Why I Carry a Notebook
There's that moment when your subconscious nudges you slightly.
“Pen. Paper. Now.”
And that's all the warning you get. So you dig out your notebook and pen and sit down and put the pen to the page...
And something pours out. for the first few characters you have no idea what's coming. And then as the words form you realize that what you're writing is the idea that's been quietly coalescing out of your thoughts and experiences. It formed slowly, like frost on the ground, and when it was ready that other part of your mind told you to collect it before it's burned off by the sun.
The more you pay attention to this little nudge, the more you honor that instinct, the better you get at catching these fleeting ideas. And the more you value inspiration the more of it you will get. The Muses are vain; they only reveal themselves to those that respect them.