Writing in the rain

 Well, not actually 'in' the rain, I guess. I'm snug in my Writer's Den while it's drizzling outside. Poetic license, you know.

The sound of rain falling on the roof and the distant thunder are quite soothing, actually. They somehow help me focus on my WIP, letting me fall into that cool, creative cocoon I love so much. I can sip my coffee or hot matcha tea and step right into the world I'm creating, walking alongside my characters as they struggle to navigate their way through life.

The struggle, of course, is what makes their story interesting. With no struggle to overcome it's just a boring, day to day trip from sun up to sun down. OK, maybe not totally boring, I look forward to my oatmeal in the morning and Colbert at night. But repetition can dull the senses quickly. How many times have you said to yourself 'Didn't I just do this yesterday?'. You know you have.

I've also started (yes, again) going through my stack of notebooks. I have always been a 'write it down before I forget it' guy.  It's a bonus and a problem. 

The bonus is I can review those thoughts, use the good ones and X-out the bad ones. My notebooks are full of Xs. I have LOTS of weird, late night/early morning ideas. I don't erase them because I've gone back and actually used some of those 'bad' ideas in some modified form. I don't ignore them, I just don't need them 'right now'.

The problem is I have to reread these ideas frequently to see what wacky brain-fart I had 2 weeks ago and then forgot to review it the next day. For me anyway, writing it down tends to erase it from short-term memory. I need to revisit it the next morning or I forget that I got up at 3 AM to write it down!

I wonder of King or Rowling have this problem? ;-)

It helps that I transfer good ideas to my storylines in my existing Word docs, usually at the end of the docs under an 'IDEAS' section. At least that way I don't have to keep rereading my notes each time I want to work on a story. These ideas I draw 2 Xs over to remind me I've used them in a story.

It's probably not the most productive way to write, but it's the way my brain works, so I just go with what feels right.

Another reason I not an award-winning author, too scatter-brained! ;-) 

Here's something I can relate to... (kudos to the creator, since it was not me)

Go forth, my friends, and create!