To the other fiction writers here - 3am Epiphany!

[sojourner]

Wow, OK. A little background first.

For years I have considered myself "the unwritten writer". I have constantly read sci-fi and generally reached a point where I felt like I have read most material before. I look at books in the store and after reading the back cover think to myself, "well, I could write something better than that".

Any attempt to actually write or even brainstorm has in reality left me short. I always end up with an idea that feels like something I have already read. Nothing felt original, therefore, nothing got written.

Now, tonight, after 20+ years of thinking about writing, I was hit by the proverbial 3am Epiphany. (A book I have not read, though I have seen the cover, hehe)

I spent most of today in a general malaise, not interested in playing my games, making mostly short, snarky posts on the the forum here, and generally web surfing out of boredom.

I don't know what made me think of it. It was just suddenly there. The big "what if?". I thought of this particular "what if?" for a few moments, sort of mulled it over, trying to categorize it as something I had read or seen in some form. Something clicked! This felt fairly original! And so the follow on question occurred, "what would happen?". From there my mind just exploded with a whole outline of story! I realized I was thinking not in chapters but in whole books! before I knew it I had notepad open and was typing furiously to capture all of the details. I had a protagonist, an antagonist, I follow-on antagonist! Outline sentences for the first 3(!) books! An idea for the first book of a second trilogy!

My God! that five minutes of typing those ideas down was better than sex!

Now I sit here in the afterglow of this epiphany and really think this book(s) could "write itself" as they say. I plan on going to sleep soon and then see what I can make of this fresh tomorrow. It really does feel liberating to get an idea.

Before I retire for the evening I just had to share this with someone and ask, has anything similar happened to you?


The events depicted above actually occurred near 2:10am. the time of 3am is used for dramatic effect.

 

[tau136]

Kay . . . am not a writer so am answering under flag of convenience but yeah — with college essays. Heaven knows how the writers find time to do their stuff; I count myself lucky to get a sentence typed without interruption these days. Oooh & please DO post your story on the BBS for us all to enjoy.

 

[Skywalker]

I know exactly what you mean. A similar epiphany hit me about seven years ago, but my idea was for a fantasy story. Naturally, I've done zip with it since then. In the intervening years, a computer RPG called Dragon Age: Origins was released which contained a lot of ideas very similar to my own. Now I feel like if I actually do try to make something out of my idea, it'll end up looking like I stole it from BioWare, the game's developer.

 

[gturner]

Before I retire for the evening I just had to share this with someone and ask, has anything similar happened to you?

All the time. People are constantly inspired to become writers because of their encounters with me. Many become obsessed with writing my biography or poems to celebrate my glorious existence, while others are inspired to undertake the drudge work of writing technical specifications for the future statues of me that will inevitably cover the planet. So I'm not surprised that you've started hammering out a story featuring me as the central character. Feel free to kill all the others off, as their fates bother me not a bit.

 

[Skywalker]

Before I retire for the evening I just had to share this with someone and ask, has anything similar happened to you?

All the time. People are constantly inspired to become writers because of their encounters with me. Many become obsessed with writing my biography or poems to celebrate my glorious existence, while others are inspired to undertake the drudge work of writing technical specifications for the future statues of me that will inevitably cover the planet. So I'm not surprised that you've started hammering out a story featuring me as the central character. Feel free to kill all the others off, as their fates bother me not a bit.

It's true. I actually named the main character (heck, the only character) of one of my stories Gary Stu Turner after you.

 

[Mistral]

I am at my most creative after midnight. Something about that time of night opens the doors of perception.

 

[Mr Awe]

I wish you luck writing this! I think, however, most people who read a lot are "unwritten writers". It's common to think that you could do it better. And, maybe you can. But, good writing is deceptively tough. You read it and it seems easy. You try it, not so much. I'm a good technical/scientific writer, but suck at fiction. So, it's a very specific skill.

It's great that you're finally trying this out for real. It's a shame that it took you 20 years to actually try it. But, at least you'll know if you up to writing. Keep us informed and best of luck!

Mr Awe

 

[Danny99]

I've grown in my writing each time I put pen to paper. All the best in your endeavors!

 

[TerokNor]

Yes, happend, I have since about 2 years a novel in my head, that I really would like to write...but somehow I cannot get started. Either I have other things to do and when I don´t I cannot find the beginning sentences...or feel overpowered by how many sites it would be. (Only used to writing SHORT Stories or rarely poems).

Good success to you!

TerokNor

 

[gturner]

I think all aspiring writers should read The Eye of Argon (1970) for inspiration.

 

[Kestra]

I regularly have tremendously creative and awesome ideas after midnight particularly when it comes to writing. I generally wake up the next day and realize that they were, in fact, quite mediocre. I hope this is not the case with you!

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I had an epiphany recently regarding a story I started working on back in 1999. I wrote it in bits and pieces through 2003, and then never went back to it.

I recently gave some thought to rewriting it, but since it was very nebulous when I started, all the pieces of the story had not fallen into place yet--the beginning of the story was somewhat disconnected from where it wound up.

So, I was thinking about it, and all of a sudden it popped into my head how I could connect the events in the beginning of the story to the revelations that came later, and it all came together in one beautiful, "big picture." I was very pleased with myself.

 

[T'Baio]

No novel "writes itself." You have a lot of work cut out for you. Not only the actual physical process of writing, but ensuring it's good.

Good luck.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

No novel "writes itself." You have a lot of work cut out for you. Not only the actual physical process of writing, but ensuring it's good.

Good luck.

Very true. Coming up with the story is the easy part. Everything after that just gets harder: the writing itself, and then the rewriting.

 

[sidious618]

I often get ideas when I'm going to sleep. I write them down on a pad of paper. The following morning I take a look at the idea(s) and they usually make no fucking sense. But every once in a while they do and that usually turns into a short story.

 

[gturner]

The part I find slowest about writing is working everything into iambic pentameter.

 

[Mistral]

I regularly have tremendously creative and awesome ideas after midnight particularly when it comes to writing. I generally wake up the next day and realize that they were, in fact, quite mediocre. I hope this is not the case with you!

That's the booze talking!

 

[sojourner]

^To quote David and Maddie, "WE HATE IAMBIC PENTAMETER!"

Just re-read my notes from last night, and they still "feel" right. Now to organize and elaborate on them until I have a solid outline to work from.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ That's great. Get to work. Good luck.

Most of my story ideas strike me like an epiphany. I have a black box in my head that comes up with this stuff. I don't know how it does it.

 

[gturner]

^^ That's great. Get to work. Good luck.

Most of my story ideas strike me like an epiphany. I have a black box in my head that comes up with this stuff. I don't know how it does it.

Sadly, too many people in Hollywood also have epiphanies such as "I know! We'll get Matt Damon and Ben Affleck - and some knew hottie as a love interest. It will be a war story. No, something in a hotel, with a casino scene, or maybe a car wash."