The Subconscious Mind is Always at Work

A few months ago, heavy rains and melting snow widened the creek near my home. My dog Charlie and I walk along it’s banks almost everyday. For a week or so I went by unaffected by the creek’s changes, never missing the ducks and geese who had vacated it’s rough surface opting for the calmer lake, never noticing the beaver dam had washed away.

Then one day the changes hit me. I was overwhelmed by the sound of the rushing water, mesmerized by the white foam on the waves and felt a sense of urgency as the creek raced by. I was bombarded with ideas to embellish the flood chapter in my book (something I had considered finished prior to that moment.) I ran home, planted myself at the computer and typed for several hours. I added loads of descriptive details and even a new dangerous flood related plot twist to the story.

The incident got me to thinking about the different roles observation plays in my writing. Here’s the definition of “observe” from my Merriam Webster Dictionary - “to see or sense especially through careful attention.”

I got to thinking about the “careful attention” part and decided that’s really only half of it. Yes, in fiction writing we sometimes make deliberate ‘scientific’ observations. Okay, I’m using the word scientific somewhat loosely here, but what I mean is we do research on a particular aspect of a story to make our writing seem more realistic. I read about flooding before I wrote the first draft of that chapter and it was helpful, but another type of observation evoked my recent changes and it shouldn’t be underestimated.

It’s subconscious observations. We take in details all day long, but are unaware of it. Our minds sort through incoming information, look for patterns and file the knowledge away without our knowing it until our mind perceives a particular file as helpful and it hits us like a lightning bolt and says, “Hey, this relates to what is going on in my life, this is important, I need to use this!” That’s what happened to me with the creek.

I think this subconscious observation process happens to all writers, and all people in general. It’s a gift that improves our perception. Next time you get a fantastic idea that seems to come out of nowhere, thank your subconscious mind.

I am a part of all that I have met. Alfred Lord Tennyson