Sometimes I write just because I have an itchy feeling. Or a bumbling feeling, like I’m balancing a bunch of little bits in my arms and I just need to set something down before I can move freely.

It’s a feeling of being just a few words away from something. It’s a tip-of-the-tongue feeling.

I can feel it happening, now, as my fingers jump and black characters appear on bright white space and the cursor dances with me. I’m just a few words away from something.

Poet, writer, and Zen practitioner Natalie Goldberg talks about following this sensation in her book (one of my favorites in the world) Writing Down the Bones: “Go for the jugular. (If something comes up in your writing that is scary or naked, dive right into it. It probably has lots of energy.)”

There’s not much at risk when you follow the energy. Maybe it doesn’t amount to much. Maybe it leaves you a little tired. Maybe it was just gas!

Or maybe you’re onto something. Maybe you’ll learn more about what the good stuff feels like. Maybe you’ll find a new way to move.

Follow it. See what happens.

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