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We’ve all been there. Just as your head hits the pillow, an idea pops up. Maybe it’s something new or maybe it’s the solution to a story you couldn’t figure out. Either way, you’re in a dark room and starting to fall asleep. What are some things you can do to keep the idea?
- Hold on tight to it and hope that it stays in your dreams. Try to carry it through until the morning. Sure, it’s never worked before. There are times you even came out with an entirely different idea that wouldn’t work. It’s not like you have the energy to crawl out of bed anyway.
- If you share a bed with someone, wake them up and tell them the idea. That way, it’s on them to remember. Go to sleep with complete faith in their memory or hope that they decide to write things down. After all, they knew what they were getting into when they partnered up with an author.
- Keep your cellphone or a notebook near the bed. Just be an adult, muster your strength, and jot down some notes. If it costs you an hour because the idea kept rolling then so be it. Everything is worth it as long as you can understand things in the morning and not let it drift away. Why did you keep writing about cabbages and bandicoots?
- Can’t reach anything to write on? Keep a marker under your pillow and write the notes on your own body. The face isn’t a good idea because drool might erase parts of it and everything will be backwards in the mirror. Limbs are okay for simple ideas, but the torso has the most space. Only real problem is that you have to write in the dark. Well, that and possible smearing.
- Just give up on sleeping. You know this idea is going to lead to another one and you’ll regret not going down the rabbit hole. The flow of creative juices will give you the energy needed to get the job done. As far as functioning the next day, you have some sick days saved up, right? The kids can just be fed by putting cereal in a bucket too, so no reason to worry.
- Go to sleep and see what happens. Let fate roll the dice on this idea. If you’re meant to use it then it will be waiting for you in the morning. If it’s gone then it was never meant to be. That or it will be smart enough to show up when you have the time to write it down. Seriously, why are ideas so rude?
- Keep a recorder near the bed. It isn’t writing, but it will get the job done. Your words might be a little slurred and groggy, which is the price you’re going to pay for being an author.
Legends of Windemere 
All great ideas. Someday I’m going to pick one and stay prepared. hope you have a good weekend
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You too.
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Lol, yes, all my best ideas come right before I doink off to sleep 🙂
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Happened all the time in college. Noticed that it’s less common when I’m stressed.
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I actually use the #6 approach.
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How effective is it?
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Not bad. I figure if I can’t remember, it probably wasn’t that good to begin with.
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Definitely cuts out the weak ideas.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks for the reblog.
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Welcome, Charles 😃
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This was too much fun! Made me laugh. Shared on my author page.
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Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
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Great tips! 😀 😁 You can also use the marker on your pillowcase if you have one with a plain pattern. Just be prepared to take the heat if someone bought the pillowcase and resented markers stains on it. 😁
I keep my phone and a journal and pen on the table by my bed just in case inspiration strikes!
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Wouldn’t the marker get erased by sweat or drool? I can imagine waking up with it on your face too.
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Yes, but that’s the price one pays for being unwilling to keep a pad of paper by the bed! 😀
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You can also repeat it over and over in your head until it’s memorized. You should still remember it in the morning. If not, your brain may have decided the idea wasn’t that good.
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That’s how I look at it. Don’t really repeat it though. I tried that a few times and it made me even more frustrated if the idea vanished.
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Mostly I practise number five. 😉 But I think number four is also a very good idea. 😀
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I used to do 5. Then it caught up with me.
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I keep a notebook with a pen stuffed into its wire spirals on my nightstand. When inspiration strikes I snatch it up, flip on the light (or go into another room) and write until the idea has a good outline or scene.
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Great system. 👍
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Good ideas, Charles. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thanks. 😁
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#4 for me, but sometimes I know my mind is just spinning. Then I use Phillip’s idea of repeating key phrases and hoping they’ll stick.
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I wonder if all of us try that repetition trick.
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Reblogged this on Loleta Abi.
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Thanks. 🙂
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You’re welcome, Charles!
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Pingback: 7 Tips for When You Get an Idea During Bedtime – Where Genres Collide
Made me smile! I like them all.
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Glad you enjoyed it. ☺️
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Lol–great one. I always sleep with a notebook next to me, then spend the next morning trying to decipher my hieroglyphics. Sometimes I’m even successful.
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I used to do the notebook thing, but then things got rearranged. I couldn’t write in the dark either.
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Yet another reason why vampires rock.
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It’s good to keep a notebook by the bed. Thanks for reminding me – I haven’t done this in a while!
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I need to do it again. Writing blind doesn’t help though.
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*laughs*
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Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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Number 3 is defo one I’ve started doing because more time than not I just forget it. Even now I just have that urge to write it down immediately
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#3 does seem to be the more practical one in the list. Good luck.
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Feel free to visit Writer’s Info Blog for inspiration, motivation and tips from writer Marcella S. Meeks
https://writersinfoblog.wordpress.com/
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