Do you have one project on the go, or a handful? If the latter, do you have big hands?
And,
whatever the size of said hands, do you find yourself juggling, the
ideas thrown up in the air, with you ready to grasp at any that might
fall within reach? Sometimes, do you find they're in a pile at your
feet and you're simply staring at them, knowing you should clear them up
but not knowing which one to start with?
Or D: All of the above?
I think I fall into all of these categories, to be honest. At least at some point.
Of
course, there was that year they all hid under the sofa and I couldn't
find a single one. Sneaky buggers, they were. I could hear them
giggling and whispering, but I couldn't lay eyes on them.
At
the moment, it's fairly calm. They're not jumping on my head, they're
not in a pile at my feet and they're not spinning in the air hoping
they'll be the one that I'll grab. The ideas, of which there are
plenty, are all lined up nicely, taking it in turns to have a chat with
my mind. My problem, now, is that the one I might want to work on isn't
the one that steps up to the plate.
I
always thought that was a dinner plate, resplendent with a good old
fashioned Sunday lunch - all roast beef, potatoes and veg - when I was
younger (and, being from the UK, not entirely understanding Baseball
lingo).
A
short while ago I discovered 30,000 + words of a children's book I'd
written a while back and forgotten about. Sin and my children's
collection Zits'n'Bits had not only stepped up but, Sin especially, had
eclipsed my view of my other ideas. So this story, starring the good
with Puddlebrain, was quietly waiting for its chance to shine. When I
opened the document and re-discovered this, I was shocked, to say the
least. That's a lot of words to misplace, but that is what had
happened.
So
now I REALLY want to finish it. My daughter will love it, and I hope
others will too. I've re-read it to get back into the flow and the
style (particularly of the character Thistle) and have started to add. I
can see where it's going to go, and am looking forward to finishing it.
Unfortunately,
or fortunately depending on your point of view, Sin doesn't like to be
ignored. He has his blog, his Diary of a Madman
(http://singularityspoint.blogspot.com), where he talks about his
experiences and the people he meets within his asylum. Sometimes, he
just needs to be voiced and I can't help it. He's not content with
taking ten years of my life to complete, so he has his blog and he has
the beginning of his sequel.
Sin
is, sort of, my 'Dark Half', so, being so much a part of me, he tends
to shout louder than his brethren. It's not so much of a problem,
really, as he always has plenty to say, but sometimes I just really WANT
to concentrate on one project - dear, neglected Puddlebrain for
example.
So.
It's not so much a jostle of ideas poking around at the inside of my
head with sharp sticks, it's more of a line at the bank, waiting to pay
money in, or, in some cases, make a withdrawal. Listening to the muzak
that's playing in the background whilst staring at the floor or the
ceiling or anything other than the back of the head of the person in
front to count how many grey hairs are still managing to sprout in the
bald patch.
Except Sin keeps pushing in line.
He's
like that. But that's ok. Along with many of his other problems (the
deaths, the screams, the asylum and his dead suster), it's not really
his fault.
Do
you have one project or a handful? If the latter, do they take you by
the hand and lead you, or do they drag you to only they know where.
Sometimes, I wonder who's in control. Me or my characters!
-
Regards
Shaun Allan
Senior Inspection Assistant
Website: http://www.shaunallan.co.uk
Twitter: @singularityspnt
Blog – diary of a madman: http://singularityspoint.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/shaunallan
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