Today's writing topic comes from a post in the creative writing class that I am teaching.
A student wrote:
“Your first question stuck out to me the most because I think that the thing that possesses people to write anything is probably because it is a way to help clear their minds of thoughts and ideas.”
And I responded:
EXACTLY!
You just gave me to topic of next Wednesdays Writing post for my blog. OFFLOADING.
Writers write. That’s really the crux of this topic. If you are a writer, then you write. It’s just what you do. You have to.
However, writers do not just write with pen and paper or keyboards. Writers write in their heads. This is especially true for speculative writers (science fiction, fantasy) because there’s so much world building involved. But it’s also true of all fiction and even non-fiction writers. If you’re thinking about your writing, working out things in your head, you will have to write down these things or they will be lost.
I know there are things I concocted in my head that I have lost. I know I had good ideas for my current project that I didn’t record quickly enough, and they leaked away.
I love that you called it a “need not to keep things bottled up.”
Oh yes!
And we spin out on ideas. I find that even if I get an idea written down, it doesn’t mean I am not turning and tossing it in my head, what I would take as your “all they think about.”
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I have often written about writing being about momentum. But it's also about imagination and the act of making decisions, the act of concocting story ideas, the growing from seeds of story elements.
When I am writing and have momentum, I am thinking about my writing project[s] often. I am mulling decisions. I am writing dialogue in my head. I am constructing all kinds of things that need to be thought through. At some point, these ideas have to be off loaded or they will fade away.
But when I am not writing, the idea factory can go fallow, the well dries up, and then I am not thinking about the work, not concocting the magic potions.
I like building up the storehouse of material that must be off-loaded at some point.
Thanks for tuning in.
Below is what Gemini produced about offloading, which it further defined as "cognitive offloading."
***
Writing as cognitive offloading means using physical or digital writing to store thoughts outside your mind, which reduces the strain on your brain's working memory. [1, 2]
What is Working Memory?
Working memory is your brain's temporary storage space. It holds a small amount of information in your mind for immediate use. However, it has strict limits on how much it can hold at once. [2]
How Writing Relieves the Brain
When you write down notes, tasks, or ideas, you perform an external action that unloads mental effort.
- Frees up space: Putting words on paper clears your active thoughts so you can focus on deeper analysis.
- Improves recall: Writing helps you digest ideas and process information better than just thinking about it internally.
- Reduces stress: Jotting down tomorrow's tasks on a sticky note stops your brain from constantly trying to remember them. [3, 4, 5, 6]
From Paper to Modern Tools
Humans have used offloading tools for centuries.
- Traditional writing: Pen and paper act as basic external storage.
- Digital notes: Apps and reminders let you save details instantly. You can explore more visual breakdowns on platforms like Sketchplanations.
- AI assistance: While modern AI tools also offload tasks, relying on them too much can reduce active learning compared to writing things out yourself. [3, 5]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[2] https://evidencebased.education/resource/cognitive-offloading-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important-2/
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2608.26 - 10:10
- Days ago: MOM = 4073 days ago & DAD = 727 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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