Quiet, Brain. It’s sleep time

Does anyone else experience ‘Chatty Brain’ when attempting to get to sleep?  I get it most nights and it can be really annoying! I just want to switch off and rest, but my inner voice starts pondering existing chapters or working out twists and turns in ones that are yet to be written.  Usual thought pattern goes as follows (although with much more conversation and rubbish ideas):

“What about we do this with….”

“Quiet, Brain.  It’s sleep time.”

“Or,” Brain continues as it ignores my instruction, “we could link x with y and come up with z…”

“Brain.  Seriously.  Go to sleep.  I won’t remember any of this.”

“Wait – maybe so-and-so could find out that…”

“Damn it, Brain!  Go to… Hang on. That’s amazing.  I need to write this down.”

Sometimes I have some smashing ideas that are too good to forget so I’m forced to wake up and write them down.  That’s where my phone and Google Keep Notes comes in handy. I can type in the idea and Chatty Brain goes away. Or, if I’m too tired even to write, I can press the microphone button and dictate.  Many of my story ideas tend to come at this late stage of the day. Perhaps that’s merely how I operate, just like I always feel I write my better stuff between 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM or 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

Chatty Brain never really switches off.  I think writers always have ideas rattling around somewhere – being pondered consciously or subconsciously.  

I will always be grateful for my vivid imagination.

But sometimes all I really want is to go to sleep…