Last night I got into bed...it was maybe 11:30, which is a normal bedtime for me. I try to get in earlier if I have a book to read but I hadn't had a chance to get to the library yet. And if I don't have a book, I cannot get into bed before I am absolutely tired....I just lay there.
So anyway, I got into bed last night and I was tired. I thought I'd fall right asleep. Ah, nope. Somehow a new story idea popped into my head and it's fabulous opening line (we all know how important an opening line is!). When this happens, my brain replays the thought over and over in hope that I will remember it all in the morning. And that NEVER happens. It's gone forever. So I lay there, not wanting to turn on the light. But I knew I had to. The thoughts would not go away until I wrote them down.
So I turned on the light, grabbed a notebook and jotted down the idea and the opening line. The light goes off and I snuggle back under my comforter. But oh no...that wasn't good enough. My brain decides it wants to imagine what will come after that first awesome line. So again, I am forced out of my warm cocoon. I grab the notepad and write a page worth of dialog and text. I could have gone on and on but I stopped, hoping what I had was enough to jog my memory today. And finally my brain allowed my body the rest it desired.
I love when this stuff happens-- an idea comes to me out of no where...something that sounds fun and quirky, something different from what's already out there. I love the thrill of creation.
I hate when this stuff happens because the idea will nag at me till I get it on paper. And usually ideas like this come when I'm knee deep in something else and there is no possible way to start on it. I'm in the middle of my POV change on my 3rd novel and I'll be starting copy edits in the very near future for my 2nd novel. I just cannot start something new right now.
But what an idea it is!! I really love it!! So now I will add it to my "Project Ideas" folder and save it for another day :)
What do you do when inspiration strikes????
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That happens to me, too! But when I wake up in the morning, the idea doesn't seem as good as when I jotted it down. I'm glad you're excited about your idea, though!
ReplyDeleteYup, I can not trust my memory to write it the next morning, or ten minutes from then, even. I have to write it down immediately. Then if it doesn't seem as good later, I put it away so it's there.
ReplyDeleteI definitely write it down. It's hard not to flirt with new ideas and set aside what you're working on. But I try to take notes and keep myself focused on WIP.
ReplyDeleteI almost always end up forgetting everything before I'm able to write it down! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have the worst memory for stuff going on in my life now (ask me about my teenage years and I can recall events like they happened only minutes earlier!!) But these days...I am lost without a datebook and I make sure I have a notepad in my purse. My cellphone even has a note function so I can use that too. I am the same as many of you...if it's not written down immediately...it's gone forever!!!! It has happened so many times. Even with blogging.....I'll get a great idea while I'm in the middle of posting a comment on someone else's page and by the time I'm done, it's gone!
ReplyDeleteI have to write it all down, whether it's a plot point or just a line of imagery I love. I never go anywhere without paper and pen!
ReplyDeleteI know just what you mean! I replay the thought over and over to make sure I remember it in the morning (which a) is bad for my sleep and b) I never remember it in the AM anyway). It's easier to just get up and write it down.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I might have to start bringing my audio recorder (that I use on my commute) to bed. That way I don't have to turn on the light!
AHH!! I had this happen to me last Thursday night/Friday morning. I just finished with a late night of studying and my characters and ideas kept me up until 5 A.M.!!! Needless to say, I wanted to write them out of the story completely because I was so tired the next day. The ideas were so good that I ended up forgiving them. I'm a softy, what can I say?
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how many times I've told myself I'll remember an idea in the morning. Of course, it never works. I did this for years, but now I force myself to get up and write it down. I make it easier on myself by having pen and paper close to my bed though. :)
ReplyDelete