Inside my head (you might want to wear a hard hat).

I get the vast majority of my ideas while I work out. I know, the shower is the typical location, but what about me has made anyone think I’m normal? Right, so the sweaty, driving pace of cheap rebeats apparently drives the ideas straight from my sub consciousness into my frontal lobe (my only guess is that it’s some form of self defense against the mindless droning beats of pop music generally four or five years behind the time).

When these ideas strike, they are so complete, it’s almost impossible to ignore them. Sometimes they come complete with book covers and titles. Sometimes, even chapter titles. Thus is born the Shiny New Idea (SNI).

The only problem is when there’s a WIP currently on the typing block. Then there’re fireworks. It’s like a cage match between the SNI and my WIP and the cage is my head. And from somewhere, that movie announcer voice starts to narrate.

“Only one can survive.” And other cheesy movie tropes ensue.

Today, I was a good writer, and I put that SNI into a bin for later use. WIP wins, for today, but the road is perilous.

Then I thought about all the times that I’ve had this cage match in my head. I thought about all the times SNIs came jumping out of the corners of my mind to distract me from my real work. It’s a miracle any book gets written. I mean I have to fight these ideas off right and left. I’m not perfect; I’ve ditched WIPs for SNI in the past.

It made me strangely thankful to my favorite authors. They’ve surely had this cage match dozens of times in their heads and managed to pull WIP-that-became-a-cherished-novel out of the ring before SNI could pummel it into shreds.

So yeah, thank you awesome writers who write awesome books. I am in awe. Now back to work (“On Friday, Friday, Friday!” Oh shut up you stupid announcer voice).