The process for writing this blog is I trust that a word or idea will come to mind in time for incubation. For a day or two, the idea sits like an egg underneath the tender care of a hen's feathers. And then I write out a few notes on the direction I will take with the word or phrase and do some research on the origins. And then I go directly to the website, and first find a photo to set the stage, and then I begin typing my ideas.
And then I revise and sometimes I'll even change the path of my thinking from when I first began. And then I read it silently, and then I will read it out loud while I edit. And then I let it sit, awaiting for it to break out of its shell and let it breathe for a day or two.
And then I will do one last read out loud before I post it. And then I will tweet it out on and post on social media. And then I wait for any feedback.
Yes, I've repeated a phrase several times...And then. We know that the idea of the phrase is often an integral part in developing plot - not that you would actually write "and then" over and over with each action that took place, but the order of something occurring attached to a consequence helps a writer maintain tension throughout a story line. And then...
Outside of the writer's realm, for many of us, there's a sense of comfort knowing that the movement of thought and even big plans and decisions in our life is predicated with the idea of ...And then. We're secure in the fact that we can confidently fill in the blank , And then_______________________. We can even take pleasure in the anticipation of when the "then" actually becomes the moment.
Then is an adverb and is from the 10th century of Old English. Then was thonne meaning 'at that time in addition or besides or also'. Coupled with the conjunction of and and you have a connector of sorts, a bridge from that present moment to a future moment in time. The idea of and then serves as an instrumental conveyance from one point to another - looking forward to the next And then.
So, last Saturday night an idea for my next blog came into my mind. Often thoughts are pieces of a subconscious blend of "in the moment experiences" - things in our environment that are perceptively interpreted. I get excited about an idea that was out there but was never captured by my mind. It was such a wonderful idea that I didn't write it down...I didn't need to write it down because there was no way I would forget this fabulous idea. I went to bed.
And then, in the morning the idea was completely gone from memory. I thought: impossible and terribly ironic! I sardonically even laughed aloud. How could this possibly happen?
Bottom line I had no idea what I was going to write this week.
And then...