The Writer's Oddities

Velvet27 · Jul 18, 2014

When I woke up this morning I was thinking, yes! I resolved my necromancy issues overnight.

If I told that to an average muggle, they'd think I was a bit weird. It's one of those things that I think only another writer would understand.

Do you get those moments in your lives?

Other writer oddities for me are staring into space and then dashing for pen and paper and understanding how frustratingly brilliant that time is just before you fall asleep.

BookmarkUnicorn · Jul 18, 2014

I get a lot of ideas in my dreams. It helps that they are a lot like color movies, pretty logical, and have a plotline to boot. Sometimes it's all I can do to write the main elements on a notebook and try to get back to sleep to see how it would end. I know dream ideas have a bit of a bad rap but I feel like they can have some value sooner or later.

KiwiLady · Jul 18, 2014

I SOOOO get the time before you fall asleep thing! I keep pen and paper by the bed now because I was sick of thinking of something brilliant and being certain I'd remember in the morning...only to wake up with the basic idea but the brilliant part forgotten!!!

I also do the stare into space thing. Or can be talking to someone, see them do something, or say something, and think - I can use that! Then as I'm thinking how well it would work in my writing, find that I may have just missed the important part of the conversation...lucky my friends are understanding!!!

Brightdreamer · Jul 18, 2014

Ideas from dreams...

Staring into space as I wander into fictional worlds...

That great idea when you're too tired to write things down coherently yet too awake to actually sleep...

Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, hat, and commemorative mug. (But not the keychain, 'cause it was tacky.)

Velvet27 · Jul 18, 2014

BookmarkUnicorn said:
I get a lot of ideas in my dreams. It helps that they are a lot like color movies, pretty logical, and have a plotline to boot. Sometimes it's all I can do to write the main elements on a notebook and try to get back to sleep to see how it would end. I know dream ideas have a bit of a bad rap but I feel like they can have some value sooner or later.

Yeah, I've had the occasional idea from a dream. I got a great idea for a quirky fantasy novel from a dream, which I plan to pay some attention to one day and see if I can pull an actual plot from the idea.

KiwiLady said:
I SOOOO get the time before you fall asleep thing! I keep pen and paper by the bed now because I was sick of thinking of something brilliant and being certain I'd remember in the morning...only to wake up with the basic idea but the brilliant part forgotten!!!

I'm terrible at remembering to put pen and paper by my bed. Plus, I have to write in the dark, otherwise I'd wake the husband. Then I just end up writing the idea on top of itself. So I attach an unusual word to the idea and use that as a reminder of the idea. The only catch is remembering the word....

Brightdreamer said:
Ideas from dreams...

Staring into space as I wander into fictional worlds...

That great idea when you're too tired to write things down coherently yet too awake to actually sleep...

Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, hat, and commemorative mug. (But not the keychain, 'cause it was tacky.)

Nobody wants the keychain.

mrsmig · Jul 18, 2014

I don't like to go to church. However, I spent most of the month of June with my elderly mother, which meant that for three consecutive Sundays I had to accompany her to church.

Weird thing about church: while I was sitting there pretending to pay attention to the sermon, I was thinking about a particularly knotty plot point which had stalled me out for several months. I didn't get any brain waves on Sunday, June 8th, but the following Sunday, June 15th, I started to get a glimmer of a solution. On Sunday, June 22nd, it all fell into place.

I don't know whether it was the quiet, or the soft lighting, or the routine of the service - or even Divine Intervention. All I know is that the next time I'm stuck that badly, I'm heading back to church.

Evelyn_Alexie · Jul 18, 2014

Is there a patron saint for writers?

Whew! Glad I passed on the keychain, or I'd be feeling pretty silly right now.

4burner · Jul 18, 2014

I find myself with some pretty esoteric Wikipedia tabs open at times.

GF: Why are you reading about the Square-Cube law?
Me: Spaceship stuff honey
GF: Ok then.

And I have all my notes in my phone. I generally just let my mind wander in my wip-universe as I drift off to sleep, certain things occasionally collide and become plot points or ideas. You can tell when I get excited because it becomes all caps. I can practically hear the DUN-Dun Dunnnnn...

Velvet27 · Jul 18, 2014

mrsmig said:
Weird thing about church: while I was sitting there pretending to pay attention to the sermon, I was thinking about a particularly knotty plot point which had stalled me out for several months. I didn't get any brain waves on Sunday, June 8th, but the following Sunday, June 15th, I started to get a glimmer of a solution. On Sunday, June 22nd, it all fell into place.

I don't know whether it was the quiet, or the soft lighting, or the routine of the service - or even Divine Intervention. All I know is that the next time I'm stuck that badly, I'm heading back to church.

Before I had my son and worked part time from home, I used to work as an area manager for a retail company. So I spent a goodly amount of time driving around the countryside. I would often get the same sort of thing happening to me. One part of my mind would be concentrating on driving, while another part would drift off and get ideas, solve problems, make connections etc. I guess almost like a semi-meditative state. That sort of peace works wonders for the mind!

4burner said:
I find myself with some pretty esoteric Wikipedia tabs open at times.

GF: Why are you reading about the Square-Cube law?
Me: Spaceship stuff honey
GF: Ok then.

And I have all my notes in my phone. I generally just let my mind wander in my wip-universe as I drift off to sleep, certain things occasionally collide and become plot points or ideas. You can tell when I get excited because it becomes all caps. I can practically hear the DUN-Dun Dunnnnn...

Oh, yes! I totally get the multi-tab weird research thing. I have the same thing. My google search history is just out and out weird. Flight paths above Roanoke, Virginia... necromancy... employment laws in different states for minors...

I always find it frustrating when you have to do an hour or more research on what will only turn out to be a paragraph or two in my book. You know what, though? I sure as hell can't move on without doing it, because if I go to write without the right information or enough information, I just get stuck.

And notes on the phone? I totally used to do that! Why on earth did I stop? DUH!

mrsmig · Jul 19, 2014

Evelyn_Alexie said:
Is there a patron saint for writers?

Of course there is: St. Francis de Sales.

mrsmig · Jul 19, 2014

Velvet27 said:
I always find it frustrating when you have to do an hour or more research on what will only turn out to be a paragraph or two in my book. You know what, though? I sure as hell can't move on without doing it, because if I go to write without the right information or enough information, I just get stuck.

I feel your pain. I can't tell you the number of hours I've spent researching something, only to use a fragment of it in the actual manuscript.

Sometimes it's about knowing enough to know what to leave out.

DavidTShank · Jul 19, 2014

I'm a lifeguard, which means that for fifteen minutes to two hours at a time, I'm stuck at a chair staring at kids, old people, and the water that binds them into one entity.

Occasionally I'll get an idea for a story or article I want to write. Then for the next fifteen minutes to two hours, I'll sit there bouncing my knee like a jackhammer until I can get to my laptop and jot down notes. In the meantime, I'm thinking more about what I want to write and less about the kid hanging on the railing.

Writing makes me a bad lifeguard sometimes.

WriteMinded · Jul 19, 2014

I'm a Giant's fan — glued to the telly for every game — and it's baseball season. But I'm also worrying over a plot issue in a 3/4 written book, and word count in another. When my husband misses something and asks me what happened, I say, "Uhhh . . ." Then I kiss him on the cheek.

Ride the Pen · Jul 19, 2014

Keeping pen and paper very close to your bed is imperative, most of us learn this the hard way...!

The best ideas always come to me after going to bed and before falling asleep, because... well, because I'm supposed to do something else at this moment, which is falling asleep! Can't force creativity. Can't force falling asleep either.

And so sometimes, there are these brilliant overhung mornings, when you are so tired because you stayed up for hours last night scribbling down notes - but inside you are smiling in victory, because you know it's totally worth it: The next day you will be refreshed, but your ideas will stay with you forever!

Also, when I write down my notes, I do it sitting in my bed and without turning on the lights. When you turn on the lights, it blinds you immensly in the first moment and brings you out of the headspace you have just been in. The golden headspace. At that point, usually nothing new is coming and you can jot down what you already have at best. If you write in the dark blindly though, the ideas keep flowing out like a stream of gold...

The next day, those lines look crooked like the lines of a retarded person... no problem, the idea is saved!

Carrie in PA · Jul 19, 2014

discretely slides keys into purse, hoping no one sees

I'm fairly certain that "regular" people wouldn't understand why I sit here muttering/getting angry/upset/deliriously happy/excited/sad/etc when there's no one else in the room and the TV isn't even on. And if I tried to explain it, I'm pretty sure there would be an involuntary trip to see a very nice person in a lab coat.

(*sigh* Yes, doctor, I know why I'm here. No, doctor, I don't hear voices... well, not exactly...)

BookmarkUnicorn · Jul 19, 2014

Often I'll get an idea for something funny to write and spend the whole time walking to or from home grinning and laughing to myself for no reason anyone can see.

Wilde_at_heart · Jul 20, 2014

For me it's when I first wake up - and my mind sort of free-associates. I usually keep a tablet by my bed though, just in case.

Michael Steven · Jul 20, 2014

Velvet27 said:
If I told that to an average muggle, they'd think I was a bit weird. It's one of those things that I think only another writer would understand.

Nope, this isn't a phenomenon restricted only to writers. Getting fixated on a problem is often a good way not to find the solution. Doing other things lets the mind work without interference.

I've resolved software development problems among other things in a similar fashion and, yes, I have gotten story ideas from dreams, or simply had inspiration hit while in the middle of a movie. Divine? Hardly. The mind doesn't stop working just because you're not watching it

Beachgirl · Jul 20, 2014

Half of my characters have walked into my brain just as I'm falling asleep. They're rude and inconsiderate like that.

Staring into space? Yep, done that.

Weird/awkward/potentially incriminating internet searches? Let's just hope I'm never the subject of an investigation requiring my internet history or I'll either be wearing an orange jumpsuit or a jacket with lots of buckles.

Then there's eavesdropping. Do NOT sit near me in a restaurant or coffee shop unless you want your sordid conversations to wind up in print.

Velvet27 · Jul 20, 2014

mrsmig said:
I feel your pain. I can't tell you the number of hours I've spent researching something, only to use a fragment of it in the actual manuscript.

Sometimes it's about knowing enough to know what to leave out.

Definitely. It's probably interesting stuff, but if it's not essential, it shouldn't be there!

Happily, I'm one of those people that loves to trim and cut stuff out of my work, but I know there are people out there that cry a thousand tears (slight exaggeration, probably) every time a word gets cut. It can be tough making those changes.

GuitarShank said:
Occasionally I'll get an idea for a story or article I want to write. Then for the next fifteen minutes to two hours, I'll sit there bouncing my knee like a jackhammer until I can get to my laptop and jot down notes. In the meantime, I'm thinking more about what I want to write and less about the kid hanging on the railing.

Writing makes me a bad lifeguard sometimes.

Oh dear... I know what you mean though, I'd be desperately running the idea through my head on repeat until I can get it down so I don't forget it. A distraction, and it would go straight out of my head. Stupid memory.

WriteMinded said:
I'm a Giant's fan — glued to the telly for every game — and it's baseball season. But I'm also worrying over a plot issue in a 3/4 written book, and word count in another. When my husband misses something and asks me what happened, I say, "Uhhh . . ." Then I kiss him on the cheek.

Haha, yeah, I do the same thing. We're watching TV, I'll be spaced out thinking about something book related instead of really watching and ask me something or make a comment and I'll be like huh?

Carrie in PA said:
I'm fairly certain that "regular" people wouldn't understand why I sit here muttering/getting angry/upset/deliriously happy/excited/sad/etc when there's no one else in the room and the TV isn't even on. And if I tried to explain it, I'm pretty sure there would be an involuntary trip to see a very nice person in a lab coat.

Or you exclaim with a YES! or an OOHHHH! as something occurs. Yup.

Beachgirl said:
Then there's eavesdropping. Do NOT sit near me in a restaurant or coffee shop unless you want your sordid conversations to wind up in print.

Sounds like you're going to the right coffee shops. I never overhear anything sordid.

quicklime · Jul 20, 2014

I don't buy into the notion of "writer's oddities" or special things we do to signify our special specialness. Some writers have quirks, some of those quirks undoubtedly come up more that others, but writers write. And it takes all kinds. If there is a common thread, I suspect it is that singular one, otherwise we're all individuals with our own idiosyncrasies.....

Beachgirl · Jul 20, 2014

quicklime said:
I don't buy into the notion of "writer's oddities" or special things we do to signify our special specialness. Some writers have quirks, some of those quirks undoubtedly come up more that others, but writers write. And it takes all kinds. If there is a common thread, I suspect it is that singular one, otherwise we're all individuals with our own idiosyncrasies.....

I don't think we're special, unless it's a special kind of nuts.

NRoach · Jul 20, 2014

quicklime said:
I don't buy into the notion of "writer's oddities" or special things we do to signify our special specialness. Some writers have quirks, some of those quirks undoubtedly come up more that others, but writers write. And it takes all kinds. If there is a common thread, I suspect it is that singular one, otherwise we're all individuals with our own idiosyncrasies.....

I've seen threads on certain forums called "Things non-writers don't understand about writing", filled with posts that can basically be summed up as "I'm deliberately obtuse about my carrying a notebook everywhere and people think it's weird lol".

Rubs me wrong, it do.

WriteMinded · Jul 21, 2014

On occasion my husband is foolish enough to ask, "What are you thinking about?"

After all these years, I can still surprise him.

quicklime said:
I don't buy into the notion of "writer's oddities" or special things we do to signify our special specialness. Some writers have quirks, some of those quirks undoubtedly come up more that others, but writers write. And it takes all kinds. If there is a common thread, I suspect it is that singular one, otherwise we're all individuals with our own idiosyncrasies.....

But . . . I LIKE to think we're special.

I LIKE to think I have something in common with y'all other than the fact that I write. Why are you stomping on my happy little illusion? :tongue

My best friend, my son, and my husband do not write. They do not make up stories. They also do not space out while at work, or in the middle of a project, or in the middle of a movie, or a ballgame. Dull, aren't they?

quicklime · Jul 21, 2014

I know lots of folks that space out and don't write....and suspect there are writers who don't space out, outside of keyboard time, either.

I don't care if folks think writers are special, but very much sympathize with nroach's comments; it seems to be far too often a way to build up a false "writery persona" instead of just...yanno....writing

The Writer's Oddities

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