Thursday, December 13, 2007

sticky ideas

I lay in bed at around 11:00pm, my mind racing as it often does when I'm trying to get to sleep. I was thinking about the novel in verse that I have been reading, and how I've always wanted to write one myself. Then this image popped into my mind. A girl, running--escaping--from something terrible. A visual story unfolded in my mind almost as if I were watching it with my very eyes. I thought to myself, "I should write this down."

But my husband lay sleeping next to me, and I knew that if I turned on the light and rummaged through the drawer to find a pen and notebook, he'd wake up. That, and it was darn cold in my room! So I offered a silent prayer: "God, help me remember this when I wake up."

I knew that if the idea was worth pursuing, it would be there when I woke.

And it was.

And it has stuck with me all day.

I even jotted down the first four lines while chatting with Corey about our next collaboration.

So, I guess I have my next big project. Thalen's Mirror will have to wait.

4 comments:

  1. ooooooooh Rebecca it sounds exciting! and YES always keep a pen and paper by your bed and jot down dreams, thoughts, WRITINGS! ;o) i have lost so much by NOT doing that my darn self... ;o)

    THANK YOU for coming by to see my blog and thank you for your kind words (i answered you in my comment section under your comment) it is so FANTASTIC to find other writers and enjoy their creative juices!

    I will be coming back to your blog VERY often!!! ;o)

    Keep m coming! ;o)

    Peace Forward~~

    Blessings, Amy xoxox

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  2. Yes, you can't keep pen and paper buried. It must be present, at bedside, at all times. I get my best ideas when I am driving or on a walk. I need to keep paper with me. My current story came to me when on one of the infamous NJ circles and all I had present were Dunkin Donut napkins (no idea how those got in my car!) I filled three napkins and help onto them for a year until I had time to write the story down.

    I know of another writer... Tara K. Harper (website of the same name I believe) who gets ALL her stories from her dreams. She dreams them from beginning to end and then writes them down. It works for her as she is published several times.

    Oh yes, and now I know why you love Out of the Dust, an excellent example of a MG novel written in verse. Amazing!

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  3. I know, I know. But I try to keep the nightstand clutter-minimal and never think to take the darn notebook out before I go to sleep. But the best ideas tend to stick with me anyway.

    I do have a writing journal that I keep in my gigantic purse so that I'll have some place to jot down any inspirations. But now I need to get a little one to put in my smaller, more practical purse that I bought when I got my job. Oh, hey, there's one on my desk. LOL

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  4. Oh the paraphernalia of a writing junky! Where will it end? Notebooks of every size, color and texture; tucked away in hidden drawers, corners of rooms, and car nooks… oh the shame of it all!

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