The Forgetting Curve.
There was a researcher named Dr. Ebbinghaus who constructed a diagram which basically showed that once the human brain absorbed so much knowledge it would eventually start annexing old knowledge that was the least frequently used. The rate at which old knowledge was disposed of was directly dependant on the rate in which you receive new knowledge. The diagram was in the form of a wave, and he called it the "forgetting curve".
This curve scares me because I know exactly what he's talking about. And from this very curve stems my indecisive nature. If I begin to forget certain literary devices, or my vocabulary diminishes, I start hitting the books again. Then I forget my practical fireground procedures and emergency medical procedures, so I hang around work more often or I study my old EMS notes. Then I long to play FFXI so I binge on it for a while. Then I forget what a nicely mixed Jack and Coke tastes like so I hit the bar 5 out of 7 nights.
But I'm not angsting over my inconsistancy. It's the only thing consistant about me! I'm just mulling over the inefficiency of a mental hard drive. It seems like the only way to remember anything important and that which is vital to you, is to repeat it over and over, or incorporate it in every aspect of your life. Mention it when it isn't even necessary. The downside is that while you're homing in on the importance of said fragment of knowledge, you're theoretically forgetting something else. I've been at work after a bad call or at home after reading a book and wanting to make a journal entry so bad, but then I get preoccupied with something else and I totally lose my muse to write at all.
So the next time someone asks me why I'm not a professional writer by now, I'll just shake my head and say, "The Forgetting Curve."
This curve scares me because I know exactly what he's talking about. And from this very curve stems my indecisive nature. If I begin to forget certain literary devices, or my vocabulary diminishes, I start hitting the books again. Then I forget my practical fireground procedures and emergency medical procedures, so I hang around work more often or I study my old EMS notes. Then I long to play FFXI so I binge on it for a while. Then I forget what a nicely mixed Jack and Coke tastes like so I hit the bar 5 out of 7 nights.
But I'm not angsting over my inconsistancy. It's the only thing consistant about me! I'm just mulling over the inefficiency of a mental hard drive. It seems like the only way to remember anything important and that which is vital to you, is to repeat it over and over, or incorporate it in every aspect of your life. Mention it when it isn't even necessary. The downside is that while you're homing in on the importance of said fragment of knowledge, you're theoretically forgetting something else. I've been at work after a bad call or at home after reading a book and wanting to make a journal entry so bad, but then I get preoccupied with something else and I totally lose my muse to write at all.
So the next time someone asks me why I'm not a professional writer by now, I'll just shake my head and say, "The Forgetting Curve."