The "root" of finding ideas for work-in-progress…

#nanowrimo fuel (Photo credit: Tojosan)

I’ve read quite a lot lately about writers’ writing routines, methods of getting ideas worked into some kind of novel for NaNoWriMo, and the various places or moments where those ideas “pop up.” Like every other writer, I’m not unique in coming up with ideas for plots, characters, conflicts, resolutions, and the “happily-ever-after” ending in  the most unexpected times and places.

But perhaps this morning’s experience just may be the ultimate example of where ideas for my current novel-in-progress for NaNoWriMo flashed into my mind.

I spent well over an hour-and-a-half reclined in a surgical chair having the second part of a root canal completed. Novocaine is good, and maybe it has some magical power other than to numb the nerves, because all during the procedure I actually did some brainstorming about what the next moves for my protagonist would be. I also pretty much decided several other actions to put into play as things wind toward the big finish.

Everything I thought about—as I lay there with mouth “blocked” open and some kind of latex cover over most of my mouth, the endodontist scraping and filling and speaking in technical lingo of which I had no knowledge—seemed logical and much different from the original stuff I’d planned to use.

Staring up into the bright light above me, while the doctor and assistant worked me over (gently!), I told myself that for the new ideas to work, major rewriting would be in order. But that’s the beauty of NaNoWriMo: Get the draft of at least 50,000 words completed by month’s end, and then the shaping, molding, fixing-up can begin after that. Kind of like what a root canal is supposed to do the affected tooth, I guess!

Happy writing, all. May your ideas arrive in any forms they may, even if it’s while you're in a dental chair!…CortlandWriter

English: A diagram demonstrating endodontic therapy (colloquially known as a root canal) on unhealthy or injured tooth: first drilling and cleaning, then filing with an endofile, and finally adding the rubber filling and crown. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)