I Will Possess Your Heart

There's a lyric by Death Cab for Cutie that says, "You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me..." 

That's how I feel about writing. It's a possession at times. It is love. I have an obsession with the written word. 

For me, it's not just the writing. It's the translation of thoughts to words. Taking what's in my head and transferring it to the page is part transcription, but more than that. For me, it's a journey. 

In another song called "Soul Meets Body",  Death Cab sings, 

Cause in my head there's a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations

It's as if I'm traveling. Sometimes I lose myself, not all the time because I have to be in the right space. I put on my music, make my coffee, and I disappear. It's the most sublime thing. It's like dreaming while awake. Conscious but fully absorbed. I don't think when I write. Or I try not to. 

Now editing is different. When I'm revising, I'm thinking,  what word is best? Does this flow? Am I getting my point across?

They are two very different processes. But you need to be able to do both to be a good writer. 

I guess what I'm trying to say, maybe not so eloquently as I'd like, is that there's really no explaining how this all works. When it works, it just does. Like magic.