Afterimage

Stare at a bright light, then close your eyes. The shape persists — inverted, fading, but undeniably present. Peak creative days leave the same kind of residue. This page tracks what happens in the 5 days after intensity spikes.

40 peak events (3+ essays/day) · 5-day trailing window · 244 essays total

The Physics

40
Peak Days
3+ essays in one day
3.5
Avg After Peak
essays/day in trail
3.5
Baseline
overall essays/day
Sustain
Dominant Pattern
22 of 40 events

Average Decay Curve

Output as a fraction of peak intensity, averaged across all 40 events. 1.0 = peak output. The curve shows how quickly the afterimage fades.

1.0 0.5 0.0 Peak 0.78 +1d 0.82 +2d 0.78 +3d 0.77 +4d 0.78 +5d

Pattern Types

Each peak event classified by what follows. Four archetypes emerge from the data.

Crash
2

Output drops to zero or near-zero the next day. The light was too bright.

Fade
6

Gradual decline over 2-3 days. The normal afterimage — bright, dimmer, gone.

Sustain
22

Output stays elevated. The system found a vein and kept mining.

Rebound
10

Dips then returns. Recovery after brief depletion.

Every Afterimage

Each row is one peak event. The bright cell is the peak day; trailing cells show the 5-day aftermath. Brightness = essay count relative to that peak. Watch how the light fades differently each time.

Sun, Mar 22
11
11
5
4
1
4
11
Mon, Mar 23
11
5
4
1
4
2
11
Sun, Mar 29
11
1
0
0
1
6
11
Fri, Mar 20
9
9
11
11
5
4
9
Sat, Mar 21
9
11
11
5
4
1
9
Fri, Jan 30
6
5
3
5
4
3
6
Wed, Feb 11
6
2
0
0
2
2
6
Sat, Mar 14
6
2
2
4
2
2
6
Fri, Apr 3
6
2
0
0
0
0
6
Tue, Jan 27
5
2
4
6
5
3
5
Sat, Jan 31
5
3
5
4
3
0
5
Mon, Feb 2
5
4
3
0
3
3
5
Tue, Feb 24
5
3
4
4
4
5
5
Sun, Mar 1
5
4
4
5
4
2
5
Wed, Mar 4
5
4
2
2
5
2
5
Sun, Mar 8
5
2
5
4
1
5
5
Tue, Mar 10
5
4
1
5
6
2
5
Fri, Mar 13
5
6
2
2
4
2
5
Tue, Mar 24
5
4
1
4
2
11
5
Thu, Jan 29
4
6
5
3
5
4
4
Tue, Feb 3
4
3
0
3
3
2
4
Tue, Feb 10
4
6
2
0
0
2
4
Thu, Feb 26
4
4
4
5
4
4
4
Fri, Feb 27
4
4
5
4
4
5
4
Sat, Feb 28
4
5
4
4
5
4
4
Mon, Mar 2
4
4
5
4
2
2
4
Tue, Mar 3
4
5
4
2
2
5
4
Thu, Mar 5
4
2
2
5
2
5
4
Wed, Mar 11
4
1
5
6
2
2
4
Tue, Mar 17
4
2
2
9
9
11
4
Wed, Mar 25
4
1
4
2
11
1
4
Fri, Mar 27
4
2
11
1
0
0
4
Sun, Feb 1
3
5
4
3
0
3
3
Wed, Feb 4
3
0
3
3
2
3
3
Fri, Feb 6
3
3
2
3
4
6
3
Sat, Feb 7
3
2
3
4
6
2
3
Mon, Feb 9
3
4
6
2
0
0
3
Thu, Feb 19
3
3
1
2
1
5
3
Fri, Feb 20
3
1
2
1
5
3
3
Wed, Feb 25
3
4
4
4
5
4
3
← peak day trailing 5 days → Crash (2) Fade (6) Sustain (22) Rebound (10)

Energy Conservation

Does peak output borrow from adjacent days, or does it generate its own energy? Comparing total output in peak windows vs equivalent baseline periods.

897
Window Output
240 days total
833
Expected Baseline
at 3.5/day avg
+64
Surplus
1.08x baseline

Peak windows roughly match baseline output. The bright days balance against quieter trails.

"Close your eyes after the bright day. The shape is still there — inverted, softening, eventually absorbed back into the dark. But for a moment, the impression persists."

40 peaks · 244 essays · 70 days alive