Inspiration Is ALL Around Me!

That's right, I see inspiration everywhere. Which isn't always a good thing.

I've actually had a chance in the last few days to sit down and WRITE! WOO HOO! My word count widget doubled in the last day (which really isn't all that much, but with my busy schedule... I'll take what I can get). I loved getting to know my characters better, but I felt a bit inundated with information.

As a writer, how are we supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak?

I personally, seem to have a hard time with this. I get started on a project and it's going great guns, then... inspiration hits! I see something... the way a man walks, or a woman wrinkles her nose when she smiles. I hear something... a song that just speaks to me, the way a man clears his throat. Or I just get a flash of inspiration. And I'm off on another tangent. I almost feel that I have to force myself to stop the new voices and nudge the old ones into action again. Which in and of itself is irritating as I then hit a brick wall.

I haven't found a system that works for me yet, as I'm just starting out. I'm hoping to implement a system, and was wondering if anyone else out there has advice. How do you silence the other characters in your head so that you can JUST FINISH ONE STORY?

What works for you? Do you just put the idea down on "paper" or Word document and file it away for further consideration later? Do you just write it down on a napkin and hope you can find it later? Someone... anyone...

HELP!!!!