Inspiration (Or "That Thing That Happens Only When It's Inconvenient, and Never When You Truly Want It")

It's kind of ironic to me, as a writer, that the only time I seem to find inspiration to write is the time that it is most inconvenient to do so. And then there are days like today - when I am sitting at work, perusing through PowerPoint presentations - where I really want to write. I legitimately crave to write something wonderful - a poem, a short story...even a brilliant phrase would suffice.

And yet, here I sit. Empty. Blank.

Why is inspiration so difficult to come by? Or rather, why is it so difficult to catch, to find, when you are seeking it out? Shouldn't life operate on a system of "If you want it and work for it, you'll get it"? I think it would be an interesting (and topsy-turvy) world if it did. But what if inspiration was like that? Creativity? Brilliance?

What if every time I truly desired to write something beautiful, I did? I don't think that I could ever stop myself, then, from doing anything other than writing. Who would have time for sleeping or eating or spending time with family and friends? Who would need to read novels or watch movies when you were writing brilliance of your own?

So perhaps life is better on this system: the never-ending double-edge sword for those of us who write. The painful reality that what we want isn't always what we get. Or maybe that what we want is what we get - just at a time that it is needed.

I think that's one of those deep life lessons that you have to learn daily - sometimes life just doesn't happen when you want it to happen. Inspiration doesn't occur when you sit around and wait for it. It happens when you are out: living, doing, experiencing life at its fullest. It happens when you meet someone who you never expected to meet. It happens in places that you randomly ended up, on days that are either too perfect or too awful. It happens when you fall in love, get your heart broken, and swear you'll never find the right person. It happens when you say and do all the right things, and all the wrong things.

Funny. Most of us writers end up stowed away in our rooms, super-glued to our computer screens, just waiting for that cosmic wave of inspiration to hit us. We want genius plotlines, intriguing characters, and perfect endings. But we don't actually do anything about it. We just wait. And wait. And we get frustrated because we end up sitting for three hours, staring as the cursor just keeps flickering.

So, here's what I propose (to myself and every other would-be writer out there): let's not sit and wait for inspiration. Let's live our lives and enjoy the company, and know that - when it feels like joining us - inspiration will catch up eventually.