Do you ever wonder where it comes from sometimes?

Gift stories are the best ones.

I was once sitting at my kitchen table editing a vampire story, when the name Teal-Eye popped into my mind. I liked the feel of it, but had no idea of where it came from, or who it belonged to. I was about to go back to my editing when my mind filled with a vision of the eternal male and the eternal female locked in combat, floating in nothingness, but together because they were clutching at each other, countering every attack with the perfect defense, fluidly flowing from one attack to the other, never winning, never losing, unable to rest, and unable to withdraw.

It was like being bathed in acid, that vision hit me with such force. Then, with a suddenness that was shocking, I knew who Teal-Eye was, and both where and when she had lived—as I know her Bear, Samantha, and all major characters. It was in my memory as if it had always been there.

Stunned, I pushed the WIP manuscript aside, snatched up a tablet, and began writing out the plot points.

In the end I wrote four closely written pages of story detail, then, feeling as if I’d been wrung out, I went back to my vampire lady, and tried to give her the attention she deserved.

What with one thing and another it was almost a year before I sat down to write Samantha and the Bear. I never referred to my notes, but I didn’t have to, because that story was burned into my mind in lines of fire. Later, when I finished, and curious, I went back and looked, and it was the same in every detail.

Lord, I love when that happens.

Samantha sold. I wish you the same.

I haven't had anything like that happen in so long! But I know what you're talking about and it's an awesome thing!

I do what the voices tell me to.

That is truly one of the best ways to write. I love it when that happens to me because I don't have to scrap if afterwards.

That's how I write fiction most often It's really hard when I have a great mental movie, daydream sort of idea for my story because describing that is a different process. They are both important for me to get the best story.

And my voice, rhythm, etc are much better in the 'trance' version. Neat stuff.

I get inspiration like that all the time. Just yesterday, in fact. I was working on an inspiration post for a website I write for that had to do with digital paintings and as I was looking at one of them I was suddenly struck with a fully-formed storyline. I've got almost three pages of notes written out so far and am still working on it. The ending is a bit foggy, but I have the first three quarters figured out completely.

I guess that's why we're told to write every day, even if it's "crap". I think just letting our unconscious minds go breaks open doors that the conscious mind is too busy to.

Yes. I love that.

Sometimes it feels like an out of body experience - like I'm not the one writing, the story is the one writing, just using me to do it - lol.

I remember an occasion like that. I was sitting at my desk, trying to hound out some plot ideas with nothing coming to me. Then I was hit with this image of one of my MCs in bed, dying, and my other MC diving into the Underworld to save her. It was so intense it was like watching a movie of it laid out before me.

I think I screamed, "YES!" which might have disturbed my family. Eitherway, I was very pleased.

Gotta love moments like that.

It happens more often if you train yourself to write.

As I always say, if you want the muse to bless your efforts, you have to give her something to bless first.

ebennet68 said:

This is what I mean. I was delaying sitting down to write this afternoon. I played on the computer, did a load of laundry, made dinner, played with the dog, whatever I could think of to not sit down. I thought that I had nothing in me. Whenever I thought of what was coming up next in my WIP, I didn't have any idea where to take it. Then, I sat down and put my pen to paper and I just started to write. The more I wrote, the faster the pen wanted to move. I could hardly keep up. I sat back and read what I wrote. Never in a million years did I think I'd come up with anything but there I was sitting down and looking at three pages worth, front and back. The neat thing was I didn't want to throw what I had written straight into the trash can either. God, I love being a writer!

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This is one of the reasons why writing provides such a great outlet for so many, moments in time where nothing but the world your working matters.

I call it the zone. And hot damn do I love it. It's that point where I stop thinking and go from 100 WPM to 200+ WPM. And everyone around me is suddenly. Fucking. Terrified. OH, it's so fantastic.

third person said:

I call it the zone. And hot damn do I love it. It's that point where I stop thinking and go from 100 WPM to 200+ WPM. And everyone around me is suddenly. Fucking. Terrified. OH, it's so fantastic.

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This is me exactly. I'll completely zone out everything around me sometimes. I don't even think about it, but people around me will tell me afterward they thought it was freaky.

What I wouldn't give for one of those moments right now. I'm being frustratingly stumped.

These moments are the reason I keep at such a difficult craft. There are days when I absolutely agonize over my words, and other days I am so wrapped up in sheer creation that nothing else in the world matters other than getting words on paper. It's as pure a state of bliss that I've ever experienced.