Thursday 18 September 2008

Switching Off

Never believe a thing your brain tells you... Seriously - mine hates me.

First it keeps trying to divert me with wonderful ideas that are so much better than the project I'm currently working on. Most of the time it's just a title - "Ooh," it coos, "but that title is actually hiding a fabulous story just beneath its letters. Go on write it. I swear I won't divert you again." If I listened to it I'd have about fifty stories on the go at the moment.

Second, it kept me awake most of the night. I awoke in the middle of a dream and carried it with me. I had just got a call from one of the agents currently reading* the full manuscript of The Poisoned Apple offering representation. *I say currently but they have each had the manuscript for almost two months so they are not actually reading it right now. Eek! Anyway, I convinced myself that when I checked my email in the morning there would be one from an agent - almost skipped to work. I say almost because I actually shuffled (it's a long walk and it was early). Needless to say there was no email - damn my brain.

I think I'll eat lots of chocolate and drink lots of coffee this evening and see how it copes with that...

18 comments:

Fox Lee said...

Silly brains. Two nights ago I couldn't sleep because I scared myself with my own story idea. I'm not sure if that's cool or dorky.

Cate Gardner said...

No, that's actually cool.

Katey said...

Man, I hate when my brain does this. I had a sort of similar dream last week that I was on the phone with the agent who has Wolfton Paranormal, but I was at my parents' in BFE West Virginia so I had no signal and it kept cutting out. I woke up like "oh god, she tried to call me!"

... not so much. In the words of Pepe LePue, "Le Sigh."

Also, Natalie-- that is definitely cool. :D

Cate Gardner said...

Brain's are evil... Right now, mine keeps convincing me to stay on the internet.

Jamie Eyberg said...

My brain is saying I can get my book written without writing it. It wants to look at my stock portfolio go down the tube. having a hard time...hey look a chicken...what was I saying?

Jacqui said...

Oh, my brain does this all the time. "Look at the shiny new idea," it says. "It would be SO much easier than revising..."

Carrie Harris said...

Your brain hates you? I'm sorry to say this, but that is a book idea just WAITING to happen. :)

Cate Gardner said...

Jacqui - It's so reassuring to know everybody's brain is wired to work against them.

Carrie - I'm sure at about 3 a.m. my brain will decide that is actually a fabulous idea and it will force my hand to pick up a pen.

Jamie Eyberg said...

Aren't we all glad we can laugh at our quirks. Even if they do work against us.

Mary said...

My brain constantly conspires against me. It’s doing it right now. (Eek!)

Anonymous said...

Yes, but if you are of the mind (no pun intended) that dreams are sort of a preminition (I find this to be true), then good things could be looming.

Either that or you're obssessed with the book...

Kimbra Kasch said...

My brain keeps convincing me to blog and blog some more.

But I say Barry was right the first time and that your dream is a premonition of great things to come

Gabe said...

I know you already have a few, but I nominated you again. What can I say? I love your blog.

Cate Gardner said...

Jamie - I think a sense of humour is required if you want to be a writer. :) Actually a sense of humour is a plus if you want to be anything.

Mary - If you're reading this your brain has won again.

Barry - obsessed. Though I did once have a spell of dreaming about slot machines and then won a holiday to Vegas so you never know. ;)

Kim - listen to your brain, I love your photographs.

Cheers, Gabriel :)

Brenda said...

I keep having the same daydream that a publisher shows up at work and we create a children's story that goes through the ABC's of why I was leaving my job...we even draft a cover letter to go with it...

I'm always smiling after that daydream...then the phone will ring or someone will knock on my office door and I realize it was a lie...a lie I tell ya...sigh...grin

Cate Gardner said...

One of these days, Brenda. :)

K.C. Shaw said...

Every time my stupid phone rings my brain assures me it's either an editor or an agent with The Call. And of course it never is. Like today, it was my cell phone provider trying to convince me I needed to give them more money for a "better" phone plan. That's a bit of a come-down.

colbymarshall said...

My brain hates me, too. I try not to listen to it.