Taking the Train

This is a follow up to my last entry, or rather, a related thought that's been weighing on me recently.

In my usually fatal pragmatism, my default attitude towards energy is this: get the most for the least. Efficiency and conservation are the VIPs, and maximum productivity is the engine that drives me towards any given goal.

But this is silly and small minded in regards to writing a novel. Many of the realizations I've had since the start of this have reduced my so-called 'logical' processes into inert dust. It's time to call this what it is.

A journey.

When one embarks upon a journey, there is usually a destination or goal, but it's not solely about only getting there. A plane can be taken to arrive as fast as possible, often so quickly that it startles our brain patterns. We can drive, take a train, bike, walk...you get it.

The point is, every option offers a different experience, and the ones that are the most fun and interesting are almost never the fastest or most efficient options.

Inspiration is fuel for this novel, and there is no inspiration in efficient, low energy travel. I need to stop thinking in terms of maximum outputs and conservation: that's not what a journey is about. It's not enough for me to simply get there, I need to enjoy the journey itself...or I'll never reach my destination.

A sonic boom will not get me where I need to go faster: speed, in this case, is an illusion.​ Pleasant consistency is far more important here than raw efficiency.

I need to look out the window, take breaks, see the sights and relish the company of my own mind: I need to take the train.