once we turn on the faucet and accept whatever initially pours forth, no matter how unrefined and unlovely it may appear.

Of course, once the raw material has been expressed, then the real craft of writing takes over as we revise, rearrange, edit, and refine. But that crucial first step cannot be skipped or procrastinated any longer. As L’Amour knew, nothing can flow if the faucet stays off. As Picasso allegedly quipped, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” Without the courage to put words on paper and let creative juices drip, writers will find that even the muses cannot help them.

The metaphor also reminds us that once we do turn on the creative faucet, we often cannot fully control the rate or nature of the flow. Sometimes it pours too quickly, with a torrent of ideas gushing in a scattered frenzy. Other times, it dribbles out maddeningly slowly. The water may run murky for a while before it clears. Creative flow frequently alternates between droughts and floods in ways beyond our control.

But the important thing is to trust that the faucet works if we only switch it on. The water will ultimately flow, even if it takes time to find its steady, crystal-clear stream. As long as we don’t shut off the faucet prematurely out of impatience or self-doubt, the channel of imagination remains open and unblocked.

So to all the writers reading this who stare despondently at blank screens and feel creatively frustrated, heed L’Amour’s simple wisdom: Just start writing, with the faith that the faucet works even when it doesn’t seem to. Don’t judge or fret over the initial quality, just turn it on and let it run until it flows freely. Give utterance to the tangled threads of your thoughts and watch in awe as the very act of writing begins to unsnarl and weave them into glorious tapestries.

For those special times when true inspiration does strike like a lightning bolt and ideas pour forth in an unstoppable gush, then you can cry joyful thanks that the faucet was turned on and unobstructed. But for most of the ordinary writing days, you simply have to show up and turn on the flow through plain old self-discipline, grit and persistence. See what wonders and marvels flow when you finally give the waters of your art a path to travel. L’Amour assures that they will indeed flow, if only we have the bravery to turn the tap and let them go.

Share this:

Share this: