Working Memory

I can only think so much in one direction before I get blocked. It’s like walking down a path that suddenly ends. The thought goes dark, it won’t go any further.

That’s when I have to start writing. Writing is like saving the path on paper so I can set a new starting point with each new sentence. I can look back at what I’ve written to inform what I’ll write.

In this way writing is like transferring data from memory to storage on a computer. I have a very limited amount of working memory. At most I can only remember a few sentences at a time. But writing allows me to solidify those sentences so I can start to think of new ones along the same path.

Writing has played a role in every good idea I’ve had. Even if the idea came to me while sleeping or walking, writing has always moved it forward.