Reworking stories

August 9, 2010 by thinkhappy

Something happens to my brain when I am on vacation. I'm not talking about how the stress indicators become almost non-existent, or the sudden onset of the ability to sleep later in the mornings. I'm not even talking about the increased desire to eat more and exercise less. I'm talking about the way my mind thinks while I'm relaxing in the sun, goofing around with the kids, or watching a drive-in movie. Suddenly the work-in-progress and the upcoming manuscript ideas take on lives of their own. Their characters communicate and cross over from one story to the next, leaving me wondering if perhaps I should be combining my next two novels, and if the protagonists are similar enough to be one in the same, or by switching their motives, they can become a tag-team, or even at odds with one and other. My mind wanders to the character's lost loves, reincarnations, and even their sordid, or pristine, pasts. So many avenues to choose from, so many paths to research. But then, right when I think I've got an angle that sounds exciting, too good  not to share, I remember...I'm on vacation and not supposed to be writing. The thoughts are once again tucked away where they'll fester and grow, blossoming into full-blown chapters by the time a month has rolled around, and my mind, thankfully,  reverts to vacation mode once again.

Writing is like aging. You are never really done.

How does your mind work?

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