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| Remy |
I had a blog post all written, revised and ready to go.
At 3:14am I woke up and thought "newp, that's not the right thing to say."
Back to Drafts it went, but what to do for today?
Another pet picture of course!
Have you ever had a midnight revision insight?
Did it make the manuscript better?
65 comments:
Whoo hoo! I'm first! Not sure how that happened…
Midnight revision insights are always the best ones. Unfortunately, I often fall asleep without writing them down, and by morning, I'm completely stumped as to what I thought was brilliant in the wee hours. D'oh!
I sure have. I keep pen and paper bedside, and often come up with ideas that end up working out great. If I don't write it down, however, I will NOT remember, no matter how much I tell myself to not forget!
When I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, it's about things happening at my day job or worries about dad's health issues. Or a bad dream.
Hm...should I be turning those bad dreams into horror, switching genres? I don't really want to relive it so deeply twice.
Linda, I too keep a pad and paper next to the bed. I got in the habit when huge chunks of my story would play through my head in the middle of the night and then I'd beat myself up in the morning for not remembering what any of it was. I have to be careful though because sometimes, I'll write all night!
Thomas Edison thought his best ideas came as he fell asleep. When stuck, he'd nap in his chair with ball bearings in his hands and metal pie plates below. Upon falling asleep, his hands would open, drop the ball bearings, wake him up when they rattled in the pie tins, and he'd write down his ideas. Sleep is so underrated!
I have written scribbled notes by my bed in the middle of the night. I'm not sure, though, that I have ever found anything useful there in the morning. Either I can't understand what I've written (the bees have LEGS? What? What does that even mean??) or it's a demonstrably terrible idea that only sounded brilliant because it was 3am. :)
If I had acted, from first flash years ago to now, on my nighttime brilliance I would have been so famous Mr. King would be reading 2Ns book ON WRITING. You all would be clicking on MY blog about the best path toward writing-fame and publishing-fortune.
Janet would be querying ME.
Yawnnnn...huh, what was this about?
It isn't often that I cannot sleep. In fact, I joke that sleep is my superpower, and it would be great if I could share it. I can finish my cup of coffee, go to bed, and go straight to sleep. I regularly fall asleep on the couch. And I sleep soundly. So when I can't sleep....it's terrible.
A few times now....once in college, once right after we moved into the apartment, and I think once in our house, I've awoken at an inconvenient hour, far earlier than I meant/needed to, no obligations that day, etc. and was unable to get back to sleep. Patently unable. So I got up, and knocked around the house or wherever, and then settled down at whatever my writing station was and got to work.
It's how I finished the novella that one of my friends thinks is the best thing I've written to date (The editors of Tor and F&SF did not agree, unfortunately), so I'd say yeah, that kind of inspiration (I'm usually still up at midnight, so I won't call it that) has definitely hit me and I've been ultimately better for it.
You ever need more Elka pictures, just let me know ;)
Yes, and yes. At least I hope. Though that really remains to be seen. Midnight revision insights are the writer's version of those nagging worries that keep you up all night - except they're better, because allowing your brain to run through them usually means you're working in the right direction.
Funny you mention that book, 2Ns - I just got a copy and am putting it next on my reading list. I think I've read it before, or at least parts, but I'm looking forward to the refresher.
I know I've had ideas either while drifting off to sleep or while sleeping that have at least made it to the "ideas" sheet. There's a scene I've yet to write in the current WiP that I came up with during one of those times. So yes, sleep is good and necessary, and not just for one's general mental and physical health (says he who doesn't get nearly enough of it).
Btw, I like Remy's curiosity. Definitely not clumsy to be exploring the edge of that wall.
I remember weeding around retaining walls and doing an accidental somersault (for some reason this morning, that word looks weird) onto the next level, which fortunately wasn't too far below me and filled with many tall weeds to cushion my landing.
There are a lot of writers who keep the little notebook by the bed to capture these nighttime ideas, but I came to feel a decade or so ago that, if the idea is truly good, inspired - and *necessary* - it will make its way back to me if I can't recall it immediately in the morning. When I do remember these ideas in the morning, I am often perplexed by their former seeming brightness and strength, and then I remember that brightness is intensified by darkness, and I was after all in bed when this little light came along.
I also lose sleep, from time to time, worrying about That One Thing waiting for me at work the next morning, or The Super Important Thing I need to do in some relationship or around the house. Again, when I wake, I usually am just mad I lost the sleep to something so obvious or even bizarre.
I have an entire story that revolves around that long, gentle plain we descend, trying to fall into sleep. That time of descent, in our brains, is fascinating and rightly so. The tipping point - whether we fall asleep, or end up endlessly wandering - is some kind of magic. Personally, I'd never disturb it with ball bearings and pans. Jennifer's plan of using time the body has clearly decided against sleep sounds far more satisfying and fertile, to me.
The older I get, the more I realize that treating my every idea like a special snowflake is an exercise in frustration. There is a pleasure in letting some ideas get away. You know the ones that don't get away have real power.
My best inspiration on works already in progress always seem to come from other writers. See also, that moment I had reading Elise's blog some weeks back, or the reader I had whom I hugged and giggled with when she told me I needed to slash sixty pages.
Remy is one blessit cutie pie face. Yep. Indeed, the perfect thing to see here today!
There are nights I can barely sleep, let alone write.
2N's Thanks for the laugh. I'll be enjoying that one all day!
All the damn time. I sleep like a baby because invariably between 1 am and 4 am I have to wake up and change something in my WIP or make some notes for a future work.
This is why everyone in my office is convinced I am some kind of undead scion that might at any time start devouring brains. I never get enough sleep. Those insidious voices in my head never shut up when I am trying to sleep. If I take time off specifically to write, somehow, those voices decide to go on vacation. It is maddening.
Just about the only time I read is after I go to bed. And what that means is I will be reading along and suddenly have that inspirational moment discussed here.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Very fickle are those nighttime ideas.
I've also popped awake in the middle of the night and started thinking about a story problem. Most of the time it seems huge - matter of fact - the more I lie awake thinking about it, it becomes a GInormous ISSUE. Like, OMG, that's never going to work, what was I thinking? The next morning I re-read what I have, and somehow the big horrible, terrible, stinking like a hogpen story idea has miraculously sprouted flowers, spritzed itself with the odor of genius and suddenly smells sweet again.
Remy looks like he's tracking a....SQUIRREL!
I was awake last night from 2:30-4 thanks to insomnia. Janet, we could have had a party.
When I sleep well and deep--which, although I'm sleeping all the time due to unresolved fatigue, is rare--I have story dreams. These dreams are linear, rather than the usual mish-mash of illogical images. They tell an actual story from beginning to end and are typically the height of emotion. I keep a dream journal beside my bed to write them down, but they're the dreams that linger. My next WIP features the blueprint from one of these dreams--with a town and people so vivid, I swear it all existed once. This is the first novel I've been really excited about in a long time. I don't get a lot of inspiration during the day right now, so I'm grateful for the dreams and have to wonder if they aren't my mind making up for the lack of creativity in the daytime.
Remy is gorgeous. What breed is s/he?
My subconscious saves me from so many mis-steps I can almost say my best thinking comes when I'm sleeping.
I refer to 3:00am as the bewitching hour. It's typically when I wake in the night, and my WIP is frequently what's on my mind. Very often I have rearranged a plot line for the better and/or improved a scene. What I don't get, however, is how people write things down? Do you flip on a light or scribble in the dark? Do you get up and head to your computer? We have 9 dogs who all sleep in the bedroom. If I left the room they'd follow me and the entire zen of the night would be disrupted. I can't flip on a light... it would disturb not only the dogs but my hubs who has to get up at 4:00am for his day job as a corrections officer (whoa... talk about some stories).
Remy! That is one good-looking dog. He's clearly spotted something of interest from his perch atop the wall.
I've been staring at the photo for ages, though, and wonder what the setting is? A construction site? There's a chainlink fence in the background.
I used to have recurring dreams as a child. They usually involved flying or falling, and I'd wake up with a start when I "hit" the ground. My most memorable dream was a few years ago. I was standing in a beautiful valley full of tall grasses and birds, with stately trees to either side and a pristine river running through the middle - the most beautiful, unspoiled place you could imagine. Then I turned and noticed houses being built along the river, a new town springing up in the midst of this unspeakably lovely wilderness, with chimneys smoking. I literally woke up with tears pouring down my face.
Today's post is terribly apropos.
This past Tuesday morning, I wrote THE END on probably the most challenging revision I've ever done. I was super proud of it, sent it off to my critique partner, and went to take a shower.
While I was in the shower, I had a lightning-bolt type moment of what I could do to make it better.
My usual rule is once I write THE END I have to let the MS sit for a while, but I don't know if I can resist going back and making it better this weekend. (I think I probably will.)
Remy looks like a Plott to me. The ears are a little off for a Redbone. I have a Redbone in Rain Crow, so I did a modicum of research on them.
Whatever she is, she's having fun. What a great picture.
Do I wake in the middle of the night to revise? Heck yes. Some of my best ideas come in the gloaming when a person is between wake and sleep, but when the boys in the back wake me up with an idea, it's always something important. I used to dream resolutions to plot tangles. I need to retrain my mind to do that, but I think the meds mess with the process.
The scene that I showed CC Humphreys at Surrey last year for the blue pencil was one I had seen in a dream I guess and woke up in the middle of the night with. I got up and wrote it out. The next morning I expanded it, and cleaned it up a little, but it was pretty much birthed in the night.
He read it and underlined a few passages, remarked on the lovely language and said, "This is gorgeous writing."
So, yes, I trust the boys in the back. Now, granted, he was probably being nice, but I do think the scene works. It captures the horror of battle without being all guts and gore.
The other night they gave me, "Not many men carry God in their pocket." I'm not sure what to do with it, but I know who it belongs to.
My best ideas come just as I'm going to bed (which usually is midnight to one AM). If it's dialogue or a longer bit of prose I'll go into my office across the hall and jot it down on a notecard.
If it's just a quick idea I'll email it to myself from my phone. That's also how I deal with ideas that wake me up, that way I don't have to get up or turn on a light and risk waking my husband.
I actually have my last note to myself right here:
Maybe someday she'd be happy in the chorus, just like maybe someday she'd be happy in a jazz club. But for now she had to try, if only to make all the pain worthwhile.
Remy is a great looking Pup. Does she have Ridgeback in her? Pretty serious muscles in those legs, she looks fast. Cool post.
I had a midnight revelation that solved a way to tie two murders together, I wrote it down and it was a really slick tie in. It actually worked on a couple different levels, as I later pieced it into the m/s.
Melanie,
"If I left the room they'd follow me and the entire zen of the night would be disrupted."
Back in my previous life when we had a dozen horses and I was usually alone at night aside from Will who was sound asleep, I'd often wake in the middle of the night. 3:00 is considered the witching hour. I'd get dressed and go out to the arena where we kept the mares turned out and walk. Most of the mares would glance up to see who it was and go back to sleep. Not Skidboot, the curious yellow mare. She'd take every step I took. e'd make a few rounds of the arena and I'd think, usually about the book revisions that had woken me up. Sometimes an old calico cat would hop up on the top rail and then hop on Skidboot as she passed by and ride with us for a lap or two.
So, we'd walk and talk the niggles away. Then Skidboot would say, "All right. I think that works. Go to bed."
Remy does look a bit Plott'ish, but thinking the nose isn't quite long enough, and the body not lean enough.
To finish my earlier comment (which, like those late night stink piles smells a bit of smug. My moments of "genius" usually end up in the Recycle bin on my pc.
So much for genius.
OT: Hey y'all - I'm thinking about the folks in Florida, and on up the coastline. Been through enough hurricanes to know how they can change course - so although it's sparing us a direct hit, all those in the path of it - I hope will heed the dire warnings to evacuate I'm hearing right now on TV.
Julie, I love the mental image of you circling the corral with a mare at your heels, working the kinks from the story. Most of my brilliant middle-of-the-night ideas don't hold water in the light of day, but a few times when I couldn't sleep and wrote instead, it did seem like the words flowed more easily. I think there's some filter that switches off at night and when I'm in the tub.
Donna, you're close. She's hunting the lizards that live in the wall. In summer, that's a nice vegetable garden; however this was in early spring when it was still freezing at night, but warm enough to draw out the lizards during the day. She takes her lizard hunting seriously. She's also a determined chaser of laser pointers, and has been known to entertain herself for hours pouncing on the reflected flash from her dogtags.
We got her at eight months from a couple who'd moved into a new apartment and couldn't keep her. She was advertised as a boxer mix, but we think probably mostly Staffordshire. She's incredibly quick on her feet, can jump head high, and loves snuggling with people on the couch, preferably under a blanket.
I love ❤️ the images of writerly people (and sharks) and their middle-of-the-night activities. I must say that Julie wins the visual prize, bringing her corral to life for us!
I'd always pictured Her Sharkliness as having hundreds of blog posts sitting around ready to roll. It brings to mind words you often hear in competition about people who are so good at something that they make it "look effortless." Janet makes theses blogs look effortless because of the quality of the content and her twist of humor. Middle of the night and second thought musings illustrate how hard it must really be to keep up with this EVERY DARN DAY! And she makes it look effortless! Kudos!
Lisa, I'm so glad you weren't injured in your somersault off the retaining wall. It's a shame no one was there to film it. I'll bet you'd get a ten for form.
BTW, today's post on my blog is about Roxy and her new ball. http://bethcarpenterbooks.blogspot.com/ (Yes, this is actually Roxy. I originally sent Janet a movie with Roxy and Remy, my daughter's dog, which caused the mixup.)
Just as I read this I remembered something had come to me one recent night that I had scribbled into a notebook. I had to run upstairs to find it. It was just one sentence and I, for the life of me, have no idea where my brain wanted me to use it. It (tweaked a little) could be a good sentence.
I do keep a notebook and pen next to the bed, but seldom use it. Flashes of insight seem to come during the day at random times while I'm doing something non-thinking. In the bath, on a walk, cooking, folding clothes. The conscious thinking I do in bed before sleep (some might call it fretting) is where bits of my ms get worked on. I don't bother writing it down, because it needs to be chewed on some more. There are a few cases where an aha! is so important I have to get up and go with it.
Creative life is so fascinating, as is life in general. This just got me thinking about coincidences of such magnitude that they seem like signs. I've had a few of those lately that I don't know what to do about.
My Queen, stop reading my mind.
My epiphanies usually wake me at 0300 then fade away. The faster I write then the faster they fade.
Remy looks like there is a heritage of the Southern Black Mouthed Cur.
Other topics:
Woke up this morning with weird light in my eyes
Governor Skeletor was on the TV
He looked like he was trying to care
But his were way out of wack
He sounded like a broken Dalek
Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate he said
Then the TV switched to another scene
And the was that weather rock star Jim Cantore
Surf's up, surf's up, run run run away he cried as a wave splashed his knee
The TV camera went wide angle
To see a band of surfers paddle into the surf
and the surfer girls went " Whoop de doop, Whoop de doop."
And I realized how much I loved this place.
The things I come up with in my sleep, or when I've barely woken up, will only help me if I ever decide I want to become the next Dali. I once had a dream about fish that jumped out of the water with a backflip and walked away on their front fins. Even if I wake up with what I think is a good idea, when I'm fully awake the idea seems complete nonsense.
I have a writer friend who says she dreams about her characters. I have never done that as far as I know, never woken up with a Eureka moment either. In my last remembered dream I was having a long conversation with Jeremy Irons and his wife, Sinéad Cusack, and they kept walking away from me because they were bored...
Andrea: If you need a break from your current writing project, why not take one of those silly ideas and run with it. Ask: Why did the fish jump out? Why did it backflip? Why was it walking on its front fins? Create a backstory (one springs to mind, but I won't share--this is your idea, after all), and write a short story. It may be rubbish, or it may end up worth submitting to a mag. Either way, the change of direction will be a good creativity exercise that will benefit your WiP.
Just a thought. :)
Answers to questions: yes and yes. That's one reason why I write mostly between 2 a.m. and dawn.
Hubby is testing our long-forgotten camping gear (God bless Coleman stoves - suckers fired right up) just in case Hurricane Matthew ruins our 3 day weekend. He keeps saying we will lose power. I say it's not allowed - I downloaded Game of Thrones 4 book bundle from the library and I'm only a little way into the first one. I'm doing laundry and running the dishwasher just in case.
Answers to questions: yes and yes. That's one reason why I write mostly between 2 a.m. and dawn.
Hubby is testing our long-forgotten camping gear (God bless Coleman stoves - suckers fired right up) just in case Hurricane Matthew ruins our 3 day weekend. He keeps saying we will lose power. I say it's not allowed - I downloaded Game of Thrones 4 book bundle from the library and I'm only a little way into the first one. I'm doing laundry and running the dishwasher just in case.
Remy is adorable and looks like a lot of fun.
Back to hurricane prep.
Maybe not a midnight revision insight. More like a wee hours of the morning insight. And I've also had a couple of dreams about scenes from a manuscript. Yep—they made the manuscript better.
Oh yes, second guessing myself is my super power. But I'm also mostly nocturnal, so a revelation at midnight is just part of my work day. I do know what you mean, though, and it's pretty common to wake up with a different perspective on something, or a problem resolved. Sometimes I think my brain is more efficient and creative when I'm not in control.
Beth, my first thought on seeing Remy/Roxy was, "Oh, what a gorgeous boxer!" Maybe because of the white paws. We had a boxer when I was a child and this pic brought back fond memories (Sam chased chipmunks with that same intensity). And whoa, that is some serious terraced landscaping you've got there. Very nice.
Craig and Cynthia (and whoever else is in the storm's path), I'm sure you're as prepared as you need to be, but I hope the rain and wind don't damage you or your property-- the lovely gardens and crops you've described for us, and the critters who enjoy them. Please check in with us as/when you're able in the next day or two?
KD-thanks. It's already starting to get ugly and the 24/7 hurricane coverage has begun. Hubby keeps saying we're going to lose power. I keep saying we are not allowed to lose power because I downloaded Game of Thrones 4-book bundle from the library and I'm only on the first one. We should be okay - we're in the middle of the state where everyone from the coast evacuates to. Hubby's been up every night testing stoves, lanterns, batteries, flashlights. We're as ready as it gets.
Always.
It's better to listen to the muses rather than be driven crazy later by the "what-if's"
Miss Janet, I'm sorry, I must have misread. You said you were sleeping? I know you don't have time for that (surely you use every minute of your day caring for your flock of woodland creatures). Obviously a typo that needs correcting.
Remy is gorgeous and has definitely spotted something worthwhile. I hope that retaining wall isn't too high for when he jumped off.
Sam - I second what you said! That's so me!
Adib - I always get my epiphanies in the shower. I've now invested in bath crayons which are brilliant! I write over our nice white shower tiles and then I come back later and copy them down (next person to shower washes them off). Maybe the hot water wakes me up and makes me think clearly?
I get ideas as I lay in bed before going to sleep.
I get ideas when I'm sleeping.
Sometimes I wake up in the morning with ideas.
I got a great idea while sitting in the periodontist chair this afternoon. Now to the basement to see if I can make it work.
Sometimes at my writing desk I run out of ideas and want to go to sleep.
Beth: Remy/Roxy is a gorgeous girl.
No hurricane here - just snow. Thinking about you folks in the danger zone. Take care!
I do sometimes get sudden insights that make my manuscript better, but not always in the middle of the night or when I'm sleeping (those do not necessarily coincide these days). My dreams rarely make sense outside of a 'brain-working-out-problems' way, but sometimes when I first wake up, something will click in my story.
Beth - cute story about Remy-who's-really-Roxy. Must've been hilarious watching her antics with that ball. I'm not a big fan of squeaking noises but if it was giving her mountains of fun then it was worth the pain in the eardrums!
Julie - your witching hour companions sound so sweet. It'd make a great scene in a movie... or maybe even a book....
I always have a word and idea scout on duty in my head but the one who does the graveyard shift is prone to histrionics. He wakes me from a mind movie with sirens and flashing lights to highlight potential fodder for my WIP. Most of the time any daylight analysis of the the idea renders him sheepish and embarrassed but occasionally he finds something brilliant and then he brims with pride all day long.
Yup. This included a midnight revision at Backspace 2013. I was in the bathroom so I wouldn't disturb my roommate. Pages got wet. Cue blow dryer at one in the morning.
Sometimes the best thoughts come at night! Love the pet picture. :)
Karen: You were at Backspace 2013? That was the last in-person one (not online), right? Because I was there, too. :)
AJ! That sounds like an excellent idea. I'm going to find some bath crayons!
MA
It really was quite relaxing. Our arena was huge and sandy. The west side pasture outside the arena had a lot of mesquite and a couple of little burrowing owls who had a nest there. At night one of them would sit on the top rail or in the mesquite and watch me. Occasionally, it would lift off on silent wings and I'd watch it slice across the moon.
West Texas nights are pleasant, perfect thinking weather.
I hope everyone is safe from the hurricane is and battened down. It just doesn't look good.
Thanks, MA. It was funny to see her so obsessed.
Stay safe, everyone.
I have a theory that it's only when external noise subsides that internal ones are noticeable... but then again, maybe that's just me.
Thinking of the Reiders in Matthew's path over the next few days - take care, okay?
Thinking of all you folks in the path of the hurricane. As others have already said above, best wishes and stay safe!
I trust the authenticity of midnight inspiration (or the morning waking from a dream) more than anything. I believe it's because your subconscious (she who knows all the rules and never fools you) has worked out the logics. I always apply the midnight inspiration to a ms and it is always better for it.
"Newp."
I've said it all my life.
Never seen it in print.
Wouldn't have known how to spell it.
Now I'll use it everywhere.
Thanks, Colin, I might do that. I'm reading Charles Williams at the moment (All Hallows' Eve) and it could fit into that kind of story, or maybe something more Dali-esque...
Janet,
I hope when you do the actual post you give us an unsanitized version and a sanitized post so we can follow your thinking. It just makes one curious when you had advice and changed it with a 3:14 a.m. epiphany.
Most of my revision insights occur after midnight. Now if I ever had a six a.m. insight? I'd probably deem it unworthy without even giving it a second thought.
Nothing good happens after six a.m.
Julie - It just keeps getting better. West Texas sounds like a magical place to live.
This is OT, but talking about animals in the US reminds me of The Yearling. I just discovered it this year and was gobsmacked. You could open that book on any page and immediately feel like there were all sorts of apex predators knocking about outside. I had no idea there were bears and wolves in Florida, or how hard it was to thrive (or survive) as a farmer back then.
Hope everyone's ok and Hurricane Matthew fades away ASAP.
MA - black bears are a problem even in the suburbs. Back in the spring there was at least one coyote in College Park, near downtown Orlando (and a cobra, but that's another story). Our last set of hurricanes we were living on Turkey Lake, just a few minutes from Universal Studios. Our lake path flooded and after the storm we saw a Florida Panther sunning himself. Amazing how much wildlife there is, even in tourist town.
Very windy in Orlando right now. The cats were dozing on the ledge where I write in the garden. They hate being inside. I kept checking on them and they kept glaring at me for waking them up. Wind shifted and got them wet. Now one is curled up next to me on the couch. The other is patrolling the property with Hubby. The dogs are letting Watch Cat take over We're riding the edge here. I'm fine with that. Coffee, cinnamon rolks, bacon, Game of Thrones. The weather may suck but at least the Lannisters aren't trying to kill us.
"The weather may suck but at least the Lannisters aren't trying to kill us."
LOL, Cynthia. I think you should embroider that onto a pillow.
John: I disagree. One good thing happens after six a.m.: COFFEE. *takes a huge swig*
Beth - still getting hammered by wind but we got incredibly lucky. So grateful. I like the pillow idea.
MA
"Julie - It just keeps getting better. West Texas sounds like a magical place to live."
Ha, no, it's ugly as homemade sin, but magic is where you make it.
I've got to say, this is the first time that entering a writing contest will be determined by whether loss of power/internet connection occurs before or after the start time.
*looks at radar*
*looks at clock*
*listens to wind*
*looks at radar again*
Actually, never mind the contest. I'll be happy if all my big oaks and tall pines are still standing come Sunday night (and no, that is not a euphemism) (unless you want it to be) (no, really, it's not).
Cynthia - coyotes? panthers? And they say Australia is full of dangerous animals. (Not where I live, of course... unless you count the sharks, but you just make sure there's always someone swimming further out than you... kinda like on this reef.)
Glad to hear the hurricane conditions have eased. Hope the electricity didn't cut out so you were able to get through a decent chunk of GOT.
Julie - I love your colloquialisms. I'm tempted to add 'Ugly as homemade sin' to my repertoire but I doubt it would sound as good with an Aussie accent.
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