Out of the Blue
Now that I'm blogging only once a month, I feel compelled to offer a better quality post than the quickies I often dashed off when I was blogging once a week.
As a result, I spend much more time thinking about what kind of post to share than I've done in the past. It was during this thinking time that what I'm about to share with you occurred.
I was sitting here working on my manuscript. I follow a loose plot timeline, but what occurs to my characters happens as I write it.
On this particular day, one of the characters said something that surprised me. I hadn't known exactly how he was going to extricate himself from a certain situation, but he managed just fine.
About that time, he mentions Ralph and Naomi Baxter. I stopped typing. What? Who are they? I don't have people on the character list named Ralph and Naomi Baxter.
My fingers start typing again, and I learn Ralph and Naomi are another character's grandparents. Ralph is the owner of Baxter Pharmaceutical, and they're worth a boatload of cash.
Well. I took my fingers off the keyboard.
Where did this come from? How was it exactly what I needed?
Those of you who write have probably experienced this kind of thing before. I have. I just haven't documented the incidents. However, I'm thinking that could be a good idea. I love when it happens, and I wish it happened more often.
Returning to Ralph . . . I decided to check to make sure there wasn't a company with that name. That decision began a new round of woo-woo.
The first return was for Baxter PharmaSolutions, a division of Baxter International. Close enough. I knew I needed to change the name.
Right beneath these two entries was an Wikipedia entry for Baxter International. I clicked over to see if there was any history included. You know what I wanted to see - if there had been a Ralph Baxter involved in the company's development.
I scrolled down to History. Here are the first two sentences:
Just for grins, I did another search, this one for a Ralph and Naomi Baxter:
How is this explained? Is it totally random? Do we tap into the Global Consciousness?
Or is it something more?
It's like ideas. Where does an idea come from? I have no clue. I almost said no idea. One day it's just there.
Yes, I work on plot and character and all the other elements. But I have nothing to do with the initial idea. Sometimes, I have very little to do with story. I sit down, and it comes out my fingers.
Like with Ralph and Naomi.
Who are still in the story, by the way. They just have a different last name now :)
What do you think?
As a result, I spend much more time thinking about what kind of post to share than I've done in the past. It was during this thinking time that what I'm about to share with you occurred.
I was sitting here working on my manuscript. I follow a loose plot timeline, but what occurs to my characters happens as I write it.
On this particular day, one of the characters said something that surprised me. I hadn't known exactly how he was going to extricate himself from a certain situation, but he managed just fine.
About that time, he mentions Ralph and Naomi Baxter. I stopped typing. What? Who are they? I don't have people on the character list named Ralph and Naomi Baxter.
My fingers start typing again, and I learn Ralph and Naomi are another character's grandparents. Ralph is the owner of Baxter Pharmaceutical, and they're worth a boatload of cash.
Well. I took my fingers off the keyboard.
Where did this come from? How was it exactly what I needed?
Those of you who write have probably experienced this kind of thing before. I have. I just haven't documented the incidents. However, I'm thinking that could be a good idea. I love when it happens, and I wish it happened more often.
Returning to Ralph . . . I decided to check to make sure there wasn't a company with that name. That decision began a new round of woo-woo.
The first return was for Baxter PharmaSolutions, a division of Baxter International. Close enough. I knew I needed to change the name.
Right beneath these two entries was an Wikipedia entry for Baxter International. I clicked over to see if there was any history included. You know what I wanted to see - if there had been a Ralph Baxter involved in the company's development.
I scrolled down to History. Here are the first two sentences:
Baxter International was founded in 1931 by Donald Baxter, a medical doctor, as a manufacturer and distributor of intravenous therapy solutions. Baxter's interest was bought out in 1935 by Ralph Falk, who established a research and development function.
Just for grins, I did another search, this one for a Ralph and Naomi Baxter:
NAME: Naomi L . Baxter SPOUSE: Joseph Ralph Baxter BIRTH: 6 Sep 1918 DEATH: 1 Dec 1994
How is this explained? Is it totally random? Do we tap into the Global Consciousness?
Or is it something more?
It's like ideas. Where does an idea come from? I have no clue. I almost said no idea. One day it's just there.
Yes, I work on plot and character and all the other elements. But I have nothing to do with the initial idea. Sometimes, I have very little to do with story. I sit down, and it comes out my fingers.
Like with Ralph and Naomi.
Who are still in the story, by the way. They just have a different last name now :)
What do you think?
See you back here on Monday, November 2.
Comments
Many years ago I co-wrote a play 'Death, the Musical - karaoke at the Afterlife Bar & Grill' - I called the bartender at the ALBG (a sort of holding bar for people who didn't know they were dead yet) Beulah - after my mother. I found out that Beulah Land was the area just outside the gates of heaven!!! here's a wiki on it The idea the hymn presents that Heaven can be seen from Beulah land comes from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress in which he states "Therefore it is, I say, that the Enchanted ground is placed so nigh to the land Beulah and so near the end of their race [i.e. Heaven]." I LOVE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS.
I do enjoy when something else does my writing. It is so much better and such a delightful surprise. I think it's in all of us and we need to let that knowledge and creativity out more.
Alex - More a tapping in than a coincidence, I think.
Karen - Something, yes. For sure.
Jan - Love the name 'Afterlife Bar and Grill'! The times when this kind of thing happens are precious.
Bish - I'm not a big believer in coincidence. I'll have to google Akashic Records.
Murees - Could be! Here's to creativity!
Gail - I agree!
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Mason - I'm just happy mine does work!
Jan - I do google company names most of the time. I don't worry too much about most names.
Anne - Some of these things are freakier than others.
My subconscious is always helping me out!
L.G. - I hope it's a good sign. It feels right.
EC - There is the freak-out factor :)
Jemi - My subconscious and I have a good working relationship, too. For the most part :)
Liza - Yes!
Helena - So many possibilities! It would be interesting to explore the experience more. And maybe a little bit freaky, too. Your screenplay sounds cool!
TBM - Made me wonder, that's for sure.
Southpaw - I'll let you know the next time it happens :)
Holding thumbs that more of those experiences come your way!
(and if you wanna share, then you can send some of that my way... will gladly accept...)
Hope you're well, Carol! *waving*
Lynda - Yes! I think so, too.
Diane - It IS spooky!
Michelle - I love when it happens! I'll ask my muse to contact yours :) And I'm just fine - thanks for asking :)
more than we expect. Maybe you were a super sleuth in a former life, Carol! This was fun, and it's good to see you!
Julie
I like more in depth posts, but I'm still plodding along with my once or twice a week shorties. That may have to change in the coming year. I'm making lots of changes in 2016.
Glad you're still out here. I love reading what you come up with. And this post was very interesting.
Lee - The thing that blows my mind is reading something in the news that parallels something I've written long before. I just couldn't keep up with blogging the way I was. Not and write, too. And writing comes first. We do what we have to do. I miss connecting with everyone here, but I try to keep in touch on Twitter and Facebook, even though it's not the same.
Dee - It's great to hear from you! Ralph and Naomi will be minor characters - at least as far as I know right now. They're keeping well under the radar. I love when this happens, too. It happened with Jake Solomon in a previous novel. He was supposed to come in late and leave early. Instead, he came early and said, "Deal with it. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." So much we have yet to learn.
Milo - Life certainly would be dull!
Isn't it amazing when our characters tell us things we didn't know? My subconscious constantly surprises me with the tidbits it drudges up. Here's to epic writing and happy coincidences!
Jennifer - Some days I think mine may be crazier than some :)
Happy writing!
~Jess