"Go away, stupid plot bunny, this is a BAD TIME." "Nope."

[author_by_night]

You’re at work, doing something fairly low key, depending on your job. It might be putting material into folders, it might be waiting to take your next order, or you might be a student, and you’re listening to a lecture.

Suddenly, a plot bunny nibbles on the carrot that is your muse.

You know you’re supposed to be doing work, and you don’t feel like getting caught. You also know that in the past, when you’ve waited on ideas for longer than five minutes, they’ve vanished into thin air.

 

Writers have a very unique problem, because we tend to have two worlds: the world around us and the world inside our heads.

 

A non-writer cannot understand it. When I tried to explain the predicament to my mother, she simply stared at me and said, “isn’t it like wanting to daydream about the baseball game?”

 

If only, if only.

 

So my question is, how are we, as writers, to deal in a world that does not allow for time to just stop and write? How have writers before us dealt?

 

 One thing I’ve tried doing is making notes. Nothing that requires wasting anyone elses’s time, and nothing that will get me into trouble – just quick, simple notes.

 

Problem? Well, for instance, let’s say this happens while I’m in class, and I go to take quick notes. If I do so, I usually end up with more notes on my story than on the lecture. Whoops! And taking notes at work – unless you have your own office that nobody else ever uses for anything, and a place to put the notes with faith nobody will ever see them? That doesn’t work either.

 

Another thing I’ve tried is letting the thoughts flow while I work. However, this tends to be even worse than taking notes, because next thing I know ten minutes have passed and I’m staring at the same line on the same piece of paper. Yeah.

 

It’s also hard in social situations. Let's say you decide to cope by telling the person you are with:

 

You: Oh, I JUST got a great story idea!

 

Friend: Huh, cool, what about?

 

You: Well, it takes place in Italy–

 

Friend: Oh, that reminds me, ever seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun?

 

You: No. So anyway, this girl, Barb –

 

Friend: And I forgot to tell you! Derek and I are looking for a new car!

 

You: Oh. Great. *Sigh*

 

You also can’t very well write at random with friends. Unless, of course, they are writer friends. (In which case they will also let you dish your ideas, although it’s really never a good idea to monopolize the conversation. Mention it to a small extent – just remember that your friends are not human notepads. Granted, I forget this all the time… right, flisters?)

 

So, how do we compromise?

 

 

 

 

Comments

[spiritstairway.livejournal.com]

Here via one of the HP fandom newsletters :)

I carry around a notepad with me. The one I've got is about half the size of a normal piece of paper and it's bound together, 100 sheets. If inspiration strikes I just scribble down the most important notes that I know will jog my memory then continue on my way. For some reason, I have very good recall when it comes to 'key' phrases that I've written. To this day, when I look back on vague journal entries from 7 years ago, I'm still able to identify exactly the subject and the situation. Thankfully I'm able to do the same with my notes.

And as for being out with friends... well :) I'll either duck out for a quick moment and record the idea into my phone, to be written down at a later date, or outright take out the pad and scribble down ideas. They're my friends, they'll understand! Two weeks ago we were in the middle of a meal when inspiration struck and I jotted it down. Most people understand that when inspiration strikes, you have to grab it in case it doesn't strike again.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

That's good that your friends understand. Some of mine do, but others don't.

[doro-chan.livejournal.com]

I started using a notepad as well. It works really well, because once I noted the important facts, ideas or phrases, I can concentrate on what I have to do instead of what my mind would like to do.

I have a bigger problem, though. If I don't write every now and then, I get depressed. I can't concentrate on anything and it always takes a bit of time to figure out what's wrong. I'm fine again after writing a page or two, but if I don't, it only gets worse.