Image from Science Daily

Craig here today, and the topic is daydreaming. As a speculative fiction author, daydreaming is paramount to the process. We dwell upon the idea of “What If” and it’s important, but daydreaming often gets overlooked.

Of course, I can only talk about my process and you might have to adjust to suit your own methods. First I want to set the stage a bit.

I’ve posted here before about my push feeds. These are subscription services to news that might help me create a story some day. Because of the fiction I write, mine are about aliens, voodoo, witchcraft, archeology, and cryptids to name a few. These are like collecting seeds. Nothing much happens with them at this point.

What works for me is quiet solitude. Many of my best ideas have come from commuting to work in the dark, with the radio off. My best method is to find some solitude in the National Forest and just let my mind wander. Your method might differ, maybe it’s the shower, or a cup of tea on an evening patio.

This attracts my Muse, Lorelei. She gives me ideas of what might happen based upon those news bits I read. The solitude is like planting the seeds, and Lorelei brings the sunshine.

When I have a vignette or partial plot in mind, I make some notes as soon as I can. I don’t generally lug my iPad around, but the notes app is on my phone too. This is where it gets complicated, because they can stay that way for years. I have some in a living document that are that old.

Continue reading: Daydreaming – Guest Post by, Craig Boyack… | Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog