Too Many Words - Flickr CC
Last night was not a good one. I never really sank any deeper than twilight sleep and when I did, it was only to be pummeled the entire time with words. (Not literally, of course. It just feels like that when I’m bombarded by beautiful turns of phrase that must be captured immediately.)
I’ll bet any writer knows what follows: a grope for pen and pad in the dark, so as not to earn oneself a divorce; the morning’s discovery that one writing session’s notes overlapped with another, so that much is downright illegible; and finally, that the few surviving snippets aren’t half as divine as they seemed at the time…
Wordmares. Well, that’s my name for them, anyway.
From experience I know that anything I should write today will be pedestrian and workmanlike, so today’s structure will be somewhat different. I’m going to unplug. Then I’ll indulge in a long, leisurely walk that will bliss -out my dog. Tonight there’s a family picnic to attend and probably later still, a movie.
How about you? Do you have wordmares? And how do you refill the well when you’re feeling tapped-out?
Oh yes, I have had many inspirational ideas, that were lost a few minutes later because of not writing them down. I still remember the time in 5th grade of suddenly having a clear vision of something brilliant. I didn’t bother to write it down, being sure to remember, and it was promptly forgotten.
How I would fill the well would be making sure to write insights right away when they occur to me, instead of waiting for later. It would help for me to be prepared to do this.
Thank you for the inspiration that YOU provide.
You have succeeded in making me blush, John. Keep up with the compliments, and I might just reach 201 status. Thanks!
I still write down my wordmares in the dark, overlaps and all. If I don’t, they’re gone in the morning. I do find a take-off point from them the next day, even if much of it doesn’t make sense or is illegible.
Hope, you are well deserving of all compliments. 🙂
I wrote a few notes last night after going to bed. Ideas come to me most easily in the shower, out running or walking, and when peacefully going to sleep; not the easiest times to take notes!
Laura, that’s often the case for me – just one particular phrase can be enough to spark a whole new scene or blog post. Heck, I have a novella brewing in my mind that came from a title that just floated into my brain.
John, in the book I reviewed in the “Getting Your Muse On” post, Dorothea Brandes very much advocates repetetive, full-body exercise to bring out the muse. I’m a walker, myself. I find that’s one of the best times to work through my plot kinks.
Yes, They’re v. random but suprisingly useful, I wokr up once, wrote a poem… only i can’t remember where I put it :/
Bummer, Nic. That’s another thing that happens to me with the slips: I have a pile on my desk of these little tidbits for “someday”, a pile on the floor beside my bed, and a folder of the same in my computer. Organization is not my strong suit. 🙁