Thursday, April 07, 2011

Non-Lucid Lightbulb Moments



I often come up with my best ideas and the solutions to minor-but-sticky problems just as I'm drifting off to sleep. The trick is dredging them up again in the morning.

Last night, my half-conscious brain popped out the following half-brilliant notions:
  • You do not have to write a 320-page first draft of a novel. Start out with a novella-sized draft and expand it. If Chuck Palahniuk can pass off longish short stories as actual novels, then there's sure as hell nothing wrong with a thin first draft. In fact, expanding a thin first draft is probably easier than weeding out a monstrous diarrhea-of-the-word-processor draft.
  • I want to open up a new YouTube channel solely for my Sims "films", but couldn't figure out how to swing this, since I already have all my email accounts attached to YouTube accounts. Duh. There are a like a million obscure email services out there, just use one of those.
  • Sometimes, half an hour at the gym is perfectly OK. Just go.
  • Always, always, always take your camera everywhere. You just never know what beauties, horrors, and curiosities you might find.

6 comments:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

You half-conscious brain is startlingly sensible! You should fall asleep more often!

S.M. Elliott said...

I might go semi-pro. ;D

nbrsspot.blogspot.com said...

I know that one and I always forget my camera.. I have seen some beautiful sunrises lately and/or other things and never have my camera with me.

sp said...

Good advice from your half-conscious brain.

Unfortunately, my half-conscious brain usually comes up with mundane things like "don't forget to put the laundry in the dryer" and other such nonsense. :)

Vest said...

You mean start the novel with the supposed truth then liven it with an expansion of Fibs. Yeah.. Done that. Its called Fiction.

Vest said...

I don't have erotic dreams any more and never wartime scenarios; mostly waking before extinction situatios one way or another.I am uncertain why I am always the guy who is copping all of the effluent.