My excitement about the new project made for a restless night. As soon as I laid my head down, more and more ideas for books filled my mind until I got out of bed and make the trip down the hallway to my writing writing desk. My muses took over and wouldn’t let me sleep until every thought was squeezed out of my brain. Only then, was I allowed to rest.
After my second trip down the hall, I sighed and shook my head. I was so tired and wanted to go to sleep. My body begged me to go back to sleep and forget but that’s the problem. I know myself. I would forget the idea when I woke up and the thoughts would have lost to the night. And after not being able to write for a few years, I was afraid of losing them.
I had to take a moment and collect myself and say, “Thank you” to the creative neurons in my brain. I no longer make the choice between a good thought or sleepless night. I may not get another chance at writing everything down. My fear of staring at a blinking cursor propelled me into forming a routine and keep myself on track. I write every day and let go of any excuses.
When I woke up I had to laugh at myself. Many of you can probably relate to my experience. Why does this happen? Take this as a warning that you didn’t take enough minutes in the day to pause and clear your mind of any worries or tasks. Our subconscious floods when we lay our head down with all the thoughts we held back.
The only way I’ve found to quiet my mind again, isn’t to ignore the thoughts. I get up and let them spill onto the pages. I keep my notebook outside of my bedroom so that I don’t get into the habit of brainstorming before bed because it wakes up and excites my mind and body too much. Instead, I schedule times to during daylight to write down a list of ideas throughout the week.
Most of the time I brainstorm right after a project or when I’m working on something because one idea leads to another, and another. An idea is like a trigger, the trick is to learn when to pull on that trigger when you’re stuck. Getting in the habit of creating prompts for our brains, like turning to a book or learning something new, can help us keep regular sleep schedules.
So the next time you’re woken up by your muses, do everything you can to embrace them even if they are inconvenient. Ideas are gifts when we use them right way. I would also advise that you write down those ideas so that they stick on the paper instead of keeping you up all night. Find your routine and rhythm to make your life as a writer easier.
My posts are Monday through Friday. You can find a copy of my new Writer’s Journal at https://amzn.to/3xhD58f.
~Yoon Ju
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Writer's Block Inc 