Keeping Track

One thing that I have noticed over the years is that the older I get the more I seem to have to keep track of, and the harder that can be at time. Ok I will pause here for you to insert your jokes about me getting old….

Ok out of your system? Good.

So let me tell you what I am talking about. I am a writer. I am one of those writers who gets story ideas all the time. I will be sitting watching something on TV and I will get a story idea. I will be driving home from, story idea. Going to church, story idea. Making dinner, story idea. Changing a diaper, you guessed it story idea. But the point here is that first of all I get story ideas all the time, the problem is that most of the time I am busy doing something else. I write the idea down, (if I am not driving) but a lot of the time once the moment has passed so has the idea. So even if I get back to them I don’t always know what I had been talking about, or what the story idea that I had at that moment was.

So you what, you say. You have lots of ideas, so you claim, just use the next one that comes along or just make up something else. And I do try. But that can take time, and one thing that I and the rest of the world does not seem to have a lot of is time.

This gets back to keeping track.

Now I have and idea for a story. I have written it down, and might have even made up a new story line for the one that I forgot. But now, I have other things to keep track of. Where are all the kids? did remember to change the little ones diaper when she got up from her nap? Did put the bread in the oven? Did the dog ever come back in or is she wandering around somewhere? What time is it? Do I have to work tomorrow? Did I remember to set my alarm? Where are the older kids? Do I need to pick them up from somewhere? Do I have a moment to sit down and write? Did I remember to make coffee? Did I call my mother this week? Is the laundry moster about to break free or can I wait until after I conquer this story to fold a basket or three or ten?

As you can see I have a lot to keep track of. I have never really been able to manage some sort of system, but I work on it every day. And When I am not working on it I am writing. After all I am a writer.