Went to bed late. Later than was sensible. Got all comfy. Realized chapter 3 of O:C was all wrong, and consequently so was ch. 4. Thought of how to fix it. Good, good, all good.
Then thought of later scene that would prove important. Good, good, all good.
Then fixated on how to fix earlier chapters, consequences, etc etc etc.
Realized if did not get up and take notes, would lose it all by morning.
Sighed in disgruntled resignation. Got up. Ted says, “Everything okay?” Reply, wearily, “Have to take notes.” Ted chortles. I stagger blearily out of bedroom, sit down at computer. Shaun looks worried. “Have to take notes.”
Shaun chortles. Chortles even more, twenty minutes later, when is on his way to bed and I am sitting at computer, eyes closed, head weighing heavily in one hand as I think. I snort at him, helpless and tired.
Three and a half pages of single-spaced notes later, O:C has gelled. Not everything, but much, much more than an hour ago. First half of book should flow beautifully, by time am done with that, will have necessary notes taken for second half. Pretty confident. V. pleased.
Why at one A.M., though? Why? Every time.
Going to _bed_ now.
I *haaaate* that. :) I’ve been having similar ‘oh, gods, must take notes now or will forget’ this week. Not quite as important as yours, but. :)
Makes perfect sense to me. Brain finally has a chance to unwind and play around a bit — poof come the ideas. So, um, I suppose keeping a little notepad beside your bed so you don’t have to get out if it isn’t sufficient? =)
What Janne said. And because that’s the time when your front brain is finally done talking and you can hear the stuff the rest of your brain has been saying to you all day.
Keeping a notepad by the bed isn’t sufficient for a variety of reasons. One, I’d have to turn the light on, which would disturb Ted. Two, when you’ve got 3 and a half pages of notes to take, getting up and typing it is a lot more efficient. Three, I think better about writing stuff at a keyboard anyway, ’cause I’m used to it. :)