Writing Update
Scenes Arranged: 5
Total Scenes: 83
I made some progress yesterday but I have a few more scenes to put together to finish this “item” on the second eighth’s list. There are 7 more items after that. I’ve gotta start stringing them together faster. Otherwise, that 400 scene estimate could balloon upward, forcing me to make these scenes shorter to avoid bloat.
Reading Update
Vengeful: 50%
Out of the Silent Planet: 75%
I finally caught up on some things and was able to dive back into audiobooks yesterday through the Hoopla app. This thing is amazing, especially since I have now found the read speed setting. Now I’m chugging through at 1.25x normal read speed which is WAY faster than I can read with my eyeballs. Plus, it can read to me while I work.
Personal Update
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day! For our family, that is normally exciting, but this year it is extra exciting because of Hamilton. It’s all we’ve been talking about for about a day and a half. We can’t wait!
Discussion Topic
Capitalizing on Inspiration
I have a few other blog series ideas, but I want to have some solo entries through the end of the month. So, for now, let’s talk about inspiration.
A lot of writers talk about inspiration, especially in terms of their “muse.” What I’ve found is that inspiration strikes when your mind is idle. So then the question becomes, “How do you seize inspiration when it strikes?”
For me, this has manifested as arranging an array of tools around me so that I am ready when that light bulb goes off. With the big intricate scene I dreamt up on Sunday, I was driving. This is not the best place for inspiration to strike normally. But in this age of digital technology, we have options. One of my favorites for a long time was voice memos. Now that I have an iPhone (don’t ask, VERY long story), I have a built in voice recorder that I can use WHILE driving to just get my thoughts recorded somewhere. One caveat: transcribe your voice memos! The downfall of my voice memo system was NOT doing this and when the phone I had at the time died, so too did the leftover notes. Don’t be like me, get those notes down.
There’s also mobile e-mail. Everyone has access to their e-mail on their phones these days. Use it! Pull over or find an alcove and jot down a quick note or two about your inspiration and send it to yourself. Then, when you get home, you can transfer it into your notes, expound upon it, or just write the scene/idea/story. A lesser option to this is sending yourself a text message. The downfall here (I’ve experienced this one too) is that if you switch operating ecosystems (Android to Apple, for example), you lose all your text messages.
A last ditch effort can be to phone a friend. If you have a confidant about your writing, call them, have them jot down everything you say, and then either give you the notes or e-mail it to you. Same deal as above, just with the added middle man. Plus, sometimes just saying an idea out loud can reveal pitfalls you didn’t see in the perfection in your head. And if this friend is really savvy, you could have some deep conversations about your idea that will sprout new ideas all on their own.
So there’s my tips on controlling your muse, so to speak. Don’t sit at your keyboard waiting for her to show up. Go for a walk or a drive or a run. I recommend something with motion because that gives your conscious mind something to focus on so your unconscious mind can explore and concoct new ideas. It’s also really soothing and at times cathartic. Enjoy!
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG