Is it common among writers, to be inspired in the wee hours of the morning? ;-)

A Rainbow on a Cloudy Day

I want to be a rainbow in your clouds :-)
Because I've had so many rainbows on cloudy days, cloudy moments....CLOUDY MONTHS! ;-)
And I appreciate them. More than those rainbow-givers will ever know :-)

And I want to give myself over to something bigger than myself each day, before I walk out the door.

Not because I don't trust myself. Not because I don't think my life is worth living without doing so.

Because I want to remember how insignificant I am. In this world full of people, I am one. And I want to be able, as only one small person, to make a huge difference.

How can I do that alone?

I can't.

And if I remember that I am not perfect; that I need help; that I will continue to learn and grow until the day I leave this earth and, most importantly, that the same goes for everyone else...I will be free.

So I will freely give out rainbows. And when I make mistakes, I will remember that the people around me, are rainbow-givers too :-) And I will smile.

Thank you Oprah and Maya Angelou

I feel, as an adult, most of my cloudy days come from guilt. From mistakes I have made, words I have spoken, things I have done, that I cannot take back. I dwell on them and they eat me alive from the inside.
That's why I feel it's so important for me, to focus on my intentions and the people around me. And I know that both are good :-) to the core.
So I have to let that guilt go...

My beauty lies in what I can create

These bruises you've given us...they will fade
These cuts on our cheeks...they will close
These bones that you've broken...they will mend
These physical scars...they will heal

But this...this part of us that you have stolen...

we want to be strong. We want to roar! We want to heal!

But this...this place...

You have taken something from us that we can't get back.

We don't know if this will heal.

We cry out in rage and then break down in desperation.

We would prefer death.

My ancestors before me

My parents

My brother

My cousins

My children

My friends

Me

Deep breath

Me

Deep breath

Me...

I must travel with Charon.

No fear.

How can there be fear? They will be there to greet me.

And I will be there...to embrace them :-)

How do you get to know your characters?

I just noticed that I'm writing 5-10 page snippets from different parts of my character's existence. Almost like snapshots from her life. I know there are major continuity errors that will have to be fixed when all the pieces of the puzzle are put together, but I'm enjoying getting to know her this way. How she reacts in certain situations, how she treats different people, how she speaks....her personaltiy is solidifying before my eyes :-) Or, in my words :-)
I wonder how other authors get to know their characters.

Just got really into a part of a story I'm working on and I realized I have to go back and change everything!!! Okay that's an exaggeration.
The time period is three thousand years ago and I'm writing about a cell she's in and the guard drags her in and out. And I'm trying to decide how she's being kept in there..what action will he take to keep her in there? Did they have iron bars and keys and locks? Doubtful. So I say screw it and keep writing.
Only to realize later that the reason it's been bothering me, is probably because cells back then would have been holes in the ground. Grrr....
Rewriting: the best part of writing :-)