While I was working on my current WIP today, I got sidelined by an idea that wouldn’t go away. I kept shushing it, telling it I would get to it eventually, but I wanted to get my word count in for the day first. Damn idea wouldn’t shut up. It forced me to stop working on what I should have been working on and forced me to pay attention to it.
For two entire hours.
I hate getting sidetracked by pushy ideas.
This usually happens to me when I am deeply asleep, huddled under the comforter, blanketed by warmth and dreams. All of a sudden I will be shot bolt upright, a pushy idea running through the front of my brain, waking me up in a heartbeat and demanding attention. It’s like that sick little kid who comes into your room in the dead of night, wakes you up because he needs to throw up, does, and then goes back to sweet slumber while you are now forced wide awake for the rest of the night.
I used to not get up and write the ideas down. I figured I’d remember them in the morning. Not so much, really. What I did remember when I woke was that I’d had a great idea in the middle of the night but now I couldn’t remember it for the life of me.
That got old really fast so I started getting up and writing the damn things down. Then, and only then, would I be able to get back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I could remember not a thing, but I had the brilliant idea written down, so, yea!
But now my waking hours are being intruded upon, and I only have so many of them to devote to writing that I am starting to really get annoyed with these pushy, must be dealt with right now ideas.
Think Ritalin would help?
You’re right: probably not. Oh well. At least I can sleep again.
Peggy Jaeger, Author 