Wednesday, November 14, 2001

Do you think in words? Are feelings thoughts? Are thoughts just chemical-electrical impulses bouncing around in the cerebrum like a pinball machine? Or are they somehow more spiritual, more visceral? The question was put to me today and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I guess I don't think in words; that's why writing is so hard--matching verbal symbols to the thought process isn't easy. I see an object or remember and experience and I have an emotional burst within. Often segmented words or phrases will leap up as a part of this, but they're more like chocolate chips in batter. The base is a texture of pleasure or anger, nostalgia or hope. No, thinking isn't just about words. That's why writing can be so satisfying--it's good to pull thoughts out of the oven and see how they turned out.

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