Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Daydreams

So, Natalie is having a Q&A on her blog, and I asked her a question that I'd be curious to hear others answer as well.

I'm wondering about writer day dreams. We all have them. In the middle of the day, or when we are driving, or showering, or right as we lay down to sleep. Personally, I can't escape mine. Not that I want to. In fact usually, I am like, "Oh good, church--time to think about PAMR." (kidding . . . mostly.) So, what are your daydreams like? Do you envision possible new scenes? Dream about ones that you have written? Wrestle with plot problems? Think about your characters? Maybe their back stories? Where does your wandering take you?

14 comments:

Kiersten White said...

All of the above. I cycle through potential scenes, running them over and over again. And then when I finally get to sit down and write, they come out completely different ; )

And most of my stories start out as idle daydreams.

Kasie West said...

Doh, Kiersten stole my answer. I was like, "All of the above," in my mind and then I clicked into the comments section and was thwarted. LOL. I wish my brain would just type for me while I'm daydreaming and then we'd be in business.

Jill Wheeler said...

I like to listen to music and then see the scenes in my head. I think about the dialogue, and what the characters would do.

Joanne said...

Thinking about writing during the day, I usually take what I'm writing down new roads, move it along in a new direction, or contemplate a scene to segue off what I'm working on. Not too much time is spent on what is already written.

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Oh, dear.... I thought I was the only one who let my mind wander to my stories and characters in the middle of church!

I don't feel so bad now.

I like to think about my stories while on a long drive, or laying down before bed. I like it quiet and comfortable. I never thought of it as daydreaming, but that's exactly what it is!

Renee Collins said...

Kiersten-ha, I like that. It's so true that what we have all planned out can totally change once we start writing.

Kasie-Kiersten's a fast one. You've got to keep an eye on her. :)

I agree with the brain typewriter. Wouldn't that be fab? Maybe cyborg Natalie can work something out for us.

Jill-Good music can totally inspire, can't it? I love some good film scores. When I listen, I start to envision scenes in my story.

Joanne-New roads are probably where I spend most of my daydream time. :)I like to have a good idea of where I am going before I start writing. At least scene by scene, that is.

Glam-Yeah . . . I'm guilty as charged. :) It's just that there are so few times when I can actually just sit there without my kids there to take my attention away. Church happens to be one of those time. Though, I am trying to do better. I've set a new goal NOT to take my writer's notebook to church. Hopefully that deters me from getting totally and completely distracted.

Terri Tiffany said...

Right now my dreams work on short stories I'm doing, Sadly, I have pushed my books to the background for awhile but soon they will pop back up!

Jenni James said...

I'm always about the next scene or one to coem in a bit--maybe an ending or a climax.. that sort of thing. I love to daydream about my stories though. hahhah! i never thought i'd ever say that!

Michelle D. Argyle said...

I just noticed on your profile that you're a big fan of Steinbeck. I love you already! Nobody likes Steinbeck... that I've found anybody. Besides my professors back in college. And one of my favorite books is The Great Gatsby, too.

I love the classics. Most all of them. I'm an English major, so it's a given.

Stephanie Perkins said...

Hi Renee!

Do I lose bonus points if I offer another "all of the above"? I can't escape my novel daydreams either! And my characters talk to me all the time. Like, sometimes I hold conversations with them, and sometimes I just listen to them talk to each other.

(That doesn't make me sound crazy does it? Yes? No? I'm gonna pretend you said "no.")

Thanks for the nice comments on my blog today!!

Renee Collins said...

Terri-Short stories are great! And you have some really awesome things going on with yours, so keep at it. :)

Jenni-Yeah, I like to dream about the ending. Particularly with this story I'm writing now because I have no clue how it's going to end, so i keep saying, "I suppose I should figure that out."

Glam-Steinbeck rocks! And it's true, most people don't like him. What's up with that???

Also, I LOVE the Great Gatsby! We are reader twins, you and I!

Stephanie-Hey, crazies are welcome here. :) You'll looking at one of them.

I love hearing my characters talk to each other. In fact, sometimes I will take on the persona of my MC and "talk" to the mirror, pretending it is another character. Now, hows THAT for crazy? :)

Kristen, spinning said...

I have to stop myself (all the time) from having writer dreams. The problem is that I actually write them, with the exact sentences and words I would like to use. Of course, I can never remember the right wording and for me, once it's been written (even in my head), it's lost. I can rarely describe what I wanted to originally. If I have an idea that's okay; but anything more than that...

Renee Collins said...

Spinregina-I do the exact same thing! How funny. :) I will write out the lines in my head, including the punctuation. If I am lucky enough to have my writer's notebook available, I will scribble it down. Otherwise, it's lost.

Welcome to the blog, btw. Come back anytime! :)

cindy said...

renee, to all of those places on a good day. alas, i haven't had the zen nor quiet to daydream in a long time...