When you need to write...

you've got to write.
I had a phone call this afternoon (when I was in the supermarket of all places) that threw my day out of kilter. I couldn't think straight and I could barely function. I went back to work and sat at my desk and just looked at the computer screen. I sent an email to a friend ( I couldn't ring her because I had no idea what time it was in her time zone) then I stared at the screen somemore. Then I said out loud to myself "I've got to write." I picked up the nearest pice of paper to hand and a pen and started with the words. "I've got to write." I was going to reproduce exactly what I wrote here but decided against it because it's too personal and not at all connected to my writing. When I had finished I read what I had written and then read it again. Then I had a cup of tea and did some work. Pouring my thoughts out onto a piece of paper and allowed me to put my thoughts into some sort of order and re-focus. It was the most effective thing I did all day.