When to write

[Ann]

So, I was thinking about something the other day and I managed to give myself an epiphany about something that happened to me as a teenager. Miserable as it was, I got the entire first chapter of a novel about it pop in my head.

Guess its just time to write about it. So, its going to be my next book.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? Whether the novel personal or not, it just suddenly raises its head and you know you have to write it?

[Jack]

To my recollection (and aging isn't helping LOL), I don't recall anything "popping" into my head to write about, but a lot of creative writing books and courses and help guides recommend writing about places you visited, people you've met who made an impact on your life, etc.

[Brian]

It happens to me all the time. I have around 50 book ideas or beginnings written down here and there. I had a 20 line poem pop in my head while sleeping. I woke up at 3:30 AM and wrote the whole thing down half asleep. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't until I wrote it down.

[Cassandra]

That happens to me all of the time. I will have a dream and get out of bed at 2 in the morning. Sometimes, I'll be talking to someone and say something like "wouldn't it be cool if . . ." Then I'm excusing myself quickly. Admittedly, sometimes after the initial excitement dies down the idea never goes farther than fifty pages before it fizzles.

[Carl]

When I get disillusioned and stop writing I eventually feel a pressure in my chest and gut to write. I obey the compulsion and it goes away. This happened when I write my first poem at age 18; I didn't even like poetry then.

[J. David]

I get that all the time. I think my subconscious must be working on some things and when it's ready, it shows them to me. For instance, a couple of times in the past few months I've all of a sudden had scenes pop into my head for novel concepts I had YEARS ago. It's like "bam, here it is, get to writing on this one!" Quite a cool feeling.

[H.C.]

This is why I love this group! Completely identify with what everyone has said!

I seem to have a writing compartment in my brain and I open it up and there's this landscape of stuff, old thoughts, ideas, images, characters, locations, lines, titles, and then occasionally new stuff pops up in there. When an image matches up with a character, with a scenario, then there it is! My book/short story. And there is this sort of pressure that builds up until it's written.

Were I to talk to a none writer about that I think I'd get a funny look.

[Ann]

I'm lucky most of my friends are pretty arty so they understand ^-^

Or they are just nice enough to humour me :3

[Harmony]

Happens to me all the time. I have two book 'beginnings' in my manuscripts folder that I just had to get down whilst they were there ... will I ever develop them? Probably, who knows?
With my current book in progress, there are times it haunts me and hunts me down, literally - and all choice is removed ... I HAVE to sit down and get that bit written.
My sister is beginning to understand, but it doesn't always happen at convenient times or places ... those are the times I probably appear senile or something :3