When I can’t figure out where I’m going in a story, I lay down, close my eyes and imagine the characters and the story. Eventually (hopefully) the fix comes to me. Janelle and I call this “Napping”. 
OK seriously, it seems to work for both of us. Sometimes if I’ve been working hard, a car ride will clear my head but that’s not the same as the “Napping” thing. That can really work out a story problem – if I don’t fall asleep first! Today I was reading my horoscope and the end of it said: “… Even if you don’t nap, be sure to at least close your eyes and do some creative visualization.” When I read the word CREATIVE VISUALIZATION it was like a light bulb went on in my head! “Napping” had a real name! Don’t ask me why but this really excited me. So much that I had to share. It means what I do isn’t unusual. Like when I was younger and I’d make up stories in my head. When I was bored and couldn’t sleep, I’d place myself in different places and situations. Long car rides? No problem! Take myself somewhere. Back then I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer. I thought everyone played these “what if” games in their head. But I must have known they didn’t because I never shared this information with anyone! Later, when I became an actual writer, I met people who TALKED ABOUT and ADMITTED TO doing the same thing. Which led to this crazy bond we writers have. I discovered I wasn’t insane, just creative! So reading about “Creative Visualization” in my horoscope of all things, just gave me that same light, release kind of feeling. I am not alone!
I’m not sure what to ask you guys about now. What we should discuss here today. It was just a cool revelation I wanted to share!
Carly Phillips would like to take 100% credit for all her stories but the truth is, Carly’s strength is writing family, emotion, funky elderly people and animals. She couldn’t plot her way out of a paper bag, which is why she smartly found her plotmonkey pals early on in her writing career. Thanks to their support, Carly is now a NYT Bestselling author of 23 plus novels. Because writing doesn’t keep her busy enough, Carly is also a wife, a mother of one preteen and one teenage daughter, the primary care giver of her soft coated Wheaten terrier and an expert carpool mom.
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Carly,
I do exactly the same thing…”napping.” And visualizing myself as the heroine of the story in different situations while driving. I’ve done that for years and years. Before I was driving, I’d daydream in high school. When my husband falls asleep before me, I close my eyes in bed and do the same thing until I fall asleep. And at work (in all the jobs I’ve ever held, from teenager to know), when I’m not interacting with anyone else, I imagine myself as a herione of some story who’s doing this job for some reason…usually it’s some kind of a cop/spy character who’s doing this job as undercover work. I didn’t know that anyone else did this. And many times I catch myself moving my lips as I’m going through the dialogue in my head. Anyone watching me must thing I’m so weird.
On another note…
Hello everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve been on here, but I’ve been busy with my two girls. They were born July 9, 2009. Serina, 4lbs 3oz, 15.5″ long and Sienna, 5lbs 9oz, 18.5″ long. They’re keeping me busy. This is the first week I’ve had any time to “escape” to the computer for a few stolen minutes of personal time.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Debbie G.
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Welcome back, Debbie and CONGRATULATIONS! Two daughters, you will be loving life! It’s great.
Do you / are you a writer Debbie?
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Carly,
Yes, I’m a writer. Unpublished, but hopefully that will change. I’m a member TARA and have had the pleasure of meeting Julie. I have a book that’s finished, though major revisions are needed. I wrote and wrote and wrote from the heart, and then did a little research and went “oh-oh!” But everything is fixable; it just takes time. I haven’t been writing in the last few months and it might be a few more before I can get any serious writing done again, but it’s for a very joyous cause–my two beautiful girls.
I hear some fussing going on…it seems like my personal time is up. Maybe I’ll be able to sneak back over here a little later today, but I can’t promise. I never know how my day is going to be…calm, fussy or somewhere in between?
Debbie G.
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Congrats on your 2 girls Debbie!
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Debbie — enjoy every moment with your baby girls! They grow up much too fast!
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Congratulations, Debbie….
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Wow 2 girls! That is awesome!
Enjoy them as Janelle said, they do grow up super fast.
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Debbie, Congratulations on your girls.
I bet they are little bundles of joy. At almost 3 months old they should be showing their personalities more & responding to the surroundings. Enjoy them each and every day as I’m sure you have heard many times, they grow up way to fast! 
& the girls.
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Hey Debbie, congrats on your two girls. I love the names you chose.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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All I want to say is Thank God I moved to Florida. Why you ask? moving hadme quit my job and stay at home and decided to read agian after many many years of not reading. Which led me to reading my first Carly Phillips book which led me to the plotmonkeys which led me to many other authors and the idea that I want to write and I’m not a crazy person. rewind 20 years as a child I would imagine myself any diffrent situations make things up in my head as I got older and in my teens I continued to make up stories in my head people having conversations. I never thought myself crazy but I never discussed this with anyone either. I graduated went to cosmetology school moved away from home though the thought of writing never occured to me I would continue to play the stories out in my head. I remeber driving to the store one day when we were living in WA I was not enjoying doing hair anymore and I just kept thinking over and over there has to be something else that I’m suppose to be doing what is it something creative I always thought I’d be good at acting but I was too old for that so I said maybe I could write a movie or come up with a t.v. show. I continued to think and think then I continued with my same job but it always bothered me that I wasn’t doing what I should be doing. fastforward the the present I have learned so much in the past year and one of the things I learned is that I’m not crazy by making up stories and conversations in my head and I love hearing when other authors do the same thing. With everyones help I’ve come a long way I still have a long road a head of me but it is the first time that I felt that this is what I want to do I jsut want to write.
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Michele, I so remember the AHA moment of “Maybe I can do this” and life was never the same again. Just BETTER! Good luck with it!
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Oh, I’m so excited to learn this term! I’ve just been calling it daydreaming all my life. Thanks for this post! :)
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I’ve always made up stories in my head, just never had the courage to write any of them down. Glad to know I’m not alone, now just need to start putting some of my stories to paper.
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Well, whatever you call your process, it definitely seems to be working. LUCKY BREAK is awesome! Keep up the creative visualization, missy. And maybe think about teaching a workshop on it at nationals…
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Thanks, Louisa! Though I wish the process would work faster in the beginning!
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I like the sound of “Creative Visualization”. Much better than “napping”.
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That’s a cool term :)
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I love the term “Creative Visualization” I believe in it and use it all the time.
It is what keeps me sane in tough times and helps me be creative when I need to
be. :dogrun:
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Congratulations, Debbie! Love the girls’ names!
Carly, I’m happy to know I haven’t been wasting time “napping!”
Although I’m not a writer, I’ve been busy creating visually! LOL!!!
Pat Cochran
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Congratulations, Debbie!
I do my best “napping” in the tub. There is something about the warm water and how it relaxes me. I have weaved many plots in the tub.
Cher
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Wait!?! You mean I’m not crazy for talking back to all those voices jabbering at me in my head? *WHEW*
When I get stuck, driving or hot showers seem to do the trick. If I try “napping”…I…uhm…
But I do love playing “What If?” with Iffy (Why yes, that’s where my Muse got her name, why do you ask… 
)
Debbie, congrats on the girls! I bet you’re on
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I play those mental games as well, and always have. Some tiny incident will catch my eye and suddenly I’ve spun an entire story…lol…llilke you, it took me a while to figure out other people didn’t think that way!
I am definitely liking this solid justification for napping!
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What a great revelation! I’ve heard for many years to visulize something you want but I would not have thought about it being applied to writing or any other creative process.
Isn’t it nice to know you are not alone!! Not that I would ever think you are alone!! 
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I’m amazed at how a “throwaway” blog – in other words, one that made sense to ME – resonated with so many of you! COOL!
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Carly, none of your “throw away” blogs ever seem to be such things. We always get a lot out of them…it is like you give us a chance to just empty ourselves and say what we are thinking…we need those days sometimes…
I often called, what we can now coin “Creative Visualization” as daydreaming. You know what? I do it in front of my students sometimes, and they never know. It’s when I start talking out loud that I grab their attention. I don’t realize it unless one of my outbursts gets a reaction from them, and I have to apologize. I kinda like the term “napping” though. It is great to see so many of the monkeys out and about today.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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What a great post! I’ve always played in my imagination or daydreamed – I’ve done this for as long as I can remember. I can’t read in the car – it makes me dizzy – but it’s never been a problem because I just go inside and carry on with whatever story’s going on in there. It’s so much fun – and I never know where a story’s going to take me. I just wish the words sound as good on paper as they do when I’m seeing them in my head!
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