The Spark

When I get a new idea for a piece of writing, it feels almost like I'm watching some show on TV or reading a book that has some horribly complicated plot, and I've just worked out what's going to happen. It's a smooth, bright feeling that comes with an inaudible mental 'Ah ha!' as if the idea was like liquid metal that finally found the right shape to harden into.

I'm being a wanker, aren't I?

Still, that little tingling rush of knowledge gives me such a kick. The only thing that's better is when I'm trying to think of a spectacular ending, but coming up with nothing, then something magically coming to me that makes me gloat about how smart I am for thinking of it. Of course, all that gloating happens in my head. I try to look merely faintly smug when I'm getting it down on paper or on the screen before it runs away. It's sort of like trying to remember the name of that band, or who used to drive that car. It's the faintly annoyed mental circling around an idea before you finally remember the words to the song or the name of the actor you were looking for. Except it's not a memory, rather it's the perfect twist or a poetic last line or just the right title.

I wonder if I could prove that an endorphin rush happens at exactly the same time?