When 'it' clicks

I'm a firm believer that to be a writer, one must also be a reader. My latest case in point: when 'it' clicks. Two Saturdays ago I was reading a novel on my ereader and an idea popped into my head. Literally. Actually, it was a string of ideas, lines of dialogue and iamges on how to start one of my WIPs I had left alone because I wasn't satisfied with the beginning. The funny thing was I thought I heard an actual echo of a clicking sound and then the outpouring of ideas. The book before my eyes had nothing to do to inspire my story and it wasn't a paranormal. Something about reading, seeing words, thinking, must have shook or stirred something in my mind--almost like when the plates underground shift causing an earthquake.

An earthquake of ideas. I grabbed a pad, didn't bother to rush over to my laptop, and began writing down what was playing out inside my mind. I finally stopped on the tenth page, feeling quite satisfied with a smile on my face. The next morning I grabbed that pad and opened up my file. The heading for the first chapter sat there and I moved everything below it further down and began to type. Whatever 'quaking' I had experienced the night before had unleashed something inside me because I spent hours typing, making notes, mapping, I even changed the book title, and all of it felt GREAT. 

It felt right. This was the proper direction this story needed to go. 

This new beginning was the spark I needed, the puzzle piece, to get this story moving again. I'm not a doctor or brain surgeon, but I am fascinated with how the mind works. How reading suddenly stirred something in my mind, rejuvenated my novel writing, and I couldn't be happier.

And now I must get back to writing End of Silence. There's a snow day today.