Late-Night Alarm

I had dinner and drinks with my friend Dani last night and I was filling her in on some of the stuff I've been writing this summer. Somehow, over the course of this conversation, I mentioned that I'll often set an alarm for, like, 2AM so I can randomly wake up in the middle of the night and just think about my book. Dani thought this was both ridiculous and interesting and suggested I write a blog entry about it. So I am.

I think it's fairly common knowledge that the first thing I think about every night when I crawl into bed is Sebastian Porter. He's also the first thing I think about every morning... and admittedly, a huge chunk of every day is spent thinking about him. Bas Porter is probably the reason I will never have a serious significant other: I'm too in love with my fictional character. Maybe someday, if an agent ever picks up my work, Bas will be properly introduced to the world. He makes a cameo in Just Whistle, and his long-time girlfriend has a brief appearance in Like A Flip Turn, but the true stories of Bas, Lucy, and Bert appear in manuscripts that have only been shared with friends:

• Kick It One More Time (set twelve years before Like A Flip Turn)

• Running Through the Words (set four years after Just Whistle)

• Come and Go So Quickly (set two years after Running Through the Words)

I do think readers would enjoy these books since it'd feel a lot like visiting with old friends. I mean, Juli Singer is a major player in Running Through the Words, as is the old farmhouse that Charley grew up in. And Petey Goode is one of Come and Go So Quickly's narrators. Kick It's where everything starts; I've never written anything that takes place before that one. I'm not sure I ever will. But I'm currently writing something that takes place three years after Kick It. It doesn't have a title yet.

Anyway, back to my late-night alarms. I find that during the school year, I simply don't have enough time to lie in my bed (some of my best ideas happen while horizontal!) and think about Sebastian. Therefore, I'll often set an alarm to wake me at 2:00 or 3:00. This is probably bad for my sleep, but it's great for my creativity, and while I know most people probably hate those sleepless nights when they simply CANNOT fall asleep, I don't really hate them. I mean, I understand that I need sleep, and I like to sleep... but I also like to think about Sebastian and Lucy and Bert! There's a scene that's been running through my head for the past four nights and I finally decided to write it down because it's just SO REAL to me right now. It doesn't even belong in the book I'm working on --- I'll use it in something called Uptempo, Down (which takes place about ten years after Kick It) --- but I still need to write that one.

Speaking of writing... I think I'll end this and work on my current manuscript for a while. Now I've got the itch to hang with my characters.