Attack of the Rabid Plot Bunnies

So, I've fallen in with a bad crowd. In addition to convincing me to forsake my responsibilities as husband, father, and a contributing member of society, they have also been really encouraging me to write...every day...This is a new thing for me as I have NEVER written everyday for any length of time. Ever. Even when I was writing my angst filled poetry of my teenage years, I never written every day. So, it was with some trepidation that I signed up with this group.

They weren't a bad sort. I'd met a few in person at a local writer's group started by the beautiful and talented Tessa Gratton and Natalie Parker. About 20 of us descended on quiet bar, in a nice hotel, and hung out for a couple hours.  Names, email addresses, story ideas, and twitter addresses were swapped. Having never "tweeted" before in my life, I decided to try it out. This was my first tweet. I think it was funny.

Anyway, I loaded up my follow list with all of the people that I had met or had attended that first meeting. I started watching and learning (which is the best way to start). I started seeing the hashtag #writemotivation. Two of the people from the writing group seemed to be using it a lot. I checked it out. If you are a writer, so should you. It's a great idea. The idea is that you make goals and then try to keep up with them. Your twitter-friends and such help you, encourage you, and say pithy things to cheer you up. It's a win-win situation in my book.

So, what does this have to do with "rabid plot bunnies"? Well, two of the #writemotivation people (KT Hanna and Becca C.) started encouraging me to write more. I started off slow with a whopping 150 words one night. That was a week and a half ago. Yesterday, I wrote 1600 words. Tonight? Who knows. I hope to finish with Chapter 2 of my Work in Progress #1, but it may end up being tomorrow (I have homework to do for my Creative Writing class that I'm taking).

So, here is where the "plot bunnies" come in. I woke up yesterday and was hit with a really awesome scene that had NOTHING to do with what I had been writing up until that point. Naturally, I freaked. I got on twitter and made a plea for help. Luckily, my friends were there to calm me down and give me this advice: "Take a day and write it down. Then go back to your original story." Over lunch that day, I wrote it, all 600+ words of it. I had slain the evil plot bunny. That night I was able to go back and continue on Chapter 2 of my first WIP. Since my scene was so awesome (to me!), I listed it as my WIP #2.

So, if you are writing an awesome story and something unrelated shows up, don't panic. Write it down or it will bite you with its big, nasty teeth.

'Till next time.

P.S. You can follow me on Twitter. There is also a link somewhere on the right side of the page. Also, check out my link to the #writemotivation movement.