The Bouncy Castle in Space

MJWare

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I think it might be about being relaxed. I get mine when I'm laying (lying-not sure which is correct) in bed. I keep a pen and sticky pads on the nightstand.

Yes, so much so that I now keep a legal pad and pen right outside the bathroom, so that when I get out of the shower with an idea, I don't have to drip through the house looking for something to write it down with.

Last week I got so inspired I hopped out to write the plot point down, and then realized I hadn't washed my hair yet and had to get back into the shower - lol.

~suki
 

SheilaJG

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Okay, someone needs to do a study about hot water's effect on creativity. Anybody else get their best ideas while taking a shower?

I think it's about being relaxed and letting your mind wander. Like mware said, people often wake up with great ideas.

For me, though, it happens when I'm riding my bike. I go on longish rides through very scenic areas. I don't think about anything specific while I'm riding, but ideas, or bits of dialog, or "you should add this" type of thoughts always pop in.

I should bring a little notebook with me.
 

EagerReader

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I get a lot of ideas while running, not, like, away from anybody, but, you know, exercising.;) Or when I'm supposed to be sleeping at 3:00 in the morning. But, those are, very often, not good ideas, not in the light of day.
 

timp67

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Wow, I'm loving all the reasons why people enjoy MG books more than adult lit. I'm the same way, but I'm still trying to put my finger on the button. Will post when I figure it out! :)

And, JudScotKev, I think it is AWESOME that the fifth graders even thought to name anyone "Most Likely to Write a Sci-Fi Book." Yay and major points for whoever is teaching that class!
 

MsJudy

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And, JudScotKev, I think it is AWESOME that the fifth graders even thought to name anyone "Most Likely to Write a Sci-Fi Book." Yay and major points for whoever is teaching that class!

Indeed. One of the nice things about being a teacher and working at my kids' school is having control over who their teachers are. Letting go of that control when they leave elementary school has been a challenge.
 

MsJudy

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There's a really interesting article on creativity in this week's issue of Newsweek. A lot of it makes sense to my teacher side, but there were a couple of things that fit in with some of our writing conversations.

1) Taking a walk really does boost creativity! 30 minutes of exercise improves creativity for at least 2 hours afterward.

2) Creativity improves with practice.

3) The way they recommend you practice: Think of all the possible problems that might arise in a given situation. Then think of all the possible solutions to those problems. To me, that sounds like a good approach to sticky plots.

4) Follow your passion. Kids who spend their childhoods creating alternate realities (researchers call them "paracosms") and pursuing a single interest at the expense of being "well-rounded" are more likely to become creative adults.
 

sissybaby

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Wow, Judy, thanks for sharing that. All very interesting and things I should work on - especially the exercise thingy. No wonder I can't finish any projects right now.

I also wonder about #4. If that's true, my kid might have a chance!
 

MsJudy

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Ooh, I forgot one of the best ones! Take a break when you get stuck on one project and work on something else! They say that studies of professors and mathematicians and such people find that more projects get completed on time when you allow yourself to switch between them when you get stuck.

So all of us who find ourselves hopping between ideas, and worrying if we'll ever get any of them finished: You're doing the right thing!!!!
 

timp67

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I get a lot of good ideas when I'm taking naps. Just the decision to take a nap seems to relieve some creativity-inhibiting stress in me. :)
 

Kitty Pryde

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I am deliriously happy, writing a lot of words after doing nothing for months! I'm working on a MG story that is very pleasing to me (the unfinished 2nd part of 3, to finish off the story about the kid in the wheelchair who learns how to ski, you remember my many rantings about it i'm sure :D ). So yay!

*serves Countrytime Lemonade and birthday-cake-flavored ice cream to everyone*

*warns everyone not to bounce too vigorously right after having dessert*
 

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Wonderful news, Kitty. I wish you could pass along the secret to getting back to the creativity. Mine is zapped for now. I'm blaming the heat.
 

jvc

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I am deliriously happy, writing a lot of words after doing nothing for months! I'm working on a MG story that is very pleasing to me (the unfinished 2nd part of 3, to finish off the story about the kid in the wheelchair who learns how to ski, you remember my many rantings about it i'm sure :D ). So yay!
Yay! :hooray:
*serves Countrytime Lemonade and birthday-cake-flavored ice cream to everyone*

*warns everyone not to bounce too vigorously right after having dessert*
But, but, but, it's fun :e2tongue:
 

Amarie

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Wonderful news, Kitty. I wish you could pass along the secret to getting back to the creativity. Mine is zapped for now. I'm blaming the heat.


When I'm looking for inspiration, I wonder around the nonfiction sections of libraries, just pulling books off the shelves if something catches my eye.
(air-conditioning a bonus)
 

Kitty Pryde

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Today I went in...an actual bouncy castle! It was one of the realistic looking ones with grey stone pattern and turrets and suchlike. It was conveniently devoid of children, as they were all distracted watching a magician escape from a straitjacket. Hurray!
 

MJWare

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Today I went in...an actual bouncy castle! It was one of the realistic looking ones with grey stone pattern and turrets and suchlike. It was conveniently devoid of children, as they were all distracted watching a magician escape from a straitjacket. Hurray!

I assuming you jumped? I'm also assuming you didn't get hurt? If both assumptions are correct, then--Hurray for you!
 

Kitty Pryde

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I bounced! How can one get hurt in a bouncy castle? All surfaces are soft and bouncy! :D
 

sissybaby

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Oh, you're obviously nowhere near as old as me if you can ask How can one get hurt in a bouncy castle.

Trust me - it's easy if you know how.
 

Morrell

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Hi guys... can I come play in the bouncy castle?

I love the list of findings about creativity. I'm always switching between projects, so it's reassuring to know there is sound research behind it. ;)

I often get ideas while riding in a car (not driving). I think it induces brain waves like you get when you meditate, but maybe I just made that up. Sometimes I get ideas while walking or when in the shower, as others have mentioned.
 

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Another interesting tidbit from Newsweek...

They had a list of statistics from the years 2000 and 2010--how many iTunes downloads, DVDs sold, that sort of thing. And according to them...

year 2000: books published: close to 300,000.
year 2010: books published: well over 1 million.

Say what? How can that be? Aren't we hearing every day that it's so much harder to get published these days, and everyone is cutting back, and books are going the way of the dinosaurs?

And yet the reality is that the numbers of books is 5 times greater than it was just 10 years ago?

I'm confused. Of course, it was just the statistics, with no explanation, so that adds to the confusion. One explanation might be that now we count ebooks and there weren't any 10 years ago. So maybe the big houses are cutting back but between Kindle and the small online presses and self-published folks like Lulu, the total number has grown huge.

And we all know that MG publishing was strong for most of that decade, and YA really took off, so maybe the kidlit business subsidized everyone else.

But no matter how it gets explained, it sure makes me wonder if there isn't a big gap between perception and reality. Like, there are so many writers who want to be published, and so many agents trying to make a living, that it SEEMS like it's getting harder to get published, when in reality, if you have a good enough book, your odds of getting a contract are actually much better these days.
 

Kitty Pryde

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No, it's due to the explosion of easy self-publishing. Of those 1 million, the vast majority are self-pubbed titles that only sell a few copies.

You need to compare number of traditionally published titles in 2000 versus now. I don't know the stats on that.
 

jvc

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No, it's due to the explosion of easy self-publishing. Of those 1 million, the vast majority are self-pubbed titles that only sell a few copies.

You need to compare number of traditionally published titles in 2000 versus now. I don't know the stats on that.
I was thinking it could be something to do with that. I'd love to know the stats on trad published titles. I may try some google-fu later to see if I can find any. But I've never been good with google-fu :(
 

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I was at a carnival once and the bouncy house collapsed when it blew the circuit breaker. I dunno who freaked more, the kids inside or the parents outside trying to get their kids out...

So be careful, jvc!
 

Smish

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I was at a carnival once and the bouncy house collapsed when it blew the circuit breaker. I dunno who freaked more, the kids inside or the parents outside trying to get their kids out...

So be careful, jvc!

Ha! The bouncy castle tried to EAT THE KIDS! Aaaaagghhhhhhhhhhhhh.
 

jvc

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I was at a carnival once and the bouncy house collapsed when it blew the circuit breaker. I dunno who freaked more, the kids inside or the parents outside trying to get their kids out...
:roll:


So be careful, jvc!
Yep, I'm always careful around bouncy castles. And also around sand. But that's another story ;)