This morning, I have a lot of work to do - writing work, critique work for someone else who is coming over this evening so we can share. And my house is a mess - a mess to the point that it is very distracting. I could take pictures so those of you without kids could have a shocking 'Holy Crap' moment and double up on the birth control. Those of you with kids know it's a fact that toys have a way of spreading out to fill whatever space is available, kind of like a flash flood that never recedes.
I need to get busy finishing up the end of my novel, the part that should be the easiest to finish. But the thing where it's almost done makes it very difficult to physically put my hands on it.
So instead of doing what I planned to do this morning with the only three hours I have to myself this week, I took a shower, a long shower. A shower of procrastination.
Just as I thought about giving up on this writing gig (temporarily at least - just a break, I told myself), the details for a new story I've been thinking about worked itself out in my mind while a 5 minute deep conditioner sat on my head. It's a freaky sci-fi medical horror kind of story with a little romance - a YA story, because that's what you want your teens to read, right?
I can see the characters. The opening scene rolled in my mind like a YouTube video. The resolution (very sad but wonderful), the connection between the first and last chapter, and the details (mostly) of the medical horror aspect as well as the social-political conflict all came to me like I had been working on it in a background process in my mind for months. Very cool.
Now I feel motivated to finish my last chapters (only eight left) of the novel I'm currently editing, so I can write this one maybe next month. It's good to have too many options for NaNoWriMo - and for future work even without that. Very good.
Thank you, Shower Muse.
Sometimes I get inspiration while going to the bathroom....Funny huh??
ReplyDeleteGlad you were inspired in the shower! I take it cleaning the house is out the window now? And thanks for not shocking those of us without kids. I'm scared enough.
ReplyDeleteShowers are fantastic for inspiration. They help me all the time. Glad one helped you out.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange how the muse will take you someplace else when you're trying to figure out something on a current project.
ReplyDeleteKeena - Not sure what to say about that - at least you get inspiration.
ReplyDeleteAlex - I cleaned what could be seen from the front door. Good enough, right?
M Pax - Next time I'm stuck, I need to remember this - I was just trying to avoid writing. I ended up writing 2600 words.
Shelly - Very true.