It sounds like a game but it’s not. Or could it be? Actually, it’s the phrase I use to describe something I experience on a routine basis. Every day I get word jumbles, meaning inner chatter that translates into musings—hence this category. Basically, it’s the beginnings of stories to tell.

They spill out in various ways through books that I write, blogs I compose, presentations I give, and so on. I’ve been wired like this for as long as I can remember. I could easily write about a dozen short stories every single day. There are that many word jumbles. Sometimes I do (well maybe not twelve).

Pause for a moment. As I reflect on what I’m writing, it sounds a little strange, or off balance; but let me put this into a healthier perspective. This isn’t a constant stream of dialogue. Rather, it happens when I’m taking a walk, exercising, driving or just relaxing. It also happens when I’m lying in bed. As readers and writers and fans of creative pursuits, I know this also happens to you. Have you ever woken from a dream with the story line for a great book? Voila!

Okay, so I just call this experience word jumbles. This seemingly inherent trait of the writer and reader is more common than you think. There are just other phrases for it. This may be the formulas running through the mind of a mathematician, the story of a journalist, the hypothesis of a scientist, scholar or researcher. It’s also the inspirational curriculum of a teacher, the pitch of a sales professional and on and on. Busy parents have a long list of things they need to do, while they rehearse the tough conversations they need to have with their children.

I just happen to be a person who chooses to write them down. I have journals, e-files and notepads filled with these word jumbles, not to mention my story starts notebook. Sometimes these settle into something sensible and manifest into a book. Others continue to collect dust for now. It’s my own personal collection and source of inspiration, not to mention a very useful exercise to listen to the word jumbles and capture them when I can.

What about you? What do you call the words, ideas, formulas and theories that spawn your creativity? What do you do with them? What do they do for you?