Stumbling onto Genius


History states that Tea was invented by accident in 2737 b.c. by the great emperor, Shen Nung. He was boiling water outside and some leaves dropped into his kettle. Before he could retrieve them from the boiling water, he saw the water changing color and smelled a sweet aroma. He drank it, and thus began the rise of the popularity of tea.

I'm sure, in real life, tea was likely invented by some poor peasant farmer and presented to the emperor in lieu of some tax or something. Otherwise, it sure seems there were many things invented by rulers and emperors back in the day.

And, by the way, Shen Nung is also credited with teaching the people of china to cultivate hemp (marijuana) to make hempen cloth.

The same holds true in writing. I've written a lot of crap in my day, but occasionally I stumble upon some phrase or thought, purely by accident, that sends my mind into overdrive. These little sparks of inspiration sometimes completely change the direction of a story, or even provide the basis for a new project.

But, here's the problem. How many of you have awaken from some marvelous dream and jumped out of bed trying to find some means of recording the thought your mind can drive the dream away?

Do you keep a notepad and pen by your bed? Do you keep a recorder nearby? Tell me what sparks your muse. I think it is important to have some means of recording thoughts. I would hope that some day I will be remembered like the emperor who got credit for inventing tea, not the poor pauper who, more than likely, actually came up with the thought first.

Comments

  1. Hmmm... my thoughts don't seem to function on any level first thing in the morning, so I've never needed to write anything down.

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  2. I leave a note book by my bed or jump out of bed and run towards my laptop. I think it's important to record those precious moments.
    CD

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