It could be referred to as a “rookie mistake.” A couple of weeks ago, I thought of a topic to discuss and figured: “I’ll remember it later.” Yeah, I totally forgot what was going to be the subject of that blog entry. It has not returned to my brain.
Some people might say it if I couldn’t remember it, the idea “wasn’t that important” or “not that big of a deal.” Those of us without eidetic memories tend to forget many important, beneficial, positive ideas that pass through our head. And of course, some ideas might nag at us to follow them.
If I correctly recall an interview with Neil Peart, he mentioned keeping a pencil and pad of paper by his bed to write down ideas. I can certainly verify the thoughts in a hypnagogic state will not remain once you wake up. Falling asleep, the lyrics or riffs materialize. It’s at that point, we need to will ourselves awake to begin writing, or playing, or painting, or whatever. That is certainly a difference between a hobbyist and someone behaves seriously about their craft.
Of course, as the Seinfeld episode illustrated: Jerry managed to write down a joke that came to him while asleep. He asked everyone to interpret his illegible (due to being asleep) writing, only to discover the joke was not funny.
Alex Kelley 