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rev·er·ie
\ˈre-və-rē, ˈrev-rē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural rev·er·ies
Etymology: French rêverie, from Middle French, delirium, from resver, rever to wander, be delirious
Date: 1654
1 : daydream
2 : the condition of being lost in thought
Did you ever notice that some of your best ideas show up unannounced? You may have put the thoughts in motion hours, days or weeks ago, but your waking mind was so cluttered, it didn’t get the attention it needed. So it drifted through your subconscious looking for something to which it could attach. When it was ready, it came to you.
It usually happens to me while I’m washing dishes, walking the dog, showering, mowing the lawn–pretty much any kind of activity that requires enough of your conscious mind to do, but not so much that the unconscious mind can bubble up. That transition between sleep and waking and vice versa can be effective germinating ideas as well.
Then there’s the reverie that I enter as write. There is nothing better than being lost in that state, tapping away at the keyboard, thinking only of the faces and the story and the places. But how do we get there? In Madison Smartt Bell’s Narrative Design, he discusses entering into the imaginative process:
Here’s the explanation for all those strange little tics and ceremonies you hear about writers having, the ones that interviewers always try to ferret out and put on display, as if they were themselves the magic secret. Sharpening a dozen pencils, caressing some lucky charm such as a rabbit’s foot or a netsuke . . .Here’s why so many writers prefer to break off in the middle of some passage, fearing that if they stop work at the end of something it will be too difficult to begin again — as when, upon your next stretching out to sleep, some tendril of last night’s dream may once again appear to you . . . Here’s why you’ll frequently start your work by rereading the last few pages of what you’ve done, futzing around with unimportant corrections, simply as a way of getting into it again . . . All these rituals belong to a process of autohypnotic induction, though you may call it what you will.
As soon as I’m conscious of being in reverie, it slips away and my waking mind jerks awake and says, “huh?”. As Bell says:
Imagination is no more or less than a highly structured form of daydreaming. Daydreaming is fun, a form of play. Once the people, the places, the events you are imagining become fully present to your senses, the it’s time for rendering. The left brain homunculus must go to work to express your vision in language.
Madison Smartt Bell, Narrative Design
Stupid waking mind.
When do those special moments strike you? Do you use any techniques to enter this state or does it just happen?
I get mine driving a lot. So much so that I carry a small pad in my car. I’ve been known to pull over to jot down a thought or I just repeat it to myself until I reach my destination.
Yesterday I was reading while I ate my lunch and as I read about Medieval doctors dying from the plague only to leave quacks behind to treat the dying, my new character spoke to me as loud as if he was sitting beside. I now know where to begin my next novel.
So yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Stephen King called it “dropping into a hole” that magic hole in reality where a new world begins.
Great post, Jonathan.
Driving. Good one. I used to have an hour commute each way, but it was before I started writing. I could have put that time to good use! I’ve yet to have any characters speak to me, but I definitely “drop into a hole” when I think about their stories. Now if I can just get what I see on paper…
I pretty much only get it in those strange moments between awake and asleep. Sometimes the thoughts get so loud and vivid that it pulls me from the tide and I have to get up and write it all down. I actually like this. Because then when I sit down to write, I have my outline already done.
I could really use some more sleep though.
I’ve had a few ideas that prodded me out of bed in the wee hours, but nothing like whole outlines. That’s pretty cool. Like you say, I love those times of day, but I really wish it didn’t come at the cost of sleep.
When I’m working out or in the shower is when I get strange ideas from nowhere.
I did a post before the holidays on exercise and writing. Running does the trick for me. Maybe if I ran in the shower…
Don’t run in the shower, man. I don’t want to be responsible for you cracking your noggin open.
Hi Jonathan, there is an award waiting for you at my blog.
Thanks for the award! I left a comment over at your blog. Enjoy the weekend.
I try to make my WIP the first thing I do in the day. Before I check my emails, or am lured onto Twitter or look at my blog stats, I spend an hour with my WIP. Router off, just the story I am working on.
After about an hour, I turn on the router and let in all those outside distractions, but no matter what arrives out of the ether, what’s loaded in my head is still my WIP. And later when I go and drive somewhere, or watch a movie, or go to the gym, it’s still there having ideas.
That makes great sense. It seems to take me a while to get started actually writing. Starting with the WIP first makes so much sense, but I seem to find reasons to delay it for a bit. The times I’ve been successful at writing first, I’ve enjoyed the way the story kept coming back to me through the day.
Jonathan, it’s nice to meet you. I like what I’ve seen of your blog.
To encourage the reverie, I usually futz around with previous pages. That also helps me remember the story’s voice.
When I’m stuck on a problem, I’ll walk around the neighborhood or take a drive. It’s not the safest option, but it sometimes work.
Coffee is also a trigger. I started regularly drinking coffee soon after I started writing regularly, so there’s an association.
Thanks for stopping by! It’s always nice to meet new writers. Sweet, sweet coffee. I remember reading in Orson Scott Card’s book that the writer should beware using drugs to inspire their writing, including caffeine. I have to say that I’ve enjoyed coffee as part of my morning long before I began taking my writing seriously. I don’t see giving it up any time soon.
Glad I had the chance to come back and READ the post! lol.
I cannot say what gets me into that state. It is one of my favorite places to be. I realize now that I am lucky, as I can pretty much enter it sponatenously. The first time I was made aware of it was at a writing workshop last spring when the leader said to the group that she watched me sit for about a minute and then I am gone.
I too love coffee, and there is an association with getting going for me as well. Funny. I am looking forward to taking advantage of it once baby is here and drinking my giant lates again!
How cool it must be to slip into reverie at the drop of a hat! That’s truly a gift. I hope the rest of your pregnancy and delivery goes well. You’ll deserve every latte that passes your lips!
I had a moment today in the Natural History Museum. There was an exhibiton about volcanoes and earthquakes and one of the photos made me suddenly think of a story that I would like to write. I walked around the rest of the museum in a daze, completely absorbed in my thoughts. I’ll have to go back some time soon to see what I missed!
Nice! I suppose that’s the danger of entering those places where colonies of stories lurk. There are worse ways to miss what was in the museum!
Washing dishes is the quickest way for me to get ideas and the most productive time for working out story problems. I think it’s a defense mechanism–I hate doing dishes, so my mind takes off on its own while I work.
It sure makes doing the dishes a more pleasurable experience. Definitely more than picking with your fingernail at some cheese stuck on the side of a bowl. 😉