Used to be I'd just wait for something to hit me. Six months without so much as a creative turd and then something would just hit me, and then I'd have to scramble to find a way to write it down. As a result, I'd have piles of scrap paper everywhere- pages from road atlases, napkins, old shopping lists, security envelopes, slipcovers from books, parking receipts, paper bags. All covered in scrawl- numbers signifying notes in a scale, half-formed lyrics (bad, more often than not), geometric shapes signifying what kind of chords accompany the notes. Weeks or months later, with no point of reference, it would all be incomprehensible, unless it was a particularly good idea.

Two things have changed- 1) when I'm hit with something randomly, I just record it onto my iPhone. Less romantic, I guess, but a lot easier for my future self. 2) I've decided that just waiting for inspiration to strike is too inefficient. I've been trying to write every day whether I want to or not, and whether or not something good comes of it. Ditto with recording, which forces me to work on my technique/try new stuff. Generally, I'm happier for it. Although I generate a LOT of useless crap now...