No this isn't a discussion about my digital camera or my ability to take really cute pictures of my grandkids, (although I do and they are!). No that clicking you hear is the light bulb going off over your head when you suddenly have a great idea. Or that moment when everything falls into place like cubes in a game. Or that moment when you know, deep down in your gut that something is right, or God forbid, something is wrong.
Click.
What? You think I'm a little loco in la cabessa? Well, I may be, but let me give you a few examples that reinforce my belief in the power of the click.
1978...Mount Carmel School of Nursing. At 19 years old, I'm a senior doing my mother-child rotation, this week in Labor and Delivery. I'll graduate in the spring. I've got my plans for what I'll do with my career. I've adored two nurses my whole life. My mom, who was a surgical scrub nurse and Hot Lips Hoolihan from the M*A*S*H TV show--another surgical nurse. I'll go straight into the OR and follow in their footsteps. But first, I have to finish school. Today, I'm standing at the foot of a delivery table watching my first baby being born. As the head, then shoulders, then body emerges, tears fill my eyes and there's a loud "click" in my head. I realize in that moment that my plans are forever changed. THIS is what I want to do.Fast forward three years. Met my husband. No the click didn't happen then. A month later we went on our first date. We spent the evening eating pizza, then going to a dance club, but didn't dance too much. But afterward, when he kissed me goodnight, CLICK. Not the kind of electrical current thing that would make us vulnerable to be around in a thunderstorm kind of click. Just the, this is the one I could spend my life with and be happy, kind of click. That was more than 28 years ago and counting.
Sometimes my "clicks" are subtle and I have to listen very closely to them. Occasionally, I'm staring at a fetal monitor strip and I just get that feeling deep in my gut that says, "Click, this baby is in trouble." It comes with time, experience and training, but when I listen, then the doc listens to me, things usually come out good. Sometimes, it's a quiet "click" about one of my kids, or a friend, or my parents. You know, that urge to make the phonecall, just because they've been on your mind all week long? And when you do...sometimes it's just your voice they need to hear at the dreadful moment in their lives? CLICK
Another click happened while we lived in Florida. I'd always played with writing sce
nes when I was bored and had nothing to read. This particular night I wrote a great scene about a heroine escaping up a hillside from a man she knows is a killer. It was historical, the hero is her husband, but doesn't know she witnessed a murder and doesn't know she's fleeing town in such a precarious situation. Oh yeah, it's winter, it's Colorado, and she's eight months pregnant. It's also the middle of the book. That's when the "click" happened. Why was she fleeing? Who did the murderer kill? Why hasn't she told her husband? (That's my image of the hero..)CLICK! I was hooked. 395 pages later, I'd written my first book!
I've started a new book--a sequel to my story THE SURRENDER OF LACY MORGAN. I've known the hero for over a year now, (imagine Shemar Moore from CRIMINAL MINDS in jeans, chaps and a cowboy hat...yumm...okay, you don't have to imagine, I'll show you...)...er, I digress.Anyways, I know his backstory, his conflict, his needs. I knew who his heroine is...but I know nothing really about her. With free writing I figured out her motivation and some of her backstory. Then I wrote the first scene of the book, then rewrote it, then rewrote it and yet again. Finally, I let her be proactive to a particular problem, the one that sets her out on her journey... and CLICK!! Yep...gonna be a good story!!!
So, how about you? Ever hear your own "clicks"? That moment in time when your life changes? Your story changes?
75 comments:
What?
Hi Suzanne,
I love Shemar Moore. I wish the clicks came more often so that I can be prepared for certain situations. Many times it's a gut feeling telling me not to let my guard down and not get into a dangerous situation.
Yep, I'm pretty sure I've had "clicks" but uh, nothing comes to mind at the moment...*continues staring at picture of Shemar Moore*...
:D
Wow, Jane, one chook for you!
You know, every day I'm SOOOOOOO close. I'm starting to sound like Maxwell Smart. Missed it by THAT much!
Suz, that's one hot illustration you found for this post. Now what was the question again?
Congrats Jane - See you heard the click. It said "check the blog," and you did!
Hubba-hubba on that pic of Shemar. I don't recall him looking like that on Criminal Minds. Why do they bother with suits?
I think I've had those little internal click moments, but darn if I can remember any now (grin). I do love how that light bulb goes off on occasion when writing and all the pieces come together. All the little things that you've dropped into the story - Lord knows why - suddenly make sense. I love those clicks. Hoping and praying for one now (VBG).
Congrats Jane!
Great post, Suz. I think I realise those clicks after the fact. With the benefit of hindsight, I realise the exact moment I knew/realised something good/bad. And I recognise I must have heard a click subconsciously and reacted accordingly.
Writing, is the exception. I do hear those clicks when a great idea or line pops into my head and everything falls into place much better than before. I also have something, don't know if it's a click, when something isn't right in a scene. I keep stumbling over the same point, like a crack in the path.
Oooh yummy - Shemar Moore - delish!
*Click* That Shemar dude is so hawt......
What were we talking about?
Oh..clicks.
Yes, I get them too especially with my writing. Unfortunately, and to my chagrin, I usually have them AWAY from my computer and without a notepad to write it down.....
Now...enough about me. Let's talk about Shemar...I mean your new hero. What willhis name be and will there be campfires involved?
Jane, congrats on taking home the rooster!
Suz, what a wonderful post. I haven't had those big "click" moments. I've occasionally had intuitive nudges, an inner voice saying "you should do this." But they weren't about big things. I don't remember most of them now.
I do get "pow" moments when I'm writing, when I'm deep in a story and it takes a turn I didn't anticipate, and I go with it and it yields something I like better than what I originally had. That's like an actual brain buzz, a "whoa, where'd that come from?" kind of feeling.
And I have to say I remember Shemar Moore from the Birds of Prey TV series (short-lived, alas). He played a police detective.
Pissenlit, there are worse things to stare at than pictures of Shemar Moore. *g*
Anna C., better luck next time! But aren't you glad you stuck your nose out of the cave in time to see that photo?
Donna, another nose out of the cave! :-) I hope you get that click.
Anna S. wrote: I keep stumbling over the same point, like a crack in the path.
I know what you mean. It's an annoying feeling, especially when I can't figure out what's causing the crack.
Joan, I keep a notepad in the car. Doesn't do me much good when I'm at school, piddling around in my office. We're supposed to keep "office hours," set periods outside of class when we're available to students. This is, imho, an outmoded concept. Students don't believe in office hours. Students believe in email. I get lots and lots of student email. Students actually appearing in the office doorway--not so much!
But I digress. I rarely have a pad when I need it except in the car, and then I can't use it anyway unless I'm at a red light. I do have a handheld tape recorder. Except I don't usually carry it.
I'm detecting a pattern here of needing more organization. On my part, not yours.
Hmm...clearly I need to start watching Criminal Minds *g*
I do hear that Click when I get (what I think *g*) is a perfect idea for a story. I also heard it when I first said to myself, "I want to write a romance book". Click! Then everything just seemed to fall in place :-)
Congrats Jane have fun with him
Suz great post love that picture I am stuck on it I have never watched Criminal Minds I think I had better start LOL
I know exactly what clicks you mean I had the same one when I met my hubby and he walked me home from the train station after going ice skating I knew then that he was the one and still is 32 years later, and yes I often just get the urge to ring people because I have a feeling mybe they just need to talk whatever but I get those clicks.
Have Fun
Helen
Great blog, Suz! I love the *click* that you got the first time you assisted with a birth, telling you that this is what you were meant to do. Many people search their entire lives and never hear that click.
The very first time I saw my late husband I heard the click. My heart knew it had found its mate.
I often hear those subtle clicks that tell me I need to call someone. Whether it's intuition or a psychic connection, that little click has rarely been wrong.
Thanks for the visual inspiration this morning! Yum!
Good morning, everyone! Congrats, Jane on nabbing the wasscally rooster!
Jane,
Those kinds of clicks are the best kind. Self preservation should never be ignored and it's great to know your inner alarm system works!
Yes, Shemar is not only lovely to look at, he is a damn fine actor, too!
LOL, Pissenlit...I hope my inspiration for my newest hero isn't distracting you too much!!
Hello, Anna! I see you peeking out of the cave. Was that just to say hello? Or perhaps to take some insipration of your own from Shemar?
Hey, Donna!
I do love how that light bulb goes off on occasion when writing and all the pieces come together. All the little things that you've dropped into the story - Lord knows why - suddenly make sense...
This is one of those things that hooked me on writing books. That moment when it all comes together and I get that click and go..."Oh, that's why I wrote that in there!!"
And while I appreciate the image of Shemar on the blog, in Criminal Minds, I think he is a lynch-pin to the group and the cast!
Hey Anna S!
I also have something, don't know if it's a click, when something isn't right in a scene. I keep stumbling over the same point, like a crack in the path...
I don't hear a click or stumble, Anna, I run smack into a brick wall. Smack. Into. Brick Wall!
I usually have to go back to the beginning of a scene, erase and start all over. That is sort of what happened to the beginning to this new book. By the way the working title, is TAMING MERCY.
Good morning, Joanie!
It's a western, dear, so campfires may be an option...although this one takes place on the ranch Abe Danville is part owner of with his adopted brothers.
And I bet you've had many a "click" moment at work, like I have!
Hey Nancy!
That's like an actual brain buzz, a "whoa, where'd that come from?" kind of feeling...
LOL...I get that, too. In my GH nominated book, HUNTED, my heroine pulls a gun out of her backpack, that I'd had her pack in there earlier in the book, points it at the hero and says, "Get me out of here, now!".
Of course, I wrote it, sat back and went, "Whoa!"
Hubby said, "Was that a good whoa or a bad whoa?"
I told him, I didn't know yet, but when my heroine lets me know I'll let him know. hehehe
Nancy said, Joan, I keep a notepad in the car. Doesn't do me much good when I'm at school, piddling around in my office....
I've written more than one idea on progress note paper from the hospitals...which is another reason I'm aggrevated we have a complete computer generated chart now. No free lined paper when I need it!!
Hey, Beth!
I adore CRIMINAL MINDS, and not just because Shemar is on it. The psychological hunt for serial killers or rapists is very fascinating to me. I'm sure as in all TV shows some of the stuff isn't exact, but it is a great look into villains and the people who chase them. Great fodder for writers. (And Shemar ain't bad to look at, either!!)
OH, and Beth...I'm glad someone else had that immediate "click" when they figured out they wanted to write romance novels!
**Yeah, I'm not alone!!**
Morning, Helen!
Suz great post love that picture I am stuck on it I have never watched Criminal Minds I think I had better start LOL..
Do you get Criminal Minds down in Australia?
And isn't it nice to know your inner click was right about your husband?
Hey, PJ!
I had a very beautiful delivery on Tuesday morning. (got to wake a doctor up...hehehe). It confirmed to me exactly why I do this. The pure joy on the parents and grandmother's face! Hearing that wail from little tiny lungs the very first time!
Yep...it was a good thing I heard that click in my head and the light bulb went on!!
OH and hey! PJ is talking about my favorite book over at RNTV today...Julie Garwood's SAVING GRACE!
It's a fabulous review, PJ!!
I've had my share of click moments. They usually revolve around food or music, for some reason. But when they happen, everything takes off.
The whole character for Blake in What's in a Name? came after listening to "Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg. I've blogged on this topic myself several times.
Hey Suz! Thanx for the delicious pic of Shemar!! Oh, baby... I can just see your new hero lookin' so fine like him. :)
One of my major "click" moments was when I met my wonderful hubby. The moment I saw him it was bolt-from-the-sky, major life-changing click. Or sonic boom, more like! I knew this man was going to be mine--he just didn't know it at the time!
Good morning, Suzanne!
Oh, you're such a lucky girl to have clicks! I don't have anything like a click. Or maybe I do & just don't perceive them.
I write loads of pages--dozens & dozens & dozens of them--before a story takes shape in my head. And when it finally takes off it's not with a click so much as a sigh of relief. This one's going to go. I hope. I hope. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
When it came to knowing my husband was the one, well, that took me ages, too. I knew he was different from anybody I'd dated before, but instead of thinking of this as a positive & opening myself to the click, I eyed him with great suspicion for the better part of a year. Unknown is threatening, of course. :-)
This is a good reminder for me today--listen for the click. Pay attention. Thanks, Suz. :-)
p.s. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing Lacy on the shelves some day, if only so I can read that sequel. Yummmmy....
Morning Suz! I hear the clicks, too. In my writing, they don't come when "called" but boy, do I enjoy them when they happen.
Love the eye candy. :D
And, I'm reading Julie Garwood's "Killjoy" - because you raved about her, Suz, and I was stuck in an airport with nothing to read, so I picked up her romantic suspense "Murder List" and now I have to read all the others!
Great topic, Suz! I love the story of how you came to write your first story. And, hey, that's a book I've love to read, sounds intriguing!
WTG, Jane!
Isn't Shemar Moore a keeper? He's got the classic sort of face you want to keep staring at. Uh, and other things too.
I always pay attention to those CLICKS you wrote about, Suz. They're such subtle messages from our subconscious, I think, and often we're going busy rushing around in our lives, we don't pay the attention to them we should.
OH and hey! PJ is talking about my favorite book over at RNTV today...Julie Garwood's SAVING GRACE!
It's a fabulous review, PJ!!
Thanks, Suz! As you know, Saving Grace is also my favorite comfort read. It was so much fun to re-visit all the characters again in prep for my "favorite heroine" blog about Johanna. Thanks, also for your comments at the blog this morning!
Good job, Jane ! Perhaps the GR will have a click moment and actually do something nice for you!
Great post, Suzanne and NICE visual aid. I love Criminal Minds and Shemar Moore is really great in it.
I keep index cards in my pocket at work because invariably those "click" moments in my writing come when I am up to my elbows in bread dough or unloading 50 pound buckets of cake icing!
I really need to get one of those little recorders to keep in the care because for some reason those "click" moments also tend to happen when I am in the car.
My CP says I get "click" moments about her because there are times when I am on a break or lunch at work and I just grab my cell phone on call her. Sometimes she is having a bad day and sometimes she is stuck on her WIP, but she always says "You must have known I needed you to call."
Every one of of my three books started with a "click" moment either a phrase or a photograph I saw or some little blip. I LOVE "click" moments!
Hey Terry!
The whole character for Blake in What's in a Name? came after listening to "Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg...
How cool! I love to listen to music as I write, mostly to block out other noises, but I have never come up with a character from a song. I might have to let a click moment happen as I listen to some songs now!!
Hey Jo Davis!!
Everyone, have you to think for the whole Shemar inspiration.
We were at lunch the other day, talking about our newest projects and Jo asked me what my hero looked like. That's when a "click" moment happened. Up until that moment, I hadn't really thought about what Abe looked like. Then Jo asked the question and Shemar appeared in my brain, and I knew, just knew my subconscious had been casting him as the lead in the book. (THANK YOU, JO!!)
And I can also atest to the fact that Jo's click about her husband was the perfect fit for her!! He's a keeper!
Hey, Susan!
I think you learn to listen to the subtle clicks as you become a mother and your kids grow, especially as they grow up and on to school, college or have their own homes. And luckily for me, the major life-changing moments my clicks haven't been subtle. More like a sledge hammer to the brain! LOL
I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing Lacy on the shelves some day, if only so I can read that sequel. Yummmmy...... OH you'll most definitely need to read LACY before her sequel because a scene about Abe's back story is in there. That's the click that let me know he needed his own story!
Hey, Tracy G!!
You're right, those clicks don't come when called. But thank goodness they do come when needed!! Even if in writing it takes several attempts for them to find their way to our brains.
You're welcome on the eye candy! I love his voice, by the way, too!
Anna said...And, I'm reading Julie Garwood's "Killjoy" - because you raved about her, Suz, and I was stuck in an airport with nothing to read, so I picked up her romantic suspense "Murder List" and now I have to read all the others!..
Whoohooo!!! Another convert! Yes...JG's books are that addictive.
Hey JoMama!
Thank you for wanting to read my first book. It's a story I've always loved. As you know we tend to grow exponentially the more we write, so a few years ago I re-wrote it. The basic story stayed the same, only the writing was better and, I think, more compelling. It's a Western though, so it doesn't have a home at this time...Sigh.
And as for the sublte clicks, you're right. We do have to be open for them and listen for them. It's those big ones you have to watch out for....those are the life altering ones!! hehehe
Hey Louisa!
My CP says I get "click" moments about her because there are times when I am on a break or lunch at work and I just grab my cell phone on call her. Sometimes she is having a bad day and sometimes she is stuck on her WIP, but she always says "You must have known I needed you to call."...
I had one of these about a CP's book and I just had to call her on my way home from work. Now mind you, I was heading home a little before 7 am...but I just had to tell her I'd found a problem and a solution. She went, oh yeah! So CLICKS are apparently, transferrable!
Suzanne,
Just experienced one of those "clicks" as I was searching for incidents from the past. I just remembered that I wasn't the one who experienced the "click" when we met - Honey did! The evening we met, the friend who was with him stated an interest in dating me. Honey told him to forget that idea because he (Honey) was going to marry me! It took two years for
the "click" to sink into my thick
skull! LOL! BTW, my memories of
Shemar Moore go back to his role
as Malcolm on Young & Restless!
He's improved with age!
Pat Cochran
Suz, what a great blog.
Yes, the clicks are really important to me. I pay attention when I feel them. When I just "know."
But they're unexplainable by any means except intuition, or something equally paranormal. I believe in those things, of course, but I know people who blow them off.
The clicks in life...they're a higher form of guidance I think.
Mmmmmmmmm... Shemar... Criminal Minds... mainly Shemar...
What, you really thought I'd be able to focus on anything other than the really, really attractive, half-naked man? I think not, my friend!
I think Robin McKinley (I know I always bring her up, but she's awesome, so... yeah) gave the best description of what a "click" is like when she said: "I will be thinking idly about one thing or another—it might be something as mundane as the shopping list or whether it's supposed to rain tomorrow—and BANG something tears across the horizon of my mind's eye."
I also seem to remember that she said characters' names generally come to her in clicks. Now, I totally get where she's coming from with the story click - I get those too, and I love them - but I've never had a name click, and I'm insanely jealous of her for getting them. I have a really hard time naming my characters at all. When they click, they don't come with names attached. Finding the right name for one is tough. And when they're non-clicky characters, creating them includes choosing their names. Naming characters - the bane of my existance.
Nancy: I keep my notebook in my purse. It's small enough that it fits comfortably and that way it's almost always with me.
Suz wrote: my heroine pulls a gun out of her backpack, that I'd had her pack in there earlier in the book,
I had an experience like that with a dagger in my medieval. I think there was, somewhere in the back of my brain, that saying that if there's a gun in Act I, it'd better go off by Act III, but I can't be sure.
I love that feeling!
I used to snag printer paper to write ideas at school, but now the budget crunch is so bad, we're not supposed to run off hard copy for students, and we can't buy paper, so I don't. Use it, that is.
Hi, Lynz--
Robin McKinley's Sunshine is the first vampire book I liked, and I still don't like many.
I thought what you said about her click process was interesting. My contemporary spy came to me in a burst. Not a click, but a burst of first-person, snarky backstory while I was sitting on a plane noodling around with an AlphaSmart. That burst doesn't actually appear in the book anywhere, but it's who she is. And the story flowed from there.
Hey, Pat!
Wow, nice to know men will get those CLICK moments and that they actually listen to them.
I never watched a lot of Y&R, except in a patient's room, but I do remember Shemar being on that soap years back! And yes, he has only improved with age.
Hey Cassondra!
But they're unexplainable by any means except intuition, or something equally paranormal. I believe in those things, of course, but I know people who blow them off...
Thanks to my mom, I believe in those things, too. I call them her woo-woo moments, which to me are different from the CLICK moment. The woo-woo is an uncontrollable need to do something for no reason...like check on a pt. you believe to be sleeping, who has made no noise and hasn't called out, only to find her sitting straight up in bed...telling you she's hurting...(and not in a labor way, but in an I-just-took-a-turn-for-the-worst-sick sorta way).
A CLICK to me is a knowing that something in your life has just changed, or knowing that something is in need of fixing or someone needs you sort of thing...
Does that make sense?
Hey Lynz!
You mean you can't concentrate on anything EXCEPT the very handsome man on the blog post? Hmmmm....maybe that will give you your own CLICK moment?
I love Robin McKinley's observation and I know I've had many a story problem solved that way. And occasionally, I have whole conversations with characters that tell me who and what they are in their core being. (And let me tell you how freaky weird that is!!)
Suzanne said: Hmmmm....maybe that will give you your own CLICK moment?
Indeed, it gave me a CLICK similar to Sir Toby's in Teesa Dare's A Lady of Persuasion - I finally started it, yay! I haven't finished it yet so I can't recommend it, but so far I'm really liking it. Anyway, the click? "I want that."
Nancy said...I had an experience like that with a dagger in my medieval. I think there was, somewhere in the back of my brain, that saying that if there's a gun in Act I, it'd better go off by Act III, but I can't be sure...
I've heard that quote too, about the gun. My subconscious must've made sure I adhered to it! Apparently, the same goes for daggers in medievals?
And I bet you've had many a "click" moment at work, like I have!
Ummmm...yeah....but I don't think too often on them.
My most recent was the "click" that told me to go back to the bedside....being a charge nurse was KILLING me...
And then today, in the middle of CPR recert, a patient's daughter (who works at the hospital) tracked me down and brought me a huge vase of flowers as a "thank you" from her Dad....
Sniff
Suz:
GREAT topic. And....GREAT, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING photo of Shemar!!
I love when those clicks happen. I had one in the synopsis I just turned in - a lovely little click that not only fixed a plot challenge but added a whole new layer of conflict.
Happy Weekend, everyone!
Addison
Congrats on the GR, Jane!
Hi Suzanne! Thanks for the photo of Shemar Moore -- made my day. And maybe tomorrow, too. Clothes should be optional for guys who look like that.
Anyway, now that I've been away from that picture for a minute, my brain is kicking in again. I read a book about the importance of fear once, and it said paying attention to those "clicks" that warn you of danger can save your life.
My story clicks -- I call them epiphanies -- usually come when I'm in the shower. Maybe it's some fetal memory thing, that makes me think more creatively in water. Too bad I don't have a hot tub!
I love those lightbulb-over-the-head moments with a story. I've had them happen several times recently, for three different stories. I wish those clicks would work on demand!
Joan said..My most recent was the "click" that told me to go back to the bedside....being a charge nurse was KILLING me.....
Yep, that's the life changing one. You and I have talked before, that the caregiver needs to be sure to take care of themselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually!
Hey Addison!
Glad you got the CLICK for your synopsis for the second in your new series! Like the leader of the A team used to say..."Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?"
Specifically, I had a "click" moment with my first story, which finaled in a bunch of contest and has been simmering ever since. It's gone through two complete revisions, but it's still not right yet.
As it stands now, the h/h are married, but having problems that lead to a separation. (It is a romance, so you know there will be an HEA.) But it hit me that their relationship might have more conflict if they'd been living together instead of married -- more risk if they separate. So now I'm trying that instead. Click!
And yes, that is a very inspiring picture of Shemar, isn't it?
I have a question for the writer's among us...do you find it more helpful to have an inspiring picture of your hero when working on a WIP?
This is the very first time I've had one at the beginning of the book. Usually, I find half way through a book who my hero might resemble, (and I don't always have one, just an idea in my head).
Hey Becke!
My story clicks -- I call them epiphanies -- usually come when I'm in the shower. Maybe it's some fetal memory thing, that makes me think more creatively in water. Too bad I don't have a hot tub!..
This happens to me quite often, too. I thought it very weird, but then I went to a workshop by my friend, KATHLEEN BALDWIN, titled: The Secret Life of Pantsers: Magic Tricks and Delightful Games. This was a delightful and fun look at why pantsers write the way we do, and why we have those shower epiphanies.
She is submitting it to the RWA National workshop list for 2010 and hopefully, the committee will love it as much as I did, because it will be a great seminar for EVERYONE who writes by the seat of their pants to attend!
But it hit me that their relationship might have more conflict if they'd been living together instead of married -- more risk if they separate. So now I'm trying that instead. Click!
Aha! The old fall back and punt form of writing!! (I do that when I hit the wall, Anna S and I talked about earlier!)
Good for you!!
GREAT post, Suz!
And YUMMY piccie of Shemar!!! That definitely had things clicking in my head. MUAHAHAHA!
I'll answer your most recent question: YES! I usually do have pictures of my main characters (at least how I picture them) and it does seem to help. Like you, I might not have them when I start writing, though sometimes I do. I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that I seem to find piccies of the hero much more easily than the heroine. :-P
AC
Hey Jane! You got the GR!!! Woot!
Suz, what a GREAT post. And not just because I adore Shemar Moore from Criminal Minds. (Where DID you get that photo? YUMMMMM!)
I haven't read through everyone else's posts yet, but I can say absolutely that I've had those "clicks". They are wonderful, aren't they?
What excellent examples you've given too, from your experience. And having read Lacy? Oh, yeah. Click. :>
Becke, I get solutions to problems in the shower, too. Also while washing dishes or brushing my teeth. A book I read on creativity--can't recall the title--claimed running water stimulated it.
Great post, Suzanne. :) I don't know about "clicks" - I think mine are more gradual, but I'd like for a click to happen right now :P
Congrats on the GR, Jane!
Congrats Jane on nabbing the rooster today!
I guess I have had clicks before but can't think of any right now my brain is not working today. I have been cleaning all day and you don't need a brain for that. You just go through the motions. It does make thing look better for a day or two. Then you get to start all over again.
Hey AC!
Glad you have pics to go inspire you. As I said, I don't do it often, and mostly at least half way through the book I'll think of one or find one, but this time...oh yeah...I'm sooo inspired!
Hey Jeanne!
I figured you'd be a Criminal Minds kind of girl. Don't you just love the by-play with him and the computer nerd girl?
And he's very smart on the show, not just eye-candy!
Hey, limecello, good to see you!
The clicks may come easier to some than others. Writers may be a little more open to them...or maybe I just have a funky brain! Hope you get the click you're looking for.
Hey Virginia!
A great way for the creative process to work is to do the mundane things, like vacuuming, ironing, scrubbing the tub. AND your house looks great afterwards!
This happens to me quite often, too. I thought it very weird, but then I went to a workshop by my friend, KATHLEEN BALDWIN, titled: The Secret Life of Pantsers: Magic Tricks and Delightful Games. This was a delightful and fun look at why pantsers write the way we do, and why we have those shower epiphanies.
She is submitting it to the RWA National workshop list for 2010 and hopefully, the committee will love it as much as I did, because it will be a great seminar for EVERYONE who writes by the seat of their pants to attend!
I always start out pantsing, and then plot once I know where I'm going. This sounds like a great workshop! I'm cautiously optimistic about going to it, if it gets approved. I missed half the workshops I planned to go to this year. Too much going on! (And, later in the week, too darn tired.)
If I could bring the computer in the shower without electrocuting myself, I might be able to get enough water-stimulated "clicks" to get a book right from start to finish.
I was talking to a friend this a.m. -- we were moaning about what slow learners we are. (I'm thinking they should give us Student Writer license plates.)
I mentioned that I seem to have the hooks down -- it's the rest of the story I have trouble with. She said, "At least you've got that much right. I'm a bad hooker." We're still snorting over that one!
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