Oct
AHA! moments
A lot of my Aha! moments in writing have had to do with that elusive beast called internal conflict. Finally discovering what the Dickens is wrong with those people!
But in The Earl of Her Dreams it was pinpointing the murderer. I was already writing chapters before I figured out who had really done it. 
There were a lot of candidates and different ways to spin it, so I wasn’t writing completely blind…and I could use the other candidate behavior as red herrings…but finally in a burst of brainless pseudo-brilliance, I seized on the answer. A true AHA! moment where I thrust my fist into the air and shook it in triumph with my teeth bared and clenched together. Complete with triumphant growl, of course. I then very happily announced to everyone I saw that day that I had figured out who the murderer was. People tend to give you strange looks when you say things like that though…
But the best thing is to write a murder scene during the day and then go out with friends for dinner. When asked what you did that day, you can calmly spear a fry and tell them that you murdered someone - what did they do today?
Aha moments are truly awesome. The adrenline starts pumping and the fingers start clicking on the keys. Has anyone had an aha moment recently? Or a favorite one from the past? I love aha stories. 
Smooches to Michelle for the aha suggestion - Michelle, please spill one of yours!
I usually get AHA! moments in the shower. LOL! Weird, but true. And since there’s no way for me to write it down, I repeat it to myself over and over until I get out and dry off enough to write it down. And then my husband looks at me like I’m a nut!
Anne, I can’t wait to get and read THE EARL OF HER DREAMS!! Only one more day!
October 30th, 2006 at 7:06 amWell, one of my favorite AHA moments…let me think.
It would have to be when I started my WIP a couple months ago. I had named the heroine Katriona, Kat for short. But once I started writing, it just didn’t feel right, ya know?
So my fingers are flying away on the keyboard and I’m muttering about her name out loud. I DO talk to myself while writing, to thankfully I don’t answer myself. When suddenly, my fingers freeze on the keys, and I stare at the name Katriona on the scene. Slowly, I erased it till it was KAT, then added ERINE making it KATHERINE. A smile creeps over my face, then a grin, and a wicked, excited, wonderful laugh.
I screach in joy, and email my CPs that I had found my heroine, and her name is Katherine! hehehe.
That’s my recent AHA moment.
Glad you liked the suggestion Anne.
Michelle
October 30th, 2006 at 9:05 amWhat a fantastic way to start off Monday morning! Especially since I need to get to work soon. LOL
I get “Aha!” moments while driving and in the middle of the night. Typically if I’m driving I will do the same as Andrea and repeat my idea over and over until I can pull over or get to where I’m going to write it down.
My most recent aha moment was last week when we finally got a new computer, now Rich tells me “Aha! You have no excuses, go on and write that book!”
Happy Monday, everyone!
Isabel
October 30th, 2006 at 9:07 amMy most recent AHA! moment was the same kind as Michelle’s — the heroine’s name. I’d tried several different names on her for size and none quite fit, until I hit on Harriet. Since she’s planning to sail off as a man, it can be shortened to Harry. Within minutes of me getting the idea, a crit partner e-mailed me to suggest Harriet/Harry. Weird, huh?
October 30th, 2006 at 10:49 amThe shower, driving, sleeping moments! I carry a little notebook around and also have one in my car, just in case. I’ve got the fine art of writing at stoplights down.
The sleeping moments are great for curing writer’s block - but sometimes I look through old slips of paper by my bed and think, “Whaaaa?” 
October 30th, 2006 at 4:42 pmMichelle and Shirley, congrats on the aha names! Love the story Michelle!
Ooh, Isabel, congrats on the new computer. And go, Rich!
October 30th, 2006 at 4:44 pm