NaNo ’08 – Day 4

Today wasn't too bad.

There were: new scenes, new characters to explore, a new method to try out, and new music by which to write (and if anyone knows me, they know I live for good tunes to get the muse inspired).

New Scenes
One of the scenes I worked on today included 2 main characters and three minor characters, all living and breathing in the same space. Needless to say, I think what I've written is pretty weak.

But the point of NaNoWriMo is to just get the ideas down, and worry about the plot, conflict and such during the editing process. Sometimes when I'm stuck, all I have to do is sit, and be still, and get out my trusty pencil and paper. Sometimes the best ideas come to me at the craziest times.

Like when I'm cooking dinner, or doing the dishes. Or, more often than not, right as I am about to fall asleep, so there is that temporary back and forth with myself and my muse.

Me: "Man…I just got comfortable."
Muse: "I know, but…it'll only take you a second to get up and write it down."
Me: ~groan~ But I just got settled! And my pillow is so comfortable…~nestling deeper into my pillow~
Muse: ~one eyebrow arched knowingly~ You're going to regret it…
Me: No I won't. I'll remember it in the morning.
Muse: ~pause~ Promise?
Me: I know I will. I promi — ….zzzzzzz……..

New Method
I decided to try my speech recognition program out and dictate some of my story. It was, to put it bluntly, like pulling teeth. Not even close to flowing consistently. I don't know why, but my brain just didn't work the same as it does when I write freehand, or even type. Not sure if I'll try that again. Besides, my software is the Millennium Edition, which goes to show you how long ago I bought it. Needless to say, some of the phrases are so wrong that it reads as though I was speaking on tongues at the time.

New Music
Generally, my writing music must be devoid of all lyrics. I am an impressionable writer. The only problem I found with that last November is I had 3 or 4 ambient cds that I listened to exclusively while I worked on my manuscript. By the end of the month, I was ready to snap them in two, I had listened to them so much. So, this year, I definitely needed some new tunes.

I picked up a few CDs from Ultimae, as well as downloaded a bunch of Ultimae artists from eMusic. Man…do you ever get that feeling when a song is so good that it gets under your skin, and makes every pore tingle, and your brain start to percolate? I love that feeling.

Music: Digitalis – Transform

[audio:Digitalis - Transform.mp3]

So – any advice? Do you use voice recognition software to dictate your writing? Any tips on how to get into the right mindset to get my brain flowing more smoothly? Or any ideas on how to prepare for a scene where multiple characters are all vying for my attention? Feel free to share!