A Break Through in My Sleep!

Two days ago I posted about a block on my writing, a barrier placed by my brain on my stories.  I don’t enjoy calling this Writer’s Block because of all of the stereotypical assumptions that come with that term, from a writer’s POV and a critics.

Still, I was stuck.  And as you may have noticed, I was stuck on two stories, not just one.  Now I also have a day job as well as go to school, both are technically full time.  So while I reread the first lesson in the How to Think Sideways course, I didn’t have time to act on it.

Or so I thought – and at least physically I was correct.  My Muse on the other hand jumped at what Holly calls ‘The Shadow Room’.

All of the following concerns ‘TAaTB’ as I have yet to have had time to also do work for ‘Chasing Maggie’.

I dreamed last night and it was on my characters, the artist and the fitness mogul/biker.  They were honestly things I hadn’t had time to think of, but DID weigh on my subconscious.  The dream I had started out in ‘The Shadow Room’ and lead to the first time one character reveals feelings and leaves the other running.  Literally.

This dream was… amazing.  I was in their bodies, both of them, felt everything.  It was like I was writing/living the scene.  I felt so inspired.

So when I had a moment, I clustered today.  First about the dream and then about the two characters.  Set the timer for 15 minutes (I do most things in 15 minute segments) and before I knew it I was done and was looking up at a BUNDLE of new and interesting clusters on what that scene revealed and one cluster for both characters.  Took only 45 minutes, and now I have something to go on.  Especially because there are some bizarre similarities with the male character as the female character, and they weren’t intentional because the visual (I am a far more visual person) stimulus for the words were completely different.  And not all the words have the same feel, but it’s a similarity non-the-less.  Which makes me want to know what my male character is hiding.

My thought barrier took no thinking at all.  It is SAFE.  Absolutely.  With both stories, especially when writing a sequel to ‘Taking Maggie‘, I am stuck in the SAFE box.  And I didn’t have to look at the description but I did.  “SAFE Never Starts” and it’s true.  The two pages I have for ‘Chasing Maggie’ are the two that were written when I was planning on following up with another chapter.

So SAFE never starts.  The damn-dest thing is, I don’t live a SAFE life.  I am an entrepreneur making very little $ selling products I make BY HAND.  Talk about inviting imperfection and complications.  My husband and I are both full time students as well and I am also chasing this dream of being a writer.  I have no business being in the SAFE zone.

My plan is to follow this up with another session like it tomorrow for ‘Chasing Maggie’.  For now I am going to run with what I have found today.  I’m hoping that when I sit down with these a little later tonight I can overcome the last obstacle for ‘TAaTB’: what pulls them to be in each others lives at first.  Because I only have them in each others’ worlds once a month.  That won’t do.