early morning conversations with my brain

Right around five this morning, some animals decided to throw a screaming, raging, howling party in my backyard . . . with serious emphasis on the screaming and howling.

My dogs must have thought it was a great party, because they both joined in the howling. For maximum fun, they added some of their own barking and yelping, so I would wake up, see what I was missing, and let them run out there to join in the fun.

Yeah. That wasn't going to happen, so I got up, calmed them down, and hopped back into my nice warm bed to sleep for another three hours.

Yeah. That wasn't going to happen either. As soon as my head hit my pillow, I had the following conversation:

My brain: Hey, are we awake?

Me: We were, but now we're going back to sleep.

My brain: Dude! We're totally awake! Awesome! Weee!

Me: Quiet, you. I'm going back to sleep.

My brain: Okay, but before you go back to sleep, listen to me for a minute. While you were sleeping, I totally came up with this idea for the manga script you're supposed to be writing.

Me: I'm very proud of you. Let's talk about it in a few hours. After I wake up for real.

My brain: But it's so cool! Okay, here's what happens . . .

Me: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!

My brain: It's due in 11 days, dude. I think you should just get up and start writing.

Me: It's . . . [look at the clock] 5:13 in the morning, dude! It's still dark.

My brain: Okay. If you really want to sleep, go ahead. I'll be here when you wake up.

Me: Thank you.

30 seconds later . . .

My brain: '"I'm a cowboy! On a steel horse I ride! I'm wanted (wanted!) Dead or alive! Bow wow wow woooowwwwww."

Me: What. Are. You. Doing.

My brain: I sing to myself when I can't sleep.

Me: But . . . Bon Jovi? Really?

My brain: Hey, maybe you should play less Rock Band.

Me: I hate you.

My brain: As long as you're awake, why don't you get out of bed and write down this awesome story idea I have? It'll be fun!

Me: I'm going to kill you with so much Arrogant Bastard tonight.

My brain: Yay! Everyone wins!

I got out of bed. The house was cold and dark, and my Macbook's screen hurt my eyes when I woke it up, but I sat down at the dining room table, and worked on my script for the next four hours.

This is how I know I'm a writer.

Comments

[FusedLight]

At least YOU get to stay in your nice warm house when you Get An Inspiration. When the glass muses hit me at 5AM and I want to work on some art I have to got out to the studio. OUT to the studio in the loft over the garage. Through the cold. -5F cold. I love Minnesota. But when the muses call, who are we to ignore them, eh?

Gary

[angie k]

My brain: '"I'm a cowboy! On a steel horse I ride! I'm wanted (wanted!) Dead or alive! Bow wow wow woooowwwwww."
...
Me: But . . . Bon Jovi? Really?

*snerk* That's just awesome. Congratulations. You've just given my brain another song to sing at inopportune times. I mean, right now it's working it's way through "Holiday Inn" but Bon Jovi's a nice change.

A manga script? O RLY? O_o Yay! I await details when you can legally divulge them.

Cheers!

[Lamguin]

Very funny. Best post in a while. Keep it up, Sir Wil.

[Kami-kalikimaka]

I have (luckily) never allowed myself to get up that early unless it's for a baby. I'm real good at playing back movies or stories in a book through my brain to numb it back to sleep. Take that, feeble brain!

[Kim Wilson]

he he!
I have had the same argument with my own brain, and like you, my brain usually wins. When i was in university, i would often get up and type in my sleep. My room-mate was VERY understanding...I was often confused, with no recollection of typing during the night. But the words were there..
and thanks for the "ear worm". Now I will have that song in my head all afternoon!

[JMama3]

Thank goodness, I thought I was the only one who had conversations like that!

[Brian]

Rock Band has totally given my brain a ton of ammo to sing at stupid times like this. I've caught myself humming Dead or Alive at random points in the day and it's just very weird. :D

[Ian Potter]

You should check out Nocturne if you plan to do any early morning/late night writing.

http://docs.blacktree.com/nocturne/nocturne

[Celtic Mama]

I hope you at least get to take a nap today!

[drumgoddess]

ahaha..
your brain and my brain share a common lobe. A noisy, often annoying, and generally too creative for my sleeping habit lobe.
11 days? Luxury!

and are you seriously listening to Christmas music? For a Manga?
...You know? Never mind, the brain is a wondrous and wrinkled place. I would never THINK to argue with whatever gets the Bon Jovi out your mind.
Happy writing.

[Ian Coomber]

Grrr, you're so lucky having that happen to you.

And when I say 'that', I don't mean the being woken up early by a chorus of animals, I mean the desire and motivation to sit down and write as soon as something comes to you like that, regardless of whenever/wherever you are.

Assuming you're writing is half decent that is, which I'm sure it will be. :D

[CarolP]

Yup, there's no turning back now. Definitely a writer.

You've just brilliantly summed up why I keep a pencil and paper on my nightstand. Don't fight it, Wil. Never fight the muse.

[Liam Gladdy]

Hey, aren't you a WGA member? How does the writing work with the strike?!

I always figured you were!

[ShowbizPRgirl]

Boy, can I relate, Wil! I'm working on a comic book series with my co-writer Jeff Mariotte (Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Supernatural) and there have been nights, lately, where it's going on 6-freakin-a.m. and I still haven't gone to sleep yet because my brain just won't stop going over story ideas for issues 3 years down the road! I mean, seriously. Short of downing a bottle of tequila with two sleeping pills, what's a girl gotta do around here to get some shut-eye?

[DJC]

Too riotous. Snarfed!

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"Me: I'm going to kill you with so much Arrogant Bastard tonight.
My brain: Yay! Everyone wins!" - W.Wheaton vs his brain, 05:13 17 Dec 2007
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[R]

Hilarious! and do I ever feel you, dude. Why is is that the ideas always come at those times? I am totally going to remember this dialogue next time I can't sleep for writing in my head...

[Wil]

Liam: I'm not WGA, and the project I'm working on isn't for film or television, or subject to any union jurisdiction.

Having said that, if a job came my way that was covered by WGA, I certainly wouldn't take it, because that would be scabbing, and scabs should be boiled in oil and forced to watch The View.

[dakabn]

I know I'm a creative. I'm a professional Graphic Designer and recreational writer. I don't have enough attention span to actually write something worth publishing, but I enjoy writing.

Anyway. I've been getting ready for bed or about to fall asleep and an idea for a little story or a design that I've been struggling with pops into my head. Annoying but I smirk and think, "I am so the creative."

[Michael]

My boyfriend's comment: 'He's so behind the times. I IM with my brain.'

I wonder how many people will be influenced by the power of suggestion here ...

[drumgoddess]

~~~"Having said that, if a job came my way that was covered by WGA, I certainly wouldn't take it, because that would be scabbing, and scabs should be boiled in oil and forced to watch The View."~~~

I agree, concur and other words as well.
(except for all the sweatshop reality writers who are -already- treated so badly that the View and the boiling oil thing might be a welcome respite.)

I wonder if I'll be seeing you on the lines for the Globes. Cause, you know, Red Carpet Picketing ought to be fun.

(also, Arrogant Bastard ftw! A useful tool that should be in every writer's toolbox/fridgybox.)

[adichappo]

Wil,
You writing a manga script?? As in like a whole book or series? You're coolness factor just skyrocketed in my book! I'm a huge manga lover of books from all over the world (not just Japan). Of course, I still have to get the ST manga with your story in it. It's on my list...really!! Good luck with the script. I hope the next time your brain has a great idea it's at a sane hour @_@

[jslicer]

You best hope that your brain came up with some super-mega-awesome ideas for the manga, otherwise having a story in your next collection about being pwn3d by your own brain is not a pleasant prospect. Ha ha!

[Kirsten]

One of these days I'm going to learn to let my brain win. I've "written" some good stuff (to me, anyway) in my brain as I'm falling asleep, assuming it would still be there the next morning. But it never is...

[zizban]

Your brain talks to in a surfer voice? Man, that would make pound the Arrogant Bastard hard.

[Ben @ Jump-Leads.com]

Bizarrely, something very similar happened to me this morning at around 3:30am. I was woken up following a particularly odd dream (featuring a guest appearance by the Gorillaz) and my brain just would not switch off. It proceeded to give me ideas it had come up for Interesting Developments for a Jump Leads script I'm writing, and also (for some reason) insisted that I read the Shaun of the Dead trade paperback.

I didn't get up to write, largely because I had to be up in two and a half hours, but in retrospect seeing as I didn't get to sleep again until gone 5am, perhaps doing some writing would have been a good idea.