Burning Insight

[Brittany]

A struggle I am having:

Coming into understanding that I have no way to tangibly quantify. My entire life I have felt an intense drive to catalog my learning in the form of visual media, be it writing, art, or recorded verbal communication.

The lessons come too quick now, though. There is next to no way I can write this down in any way that would be meaningful. My neurons are aflame with understanding that comes quicker and quicker, to the point that every single second is filled with infinite, pulsing potential. Reality manifests before me. How do I paint that?

A part of me realizes this inability to convey is a lesson in itself. I want to fit my entire experience into a tome and the only suitable paper I have is the mind/body/spirit complex I am walking around in. There is knowledge that can only be taught through example. There are some things that cannot be written down.

On the other hand, I realize that there is a great deal I could still convey if I could just pick a singular facet to express. At the moment, I am getting next to nothing done in the attempt to simply choose one idea amongst millions to extrapolate on. There are plenty of amazing things I COULD say and do, but which ones do I ACTUALLY do?

The need to make some sort of composition, to manifest my wisdom in some sort of tangible form, is so irresistible, and at times I fear the compulsion will drive me to madness. I see the grimoires of others and my whole complex burns with desire, yet when I put pen to paper my mind becomes a black hole from which no meaningful words can be pulled.

I strongly wish I had been consistent in keeping journals throughout the years. That would make everything so much easier.

It's all going down in the Akashic records, at least. I can't wait to hold THAT book.

[Spaced]

I take great comfort in the concept of the akashic records because I never write anything down lol. I hope you do get something written Lynn, because I'd love to read it!

[AnthroHeart]

When alternate reality manifests before me, I get worried. Because then I don't know what's real or not. I too take great comfort in the akashic records. But it may be a little too much detail for my comfortability when it comes to the life review after my passing.

[Melissa]

I think I'm in a similar position Lynn. Although I've never been much of a writer, photography used to be my creative outlet but I can't seem to drive myself to pick up a camera. There is just no way to ever frame even a fraction of what I've been experiencing lately. It is absolutely maddening, indeed.

Hooray for the akashic.

[Monica]

Sounds like an acid trip I had when I was a teenager.

[Marc]

You are writing something here...

[Brittany]

It seems like I can only write when it involves writing about not being able to write.

[Marc]

Focus on what you can do.

[Jerome]

Have you tried taking one facet of your ideas and translating it into a short story? I think stories can be fantastic vehicles to get ideas across that aren't so easy to explain in language. I think here is where the archetypes' complexity becomes an ally instead of a barrier.

The short story is also excellent for training tight structure and efficient character development, if fiction turns out to work for you. Also, I've heard some great modern writers suggest the easiest way to become a published novelist is to submit short science fiction stories since there is still an active magazine readership, editors will always read them if you submit.

The other benefit is you don't get mired in a huge project that takes a decade. If it doesn't work you can just see it as practice and toss it back.
The key is what Marc said, focus on what you can do.

[Hototo]

I wrote a story about a trip into the center of the galaxy inside the black hole as well as meeting 4 chaos gods. That is nothing compared to the stuff I see and I have no visual way of explaining it far as I have been able to see. Closest real world similarity would be a matrix/inception/paprika crossover where God is a minor character who is just as confused and interested in the development as I am, and is deferring to me because God believes individuals are better at making choices.

How do you explain a dialogue with the archangel of your better nature explaining in 6 density fractal space where the words are the acts of your parents 50 years ago that the universe is built of this vibration and architecture of love not that vibration and architecture of love and it all plays out because this bag by the door is here without sounding entirely insane.

Let me know if you do and I'll take a whack at writing a story.

[ChickenInSpace]

Sounds awfully familiar.

[GentleReckoning]

Go with the flow. When this happened to me I just comforted myself with the idea that I was 'assisting' others with the myriad plans, businesses, inventions, and realizations that I would have daily. You know the idea where all inventions are collaborations? Perhaps this is a way of distributing the processing load over a wider base so ideas and understandings can be had much faster.

[Brittany]

Have you tried taking one facet of your ideas and translating it into a short story? I think stories can be fantastic vehicles to get ideas across that aren't so easy to explain in language. I think here is where the archetypes' complexity becomes an ally instead of a barrier.

The short story is also excellent for training tight structure and efficient character development, if fiction turns out to work for you. Also, I've heard some great modern writers suggest the easiest way to become a published novelist is to submit short science fiction stories since there is still an active magazine readership, editors will always read them if you submit.

The other benefit is you don't get mired in a huge project that takes a decade. If it doesn't work you can just see it as practice and toss it back.
The key is what Marc said, focus on what you can do.

Fiction is pretty much the only thing I write, as I find the easiest way to convey lessons is through stories and allegories. I tried non-fiction, and though I can do it, it bores me to tears. I have succeeded in writing only a few short stories, though, because usually condensing everything down into a few pages seems impossible. In fact, finding a concrete beginning and end at all is difficult. I've got dozens of stories that I ended up dropping because they just got too big, and the actual plot was lost as the world became a living creation with a free will all its own. Don't even get me started on how difficult it is to work with characters who've become self aware and could care less about whether your plot makes sense or not. I've entertained the idea of just writing a never-ending story, but it doesn't bring the same level of satisfaction.

[Spaced]

I usually find myself just completely overwhelmed by the task of putting what's in my head onto paper.

[Plenum]

I usually find myself just completely overwhelmed by the task of putting what's in my head onto paper.

1) get bone saw
2) open cranium
3) remove organ of brain
4) get cheese-grater
5) spread brain onto paper

lemme know if that works for you Spaced.

/ask-plenum

[Jerome]

Fiction is pretty much the only thing I write, as I find the easiest way to convey lessons is through stories and allegories. I tried non-fiction, and though I can do it, it bores me to tears. I have succeeded in writing only a few short stories, though, because usually condensing everything down into a few pages seems impossible. In fact, finding a concrete beginning and end at all is difficult. I've got dozens of stories that I ended up dropping because they just got too big, and the actual plot was lost as the world became a living creation with a free will all its own. Don't even get me started on how difficult it is to work with characters who've become self aware and could care less about whether your plot makes sense or not. I've entertained the idea of just writing a never-ending story, but it doesn't bring the same level of satisfaction.

There's a piece of advice that I hear every successful writer mention in talks and interviews - finish. You've got a 'good problem' in that you have an abundance of inspiration but it makes it hard for you to find a start/finish. The start/finish part can be trained, the inspiration is a gift (even when it's too much).

Maybe you could try to tame this through a form of writing practice - and emphasize practice, so you won't feel the need to perfect anything and can accept something as flawed and finished. Set two limits before you start writing - length and deadline. For example, by Sunday I will finish a short story between one and eight pages of length, regardless of my judgement of it's quality. If it's over eight pages, go back and reconstruct it until it isn't, but finish it before Sunday no matter what.

Going back to your difficulty in the original post (your inventory of too many ideas), maybe you could sit down and bullet point every inspiring facet (or the first dozen) that could turn into a short story. When you've exhausted that exercise, roll a dice or throw a dart or randomize the choosing somehow. Let your divine energy choose for you, if you can't do so consciously.

Even if you try this and you hate the result, you finished something. It gets easier to do this each time and your flow will improve, your ability to see a whole story in a moment will improve, hopefully in the end that painful 'non-manifestation of inspiration' will dissolve. Then you can go back to the work you've abandoned with a new set of eyes and much less negative feelings about failing the work.

[Spaced]

I usually find myself just completely overwhelmed by the task of putting what's in my head onto paper.

1) get bone saw
2) open cranium
3) remove organ of brain
4) get cheese-grater
5) spread brain onto paper

lemme know if that works for you Spaced.

/ask-plenum

Having a hard time opening up my skull, hard to get leverage with the bone saw, any tips?

[Jerome]

I wrote a story about a trip into the center of the galaxy inside the black hole as well as meeting 4 chaos gods. That is nothing compared to the stuff I see and I have no visual way of explaining it far as I have been able to see. Closest real world similarity would be a matrix/inception/paprika crossover where God is a minor character who is just as confused and interested in the development as I am, and is deferring to me because God believes individuals are better at making choices.
How do you explain a dialogue with the archangel of your better nature explaining in 6 density fractal space where the words are the acts of your parents 50 years ago that the universe is built of this vibration and architecture of love not that vibration and architecture of love and it all plays out because this bag by the door is here without sounding entirely insane.

Let me know if you do and I'll take a whack at writing a story.

Unless you're preaching to the choir, a profound thought is going to be either ignored or seen as lunacy. So if you want to turn such complex ideas into stories, they are going to work best as comedies.
Certainly your first idea is pure comedy gold - that God is a confused minor character that defers to our judgement.

The second is gold too - the Law of Confusion, the way truth comes to you personally and can't be explained (let alone proven) to almost anyone, is as funny as anything. It's like winning an invisible trophy. That is pain and pain can always be made into comedy.