When Ideas Come at the Wrong Time

Jbessy · Post by **Jbessy** » 29 Mar 2014, 22:30

You should check out the mobile app for Evernote if you have a smartphone. It's a great way to write ideas down when this happens to you.

ConorEngelb · Post by **ConorEngelb** » 30 Mar 2014, 14:50

I keep a small notebook in my back pocket. I use the front to work on my latest project (a fantasy epic poem) and jot down ideas for other poems or stories or lines of poetry at the back. Definitely worth it.

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 30 Mar 2014, 15:24

So for the most part there are those of us that access our materials to write, and those of us that sometimes cannot. As far as pulling off on the side of the road, that's commitment. Lol. So is the shower bit. I have an idea for the shower though, why not buy a white board and hang above shower head, then write with dry erase to jot ideas down? Eccentric, but it should work.

ConorEngelb · Post by **ConorEngelb** » 30 Mar 2014, 15:39

Oh gosh, it just occurred to me that one of the worst times to get an idea is in the middle of an exam. I've been in the middle of a long, complicated maths question...and completely lost my train of thought because I suddenly had a few lines of poetry in my head. Fortunately, that exam allowed us to take our rough work home, so I jotted it down. But most exams don't allow that, so yeah, it's a bad time to get ideas. And there's not really much we can do about that, note-making wise.

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 30 Mar 2014, 23:42

Yeah that's a tough one Conor. You could always double the scratch paper for the math exams and write your ideas on there.

ConorEngelb · Post by **ConorEngelb** » 30 Mar 2014, 23:45

Or maybe pencil something on the back of my student card. Or just remember it (or try to)

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 31 Mar 2014, 18:14

There you go. Anyway good luck everyone!

H0LD0Nthere · Post by **H0LD0Nthere** » 31 Mar 2014, 20:45

Wow, it was fun to see all these writers all agree that the Muse just strikes at the wrong time. WHY does it do that to us? I don't know!

For me, ideas tend to come when I am doing some relatively mindless work with my hands. Or when listening to a sermon (I get inspired, I guess). In the case of poems, I can often memorize the lines that come for long enough to get somewhere I can write them down.

Four years ago, I was moving across the country. I was driving our family car with a sleeping 1- year-old in a car seat in the back ... and here comes an entire short story, unfolding beautifully with perfect clarity. If I'd been in a position to type, I could have had it roughed out in a couple of hours probably. (Of course, it felt like I was seeing the whole thing at once, but when you go to type, you realize it takes some time.)

So I spent a long time thinking about it, in the vain hope that I'd remember most of it when we "got there." And do you think I had the time to write it all down when we "got there"? Moving into a new apartment with a husband and two kids? Not so much. I did eventually make some notes, and I am still working on the dang thing, but certain passages of dialogue are gone forever, I'm afraid.

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 31 Mar 2014, 23:40

Ooh that just sucks! You know, It really is a wonder, you know? Why would the ideas come if not to be transported into our mass field of collective culture. Maybe when this happens, it's for our amusement alone. It's truly strange.

cocoa_isley · Post by **cocoa_isley** » 01 Apr 2014, 12:30

I experienced this often when I first started writing. But I've learned over the past 4 years to keep a pen and paper in my bag and keep my phone, or some other form of voice recording right next to me at night. ANd frankly, I find it a lot better to talk about your flowing ideas FIRST than to write them out because they tend to escape me when I write because either I write really slow, or my writing's so jumbled up that I can't even read it. And sometimes, I even loose the paper that I use to write the ideas down with.

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 01 Apr 2014, 14:20

I've been there too. I think you're on about that tape recorder setup, someone mentioned the same thing earlier. Must be a must do!

ConorEngelb · Post by **ConorEngelb** » 01 Apr 2014, 14:28

I've often considered doing a voice recording thing...but I hate my voice and I also read and write a lot faster than I can talk/listen. Add to that my tendency to stutter a little at times and recording my ideas is a bad idea.

kiwes · Post by **kiwes** » 01 Apr 2014, 14:49

Oooh yes, I can relate all too well. As a matter of fact, most of my great ideas come to me in my sleep, so what does one do when the best ideas hit ya at night. Keep a pen and pad on the nightstand, this way when ideas surface, you can quickly jot them down. Also, if your ideas come to you while out and about and you don't feel like carrying a pen and pad, if you have a Smartphone or iPhone, write "notes" to yourself so you may view them later on. Laptops used to be the thing to carry, but now everyone has tablets, if you got one handy, jot your notes down as great ideas come to you. Because let's face it--as writers, you never ever know when a great idea is going to surface, and the sad thing is you'll lie to yourself and say "I'll remember," and trust me, YOU will not. Then you'll find you want to kick yourself because the thought is most likely never to appear again. Writing is like that!

With all the gadgets out here today, there's no reason why you can't keep up with your great ideas! Use technology!

lyndsie_anna · Post by **lyndsie_anna** » 01 Apr 2014, 14:50

I totally agree with Mayhem 1225. That's why you always carry something with you to keep notes in...or at least take notes on your phone. It's not the most convenient thing, but it's better than nothing. Ideas never come when you wish they would