Organized vs Creative

I am, for the most part, what people would call an organized person. And I do try to be. I have a PDA where I keep my calendar which I synchronize with my laptop. I make lists of things to do. I keep notebooks and files. I have a spiral notebook handy in my purse to jot down things on the run. I maintain a set schedule for things that have to be done, like paying the bills.

But I find that’s not always compatible with the part of my brain that writes. That part wants to be free of restrictions. It wants to brainstorm, jump from one idea to another without any tethers. That part wants to play at night, dance through scenes, visit characters, try out dialogue. It would be happy to take over and run things.

But lately the organized side has taken over, almost shutting down the creative side, especially in these last few days before the book festival. Last night – this morning, actually – I woke at 4 a.m. I could have gotten up, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to go back to sleep. I was determined to go back to sleep.

Instead I lay there running through things I might have overlooked in getting ready for the Austin Museum of Art events. An hour and a half later, I was still awake. The only way I could shut down was to make a mental list of everything I needed to remember. Once I had the list, I drifted off.

I remember making the list. Problem is, I now can’t remember the actual items on the list.

An hour and a half of possible sleep wasted, lost. Come November, the creative side gets to rise again. Run things. Run amok. Let’s just hope it remembers to take out the trash and pay the bills.