Sometimes, though — usually with longer stories — I need more conscious imagine time before I get started. I’ll dink around with the plot, get to know the characters, work on building the world, while waiting to fall asleep or just after I wake up but not all the way. That half-awake stage is a great place for story-dinking.

A change of scene also helps, so long as I’m not too horribly busy. I’ve done a lot of writing on cruises, for example, but if I’m at a convention my time is too full to really write. I got almost 6K words written last week while I was in San Francisco, though. Being somewhere new, with time to relax and appreciate it, seems to get the story machinery going.

Angie

Thanks! It’s growing on me.

Well I see one thing that might be a problem with commenting on your new blog is the annoying time delay when it comes to typing out a comment.

Other than that, I like the template that you use.

I write in my mind, too, but I always forget the “perfect” sentence and/or paragraph by the time I sit down to write. Annoying!

I’m discovering interruptions make me more productive. Isn’t that bizarre?

It sounds funny to have to schedule imagining time, but I think it’s as important as butt in chair.

As for imagination, I tend to never stop daydreaming and will often write whole paragraphs in my mind, but by the time I’ve sat down to write them out, I seem bored by them or not bothered, lol. It’s a vicious cycle.