does this happen to you?

flogen

I think Im most inspired when i walk (or travel in some way). Ive thought up some of my greatest thoughts while I walk. great stories, ideas, plans, poems, plays. everything. When i get back to base its gone (or else what I put down on paper is a poorly remembered version of my original thoughts).

Its so annoying... I should really get a dictaphone or something.... but then Id be like Alan Partridge.

Flogen

jonno

I am the same although I don't have to be walking or travelling. In alot of situations I hear someone say something, see something that inspires me or even hear a song. When the idea comes I don't usually have a pen and paper to write it down to remember it. Instead I use my mobile, write a txt message and save it on my SIM card. It's the only device I am almost always liable to have with me. Alright I can't take down every detail but a note will do in most cases just to remind me. I ound it a great way to stop the agony of being inspired and wasting the moment.

Havn't been writing in a while so I have quiet a bundle of txt messages now

RopeDrink

You'll find that the majority of people have that...
It usually happens to me whilst watching some form of film or TV show, or when I hear a very specific type of music... Infact that are a lot of things that can spark it off, yet being an outright lazy **** I never bother to take notes or remember the idea's when I haven't had the desire to write anything over a 1 month period (Seeing as the notes generally clog up my room and are never used unless I'm in the right mind frame to look at them and incorporate them into my work every once in a while).

This is very common in writers.

The Beer Baron

I always have a pen in my pocket. Always.
In addition to scraps of paper, beermats, etc, etc covered in my unintelligible scrawl.

I also have that, when I'm walking, sometimes I'm doing something rather mundane and imagine myself as a character in one of my pieces, simple things like that can help me write entire pieces.

Inspiration grabs you in the strangest of places and times.
My girlfriend is no stranger to me getting up @ 4AM and going downstairs for 3 hours drinking cup after cup of tea, chainsmoking and scribbling in a notebook. It's a pain in the ass tho- why do I never get inspiration when I'm sitting in front of a computer ready to write- and instead get it @ 4AM when I need to be @ work @ 9:30- stupid brain!

projectmayhem

i write mainly sci-fi or fantasy stuff, so most of my inspiration is taken from film, books, comics, whatever. a tree can't inspire me to create a sci-fi script

flogen

Beer Baron, I know just what you mean, I always seem to imagine myself as the central character of my stories, It helps to literally get into their mind (although I do fear that every character will basically be me all the time... )

As for being inspired at 4 AM, i havent gotten that much, once or twice, if only we were all as well off as that cow Cecilia Ahern (Being fair I dont know if she can write or not, Im just very jealous) who was able to spend months sleeping in the day and working at night to make her book...

Also I have tried the text thing, but I find that its hard to re-capture the mood and mode I was in when I got the idea in the first place, I guess its just something I need to work on (and get a dictaphone too maybe!!)

Flogen

The Beer Baron

if only we were all as well off as that cow Cecilia Ahern (Being fair I dont know if she can write or not, Im just very jealous)

eeeh- what do you think?

and get a dictaphone too maybe!!)

an idea, still, I feel like a tit walking about talking to myself and I'd have to make sure nobody was in the room.

Altho one thing I had thought about was a wireless headset and some sorta via voice contraption- a lot more smarmy than a dictaphone meaning you could- theoretically- walk about the house talking your book onto the page. Altho from what I know the technology of those voice-recognition software is still shaky.

Skud

I do this also, usually on my way home. I try to type everything that runs through my head into my phone. Works a treat but sometimes my thoughts go quicker than i can type so pen or not they'd be gone Dictaphone seems like a good idea...

Emboss

Originally posted by flogen
I think Im most inspired when i walk (or travel in some way). Ive thought up some of my greatest thoughts while I walk. great stories, ideas, plans, poems, plays. everything. When i get back to base its gone (or else what I put down on paper is a poorly remembered version of my original thoughts).

Its so annoying... I should really get a dictaphone or something.... but then Id be like Alan Partridge.

Flogen

Damn that would piss me off so much...

All i think about is ASS....

flogen

Beer Baron, what do you mean 'what do you think?' are you saying that shed have to be good to get a deal or that its only who she knows. tbh, I doubt shes bad, because it doesnt matter who your dad is, if your untalented no-one would be interested after 2 minutes, however I dont think Im the kind of person who would enjoy her book, its real chick-lit crap, which is of no appeal to me.

anyway, yeah, dictaphones would make you look abit stupid, maybe pretend its a mobile for when your in public, so people would think that your just talking to a friend rather than yourself.....

Flogen

Gordon

Just keep a notepad and pen with you always.

luckat

Zen recognises two ways of approaching a task: the way of water and the way of fire.

In the way of fire you go for it baldheaded and get it done through sheer bull energy.

The way of water is slow and steady, like water digging a channel for itself by constantly flowing in the same place.

If you are there at your computer or notepad at the same time every day, your work will come to you.

The business of getting good inspirations when you're walking is an old trick, and a good one - in fact the ancient Irish poets liked to compose on horseback! So perhaps a ViaVoice gadget *and* a horse, BeerBaron

In fact, any rhythmic exercise is good - swimming, walking, climbing, riding a horse or a bicycle.

There are two good speech-to-text apps, by the way, ViaVoice and Dragon Naturally Speaking. I like Dragon better, having used both for a short time, but there isn't a Mac version.

Flogen, all the characters in your stories are you! You created them! That doesn't mean they have to sound like you: they're possible yous, villainous, heroic, seductive, spacey, studious.

Back to the technology: can you send emails on Irish mobile phones? Maybe you could send yourself emails with the good ideas?

Speedway

Ya that always happens to me.Especially if i'm walking while listening to music, lines always pop into my head.The problem is i rarely write them down.

have a lot of problems sleeping, one of the problems is that I enjoy being awake too much (bit of a problem). I find that if i'm awake at home on my own late at night and there's no noise,nobody around to disturb you, when you're in the kind of semi - dazed, nearly asleep stage you can really become inspired.lines that would never have entered your head while awake come out of nowhere.i usually just strum a guitar and scribble lines down between 2 and 3am.It's a great time to write.

Bibliofemme

Usually my brain goes into activity overdrive just before I go to sleep so having pen and paper beside your bed is a great idea - not just for the pre-sleep head-clearing stuff but for the fact that I often wake up during the night with an idea, half asleep and promise myself I'll remember it...I never do. Also dreams can be inspiring too.

Getting out for a walk is great, I often head somewhere scenic for some P&Q with a notebook - ah, it's heaven...

Don't have a dictaphone but have a mini-disc recorder and have just bought a small plug in (headphone jack) mic on ebay so I might try mumbling into that at 3am so I don't have to turn on the light and scramble for a pen...

Silent Grape

best thing to do is try to carry a notebk of some sort with u. my college diary has random words and sentences scribbled into it. if i ever get to sit down attempt to write, those little phrases/words trigger off a whole load of ideas

gluck

yellum

Generally when I'm in the shower I get song ideas or other ideas for books.

BEAT

My Idea's have "always" come to me very very late at night when I am on the verge of falling asleep...so I tend to lose most of them because If I move to get up and write them down I wont sleep and I have such a hard time sleeping as it is. I have stayed up all hours of the morning writing and have come up with my best work in doing so. I always keep a notebook beside my bed, my dreams tend to provide wonderful stories as well.

It seems that mpst people fall into this category, it is most likely because at these late hours is when our mind is most relaxed and able to create...all day your mind is busy being awake and getting you through the day, it's like your mind at night gets a chance to play because you are not busy bothering it with simple matters such as what to eat or what to wear etc... It must be why I enjoy the nights so much and have trouble sleeping. Up all night and sleep all day is the life for me