Every now and then, I get distracted by stuff. Some thought flutters in between my ears and then sticks there, and when I'm supposed to be doing something else -- reading, writing, even settling in to watch tv -- I mull a thought over, smooth the rough edges like a clam with a piece of sand, and hope that eventually I get a pearl. Or, uhh, some other appropriate metaphor that combines a nagging sensation with a piece of jewelry?

Truth is, it's how I do my best writing. Not my...