I'm just wondering about writing traditions. This may have been asked before, but you'll have to forgive me as I'm going to write mine down anyway. The reason for this? None, I just want to compare...
1, Some people say they can't write with music, others say they can't write in silence. I don't mind either way. I'm probably quicker without music, and if I need to focus then I'll certainly turn it off, but I'm never in any rush so I'll pop on some tunes.
2, I can't have people in the room though. This proved to be difficult when I worked for a magazine publisher, and I had to learn how to break this barrier. But a few years on and I'm writing for my own pleasure, and I've found that I can't get into that vulnerable state I need to be in, in order to write.
3, A good few hours ahead of me. I can't rush it in the mornings before work. Annoying, as I work best in the morning. I have to know that I've got 3-4 hours ahead of me so I can fully relax. Otherwise I'm looking at the clock the whole time.
4, Internet access. Yes, it makes me work slower, but nothing beats it for research. From complex historical timelines to what years the VW Corrado was in production for (1988-1992, apparantly), the Internet is utterly essential to my writing production.
5, A vague plan for afterwards. I need something to reward myself with. Tonight I've written 2k words, so I'm either going to play Grand Theft Auto or watch Seinfield DVD's. The choice is mine, thanks to my hard work earlier!
I've heard some odd tales. One author has a giant vault in her house, that she locks herself into when she writes. Roald Dahl had his shed. Iain Banks keeps office hours for 3 months of the year. Stephen King also keeps office hours when he writes. Some authors work through the night, forgetting to eat, sleep and bathe in their work fever. Some authors write 1 page a day, even if it's crap. Others don't edit until the first draft is complete, some edit line-by-line. I've had to face the fact that I have no amusing little eccentricity when it comes to writing. I can just sit down at a desk (or on a bed with a thick atlas seperating my egg-fryingly hot laptop from my sensitive testicles like I am now) and just... do it. I'm oh-so-boring.
What do YOU like to do before sitting down to headbutt the keyboard for a few hours?
1, Some people say they can't write with music, others say they can't write in silence. I don't mind either way. I'm probably quicker without music, and if I need to focus then I'll certainly turn it off, but I'm never in any rush so I'll pop on some tunes.
2, I can't have people in the room though. This proved to be difficult when I worked for a magazine publisher, and I had to learn how to break this barrier. But a few years on and I'm writing for my own pleasure, and I've found that I can't get into that vulnerable state I need to be in, in order to write.
3, A good few hours ahead of me. I can't rush it in the mornings before work. Annoying, as I work best in the morning. I have to know that I've got 3-4 hours ahead of me so I can fully relax. Otherwise I'm looking at the clock the whole time.
4, Internet access. Yes, it makes me work slower, but nothing beats it for research. From complex historical timelines to what years the VW Corrado was in production for (1988-1992, apparantly), the Internet is utterly essential to my writing production.
5, A vague plan for afterwards. I need something to reward myself with. Tonight I've written 2k words, so I'm either going to play Grand Theft Auto or watch Seinfield DVD's. The choice is mine, thanks to my hard work earlier!
I've heard some odd tales. One author has a giant vault in her house, that she locks herself into when she writes. Roald Dahl had his shed. Iain Banks keeps office hours for 3 months of the year. Stephen King also keeps office hours when he writes. Some authors work through the night, forgetting to eat, sleep and bathe in their work fever. Some authors write 1 page a day, even if it's crap. Others don't edit until the first draft is complete, some edit line-by-line. I've had to face the fact that I have no amusing little eccentricity when it comes to writing. I can just sit down at a desk (or on a bed with a thick atlas seperating my egg-fryingly hot laptop from my sensitive testicles like I am now) and just... do it. I'm oh-so-boring.
What do YOU like to do before sitting down to headbutt the keyboard for a few hours?
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