"I saw it in a dream."

So it’s no secret that I have crazy, wild, and totally inappropriate dreams. These dreams in themselves are amazing story fodder: I know, when I was in fifth grade I wrote a compilation of all the interesting dreams I had up until that time. I even had sex dreams starting back when I was eleven or so. (Such an early bloomer I was.) However, my dreams never quite impacted my writing life so much as they did back in spring 2007 when I went to sleep and dreamed what would become the entire plot outline for the first CROSS// installment. The dream itself wasn’t so engrossing: I dreamed that I was watching it like a movie that my family rented. However, I was entirely unable to get the dream out of my head for a whole day, like it was haunting me, and finally I ended up drawing out a book outline and, after testing out a first scene, put it on the backburner until that following November when I decided to use CROSS// as my first NaNoWriMo experiment. It worked, and now I have a series I am very proud of.

…And now here comes the segue.

I had another dream last night. Particularly about one of my novels, that takes place where I am writing it right now. I really liked what the dream insinuated…basically a very bashful first kiss between two prominent characters. IT was very lovely and I could very well find a way to fit it into the story, but the problem is…would it really be necessary? Without giving too much away, having those characters kiss NOW would be detrimental to their relationship in subsequent plots. This is where I have to make a decision: either use it as is, or get SUPER CREATIVE and find a way to make it work with an insignificant kiss.

Dreams do that to you, though. While one may argue that dreams are a reflection of your subconscious, I would also argue that dreaming is a creative outlet. How many stories would not exist today without dreams? I’ve even had people come up to me and share their dreams with me because they think it would make an interesting story and they don’t want to write it…not that I have yet to do anything like that, but I always find it interesting that other people have dreams too that they absolutely feel need to be told to everyone as a novel. Maybe it’s our mind telling us “Here, you have this amazing idea, but you’re too daft to see it yourself: now get it on it.”

And with that, I’m off to use the remainder of my evening trying to fit and impromptu “first kiss” into my novel. Wish me luck?

Technology still hates me.

Since being back at school, I’ve had to take extreme measures to make sure I’m still writing. Well, not completely extreme, but you must get what I mean. I’m trying at the very least to chug through at least one page a day on Nagnomei, and two on CROSS// (or however much I can do since the latter is an easier writing style and is first draft). Of course, the usual rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t FORCE yourself to write anything. And that’s pretty good advice. However, it’s not that I have to FORCE things to come out of my head and through my fingers…it’s purely a time issue. My homework load this semester is already obscene and I barely have time to sleep and not go insane. In fact, me updating this writing blog is me taking a break from reading homework before I lose my mind.

Perhaps you may also remember a post I made a while ago about my challenges with getting files off old floppy drives. Today I decided to take advantage of the free computer lab on campus since I heard tales that they had floppy drives.

The first issue was getting out the floppies in question from my cupboard. When I pulled out the last of them, something quite curious was on board with them.

A magnet. Hitching a ride.

Now I have no idea if any damage has been done, but after detaching the lovebirds I walked across campus to scope things out.

Nope. No floppy drives, and nobody was in at the help desk (Labor Day and all) to see if they had any to check out. Oh well, for another day I suppose. It’s not like those files are OMG MUST GET NOW but some of the I would surely like to have. I have lots of old song lyrics on there I would like to rework as well. Oh well.

And now I look at the time and realize that I have more homework to do. I promise to write something more substantial and thought provoking soon enough, but until then, I’m off to try and squeeze in some pages where I can! Wish me luck!

"I'm trading in my novels for textbooks."

Well, not really, but I do have to apologize for being so quiet lately because I moved back to school…twice. Long story. Has nothing to do with writing. Really.

But yes, now I am back at school. Senior year, it be. That means more lovely places to write but hardly the time to do so. Never fear, for I will still attempt my weekly musings here (and other places) for sometimes just simply writing ABOUT writing gets my rear in gear to actually…write. And when I write, I have things to write about here. It’s win/win. No, really!

For now my days are filled with classes, socializing, some homework, and the nights…filled with still unpacking and organizing. Once this mess is over I will get back to writing at nights. I just can’t write in a messy room, you know? It nags at me.

Of course, reading research continues for Nagnomei in particular. I’m always picking up books on religions to read for said series, and it gets the juices flowing, so hopefully I will get added inspiration from that as well.

Until then, I am being heralded, so writing will have to wait for later. Ta-ta!