Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Character Whisperer

Don't you love it when you get that little whisper of an idea. Whether it's brand new or just something an already existing character has never said to you before.

I love that. Love it, love it, love it!

It's like, you're minding your own business, bopping to some tunes, driving down the road, and then a that little voice (or sometimes really loud voice) pops up in your head and tells you something, making you go, "Don't forget that. Do NOT forget. Okay, So-and-So just said, X, Y, and Z. Oh, crap. Wait! How did she put that again? Her words were so way better than mine. Oh, yah! That was it."

But then, while you are trying to get the words down, you hear, "Mom! Mawwww-hm."

So you scream, "Just a minute."

"Mom."

"Honey?" Then comes from the hubby.

So you groan and shout, "Please. PLEASE! Give me just a minute. One minute!"

Tap. Tap. Tap. You get what you can down because you know, for certain, you will forget it if you don't have the key words somewhere (computer, notebook, hand, bathroom wall).

Ah! Deep breath.

But the best part? When it is once again time to work, you're excited to get back to those whispers you frantically jotted down. Wanting to avoid Facebook and Twitter and email and blogging (unless you have to tell friends how excited you are about the whispers) and get straight to the work because you know there is something there. Something fresh. Something exciting. There will certainly be other days of painful prying in which social networks are a lifesaver.

But not today. Today is for the whispers!

3 comments:

C. N. Nevets said...

That is a beautiful essay!

And that's why when I get those momentary flashes I repeat them over and over and over so they can't be drowned out when I get down to the writing part. LOL

Stephanie Perkins said...

Lovely. This is one of my favorite things about being a writer. The whispers. (And sometimes the flat-out, never-ending shouting!)

Congratulations on your new ideas. Keep away from the Internet and WRITE while you can!

Lee Wind, M.Ed. said...

I liked this. particularly the maawwwww-wm part. gotta get the words down quick!
thanks for the laugh - I recognized my process in this, too!
Namaste,
Lee