Play is important.

Tam said it best in MLTF: "Play is important." And he's right. Getting away from your computer is good for you and your book.

Invariably when I get up from my desk, the coolest dialog or ideas come to me, and it's usually for a problem I've been sitting at my desk struggling with. But sometimes those ideas come to me in the most inconvenient places. Note to self: put a notepad and pen on the back of the toilet. ; )

Other popular (and inconvenient) places of inspiration: in the car, in the grocery store, in the shower. For some reason, the shower is a popular inspiration spot for a lot of writers, must have something to do with running water. I get inspired in the shower, but not in the tub as much. Muses must prefer running water or something.

What's relaxing and feeds my muse? Reading, watching my favorite TV shoes. I love Bones and Burn Notice. But since I'm writing when they're on, I love that I can watch them online. How cool is that?

But I've started doing most of my brainstorming -- when I get stuck or when I just need to better flesh out a scene -- in a cushy, comfy chair I recently bought for my office. I believe it's called a "gaming chair." I don't play video or computer games (I tried to get into them, but it just didn't take). I'll sit in my chair with just a notepad and pen. It takes away the pressure of sitting in front of my computer in an office chair. Even if my computer screen isn't blank, it can still be intimidating when I'm trying to work out a problem.

And it worked like a charm last night. ; )

Coming up tomorrow: How many drafts do I write? Coming up this week: A blog or two on how my characters came to be -- where Tam, Raine, goblins, Piaras, etc. came from. Yep, I went through my storage boxes of old notes (really old notes).

Lisa