We all have those random thoughts, weird dreams, and moments of inspiration that spurn good (and bad) ideas. As another author stated on his site recently, the muses don't always arrive at convenient moments. Instead, they like to pop in when you hop in the tub, are soundly asleep, can't fall asleep, or are involved in something else. Particularly helpful, if you ask me!
The trick is to get it down! My bedside table is littered with scraps of paper with everything from full story ideas to tweaks in plot, setting, and character traits. I'd love to say I'm the author who plans out every detail beforehand, but that's not the case. In life and literature, I'm more of a
let's see where this leads us kind of gal. So having these little moments of inspiration help me move the storyline in the right direction. Usually.
My advice?
Keep a notebook, notepad, or sticky notes nearby when you're home and
install Notes apps on your digital devices for when you're away from home. This won't solve the problem of getting a great idea when you're all soaped up in the shower (unless you happen to own a fancy shmancy water-resistant phone) but that should cover just about anything else. Oh, and please alert your friends, family members, and random people standing in the market next to you:
Should we make t-shirts? Leave me a comment to tell me what you do when the muse calls. And as always, thanks for stopping in, friends!
The Muse gets me while I'm driving. Depending on the day (and the journey), I either pull over and scribble in my notebook, or I use my mic to text myself. The latter is hilarious, because Siri never texts exactly what I've spoken. It's close enough that I can pick up the train of thought again, but just strange enough to elicit laughter. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic! I occasionally stare at stuff I've written like it's in Chinese. What did that mean at 4 a.m.? The muses are vastly unhelpful at times. Thanks for sharing!
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