Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Big Idea


Can you believe Hines won last night? Woohoo! I was so shocked about Chelsea (I’ve been spelling her name wrong. Oops) and Mark. I thought it would come down to those two and Hines and Kim for sure. It was definitely an exciting finale anyway. (Poor Maks. He’s never won.)

As for working Wednesday, I am thrilled to say that I got 2700 words on my new manuscript. When my husband’s alarm clock went off the other morning, I was still half-asleep and kind of dreamy when the plot of a new fiction novel came to me. I saw the first scenes and even how it all ended. Thankfully the baby slept in that day so I could get a bit more computer time than normal and I got the first scenes written down.

Since then I have given the book a general outline (which is three pages long) and I’ve finished the first chapter. I’m starting the second chapter today.

Most of you know that I only get snatches of computer time to write because I have a lot of children and a very busy schedule, but this book seems to be jumping off the keyboard onto the page, which makes it very easy to get a lot done.

My non-fiction book is coming along as well. So many ideas!

I’m really pleased with the progress I’ve made this week. Of course the children will be out of school next week, which can be good or bad for writing. I guess we’ll see.

How do book ideas come to you? When you’re half-asleep? Driving? Exercising?

7 comments:

Debra Erfert said...

Oh, my gosh! There was no way I could watch American Idol, (which was moved to Tuesday for some stupid reason I'll never know) and find out who won The Biggest Loser, (The Pink Team's mother. I think she's LDS. My soon-to-be daughter-in-law from Draper knows them,) and watch Dancing With the Stars all in one night. Something had to give. Yeah, something gave! It was my memory.

Yay!! I'm so glad Hines won!! He had the cutest smile, and he was really a very good dancer. That whole scenario reminded me of a movie called "The Game Plan, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He was a football player who suddenly found out he had a little daughter. He ended up dancing in her ballet recital with his teammates in the audience cheering for him.

Wow! You have a fiction WIP and a non-fiction? Which one gets priority? I guess sometimes it takes years to finish a non-fiction, so strike while the keyboard is hot on the fiction, huh?

I get my best ideas when I first wake up, but not quite fully awake. Sometimes it happens when I'm trying to go to sleep and my mind won't stop thinking. Those times I need to have a notebook and pen close by. If I don't write down the ideas, then I know I'll forget them if I fall asleep. It's happened to me before, and I've (silently) cursed myself for being such a short-sighten idiot.

I could never write when I had kids at home. As soon as my eyes opened, back then, I had to put feet to carpet. Down time was non-exhistant, so I can totally understand your time constraint.

Melanie Goldmund said...

Have you ever carded wool and spun it into a thread? Neither have I, but I've seen it done in a "living history" museum. Anyway, sometimes it feels like that's how I get my ideas, by working and working at woolly, nebulous thoughts until something comes out that I can weave into a story.

And sometimes they come in a flash of inspiration as though I've just been bitten by Ye Old Plot Bunny. But that doesn't seem to happen very often now. Maybe I'm emitting some kind of Anti-Plot-Bunny force field without realizing it.

Julie Coulter Bellon said...

Debra, I'll have to look into The Game Plan. Sounds cute! And having kids and a writing career is definitely a balancing act, but one that I'm loving at the moment. And I also have an idea book or I will forget if things aren't written down. The more kids I have, the more I forget, too. Weird!

Melanie, that is such a great visual! I love it. Working and working at nebulous thoughts you weave into a story. Sigh. Such beautiful word painting. You must be a writer or something! :)

Jon Spell said...

Wow, that is incredible that you had the whole plot come to you in a single instance! I can't imagine!

(Maybe that's why I'm still trying to figure out where to go with my germ of an idea I came up with while in Jeff Savage's writing class.)

Jon, who has never seen America Idol, DWTS or pretty much any reality TV show unless it's on TLC or HGTV. Woo! DesignStar!

Julie Coulter Bellon said...

Jon, my daughter likes a couple of shows on TLC. :)

I was surprised that the plot came to me so quickly, but that's happened to me before. Maybe my muse knows I've got to work fast so I get a little more help than normal. Haha

Anna said...

Most of the times when I get good ideas is when I'm driving. Usually it's no kids or sleeping kids, otherwise I don't usually get to have thoughts to myself.

The other place I seem to get them is when I am at church. Then it's hard because I just want to sit and daydream the plot, but I have to try to pay attention to the teacher.

Julie Coulter Bellon said...

Anna, you are good. I completely admire your dedication to listening to the teacher. I confess, sometimes I've daydreamed at church about a plot. (And one time I even wrote a scene I imagined on my program. *sigh* I know, I know, I'll try to do better! Don't think less of me!) :)