This makes sense. Muscle memory. In the Navy, we had all kinds of "Drills" all of the time. Fire, casualty, collision, combat...everything. We did this so much that that repetition made action automatic...without thought. As a point, In the late-90s, I was stationed on a Cruiser out of Mayport, Florida. On New Year's Eve, my wife and I went to a party. Afterward, we went to a Shoney's restaurant for breakfast, there were about other 20 couples there. While we were eating, on the road in front of the restaurant, there was a car wreck. My wife said that one moment I was there, and the next I was gone. I had run to the wreck site, with a fire extinguisher from the Shoney's in hand...I had apparently noted on a subconscious level the location when we went in because I grabbed it on the run. With me were nine other people assisting at the scene. A total of nine men and a woman...all of us had short hair and were "clean-cut." What's "The Rest of the Story"? Those who reacted and responded were ALL Navy personnel who, in a VERY Pavlovian manner, acted on 'muscle memory' and ran TOWARD the wreck while the civilians sat watching. I'm going to look at when I seem to be writing the most and set a schedule around that time. Probably 9:00 am.
I'm nocturnal; so night is a good choice for me to do anything I love especially when I don't want to be disturbed. I can't take my dinner without a book to read. I suppose my brain is already used to it. And this feeling to write would come over me (to which I obey or, as the case suit, not). I know I love to write in the night - usually in bed - but never conscious that "I had trained my brain to do creative work at a certain hour, and my brain, that dutiful servant showed up, eager and ready", in your words. Thanks for bringing that to life. 💗💗💗💗
Off subject. I have a short story (5000 words), that I could easily flesh out into a full-length novel. Am I better to submit it as a short story and 'offer' to flesh it out, or should I flesh it out and submit it as a full-length novel?
I have run into a problem. I am writing a story for Battletech 'Shrapnel' magazine. The submissions section on the Moksha page says between "stories of 3,000–5,000 words." Additionally, it says "over 5,000 words" is grounds for summary disqualification. I have written a story that I have edited a dozen times and I can't get it below 5300 words. I seem to be just moving words around now. I have read the story numerous times, but I can't find anything else to eliminate that doesn't detract from the story. What, pray tell, is the course of action for a dilemma such as this?
This makes sense. Muscle memory. In the Navy, we had all kinds of "Drills" all of the time. Fire, casualty, collision, combat...everything. We did this so much that that repetition made action automatic...without thought. As a point, In the late-90s, I was stationed on a Cruiser out of Mayport, Florida. On New Year's Eve, my wife and I went to a party. Afterward, we went to a Shoney's restaurant for breakfast, there were about other 20 couples there. While we were eating, on the road in front of the restaurant, there was a car wreck. My wife said that one moment I was there, and the next I was gone. I had run to the wreck site, with a fire extinguisher from the Shoney's in hand...I had apparently noted on a subconscious level the location when we went in because I grabbed it on the run. With me were nine other people assisting at the scene. A total of nine men and a woman...all of us had short hair and were "clean-cut." What's "The Rest of the Story"? Those who reacted and responded were ALL Navy personnel who, in a VERY Pavlovian manner, acted on 'muscle memory' and ran TOWARD the wreck while the civilians sat watching. I'm going to look at when I seem to be writing the most and set a schedule around that time. Probably 9:00 am.
I'm nocturnal; so night is a good choice for me to do anything I love especially when I don't want to be disturbed. I can't take my dinner without a book to read. I suppose my brain is already used to it. And this feeling to write would come over me (to which I obey or, as the case suit, not). I know I love to write in the night - usually in bed - but never conscious that "I had trained my brain to do creative work at a certain hour, and my brain, that dutiful servant showed up, eager and ready", in your words. Thanks for bringing that to life. 💗💗💗💗
Off subject. I have a short story (5000 words), that I could easily flesh out into a full-length novel. Am I better to submit it as a short story and 'offer' to flesh it out, or should I flesh it out and submit it as a full-length novel?
Very good advice. Exactly what I needed to read, in fact!
I have run into a problem. I am writing a story for Battletech 'Shrapnel' magazine. The submissions section on the Moksha page says between "stories of 3,000–5,000 words." Additionally, it says "over 5,000 words" is grounds for summary disqualification. I have written a story that I have edited a dozen times and I can't get it below 5300 words. I seem to be just moving words around now. I have read the story numerous times, but I can't find anything else to eliminate that doesn't detract from the story. What, pray tell, is the course of action for a dilemma such as this?