I prompt my brain.

I tell it I need to write something for the internet, something people will care about.

It lags (old technology does that sometimes).

Sometimes it takes forever to generate an idea, let alone multiple ideas. Sometimes the ideas are disconnected and don’t really make sense.

Sometimes my brain doesn’t deliver any ideas at all. Not anything people will care about, at least.

I prompt over and over.

It pushes back.

Maybe there’s too much pressure?

After all, I’m a freelance writer. I have to keep up appearances. I have to hit publish and share on social. I have to feed the content mill or be fed to it.

If only my brain worked faster. If only my creative process were more efficient.

If only I were a machine.

Sadly, I’m human. An old version at that, not compatible with the latest updates. I’m stuck doing things the hard way with archaic tools.

Or am I stubborn?

There are shortcuts available, ways around my brain’s lazy output. There are easier, speedier ways to write and create, ways to bypass the work.

But, will anybody care?

Will you?

Hell, will I?

Finally, my brain responds…

It reminds me of something I read in The Creative Act by Rick Rubin.

~

There’s an old man from Calcutta. Every day he walks a mile to the local well to collect water for his family.

He uses a clay pot tied to a rope, slowly lowering it down the well by hand. He has to be careful, even the slightest bump against stone can shatter clay.

Nearby, a traveller watches. He notices the painstaking process, how long it takes the old man to get his water and how cautious he has to be.

“There’s a better way,” the traveller thinks to himself. As an engineer, the solution comes quickly: a simple pulley system.

He explains it to the old man, explains how much time he’ll save and how much easier it’ll be.

The old man considers it, even sees the logic in it. Still, he denies it.

“There’s a great deal of care that goes into doing it right,” he says, “a lot of thought and concentration.”

“If I were to use the pulley, eventually, I’d stop thinking about what I’m doing. Eventually, I’d stop caring.”

The old man eyes the traveller, “And if I put so little effort and time into it, what might the water taste like?”

~

The old man from Calcutta has a point, don’t you think?

Now, if only I could tell his story in my own way…

With a prompt from my brain.

~

Hey, I’m Cory, owner of Cory B.D. Copy & Consulting. I offer strategic thinking and messaging for businesses who put craft (and the human) first.

Want words that make people feel something? Or a messaging strategy that you can actually use?

My calendar is now open. Let’s chat.