Writing Habits

Discussion in 'General Writing' started by BillyxRansom, Aug 9, 2008.

  1. K McIntyre

    K McIntyre Active Member

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    Found out tonight that I can actually write in my favorite bar/pub. I was waiting for @Lew to join me, and had my notebook with me (Of course!) and ... well, I got the next scene written! The wine might have helped too.
     
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  2. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    I do nearly all my writing at home, because that's the only place I can work for any length of time and be sure I won't be disturbed. You wouldn't believe how easily distracted I am. Even the idea that I could potentially be distracted is enough to pull me straight out of it. If something golden hits me when I'm out and about, I'll take down notes on my phone, but nothing beyond a paragraph or so. I need isolation plus complete silence or music to manage anything more than that.
     
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  3. killercontentwriters

    killercontentwriters New Member

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    Basically not a fixed place for my writing.
     
  4. GrahamLewis

    GrahamLewis Seeking the bigger self Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Contest Winner 2022

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  5. K McIntyre

    K McIntyre Active Member

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    Absolutely! Think I need to go pour myself a glass now.
     
  6. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    I've been writing at the kitchen table. I think it's had a positive effect. I'll stick with it for now.
     
  7. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    I'd love to write in all sorts of romantic places ...but where I actually write is in my home office at my desktop MacMini computer, with an old-fashioned stepped Mac keyboard and mouse. I have a laptop (MacBook Air) but hardly ever use it, because I hate that bloody flat keyboard! I just end up swearing and making corrections rather than writing. :rant: I guess I'm suffering old dog/new tricks syndrome.
     
  8. orangefire

    orangefire Active Member

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    Usually in my room, but anywhere that I can be alone. I can't write when other people are around.
     
  9. Vandor76

    Vandor76 Senior Member

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    I will do a similar setup. Raspi3 is already in my drawer but I also need a monitor mount case (aka VESA mount case) that allows the Pi to be attached to the back of my monitor. With a blutooth keyboard and mouse it will make a distraction-free writing platform on a nice clean desk.

    ...and to the OP : I have a small (2 x 3.6 meter) room until we have a second kid.
     
  10. KevinMcCormack

    KevinMcCormack Senior Member

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    I'm the same - I find the probability that somebody will come home anytime and start asking me to do something ("is dinner ready? did you fix the bird feeder? the cat needs to be medicated before I go out again, let me tell you about how bad the traffic was coming home, can you believe Muriel is taking another week off work?") incredibly distracting.

    I can write 5-10k/day when my wife goes on a business trip.
     
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  11. InsaneXade

    InsaneXade Active Member

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    I write mainly at my corner desk, which is in the living room of my ridiculously small house but I've been known to write with my laptop up in the bathroom, in my room on my bed listening to Lindsy Stirling, in the car on my iPad with Scrivner, in doctor's offices, basically everywhere since I got my iPad.

    Scrivner is awesome and lets me write my way, not the word processor's way but you all know that. :p
     
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  12. Damien Loveshaft

    Damien Loveshaft Active Member

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    I write in my room on a desktop with some appropriate music playing. I don't like writing in public much, too noisy and distracting. Plus I can brew tea at home, not a coffee person myself.
     
  13. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    This is my current workspace. I'll probably be here until next fall:

    upload_2017-11-27_14-36-4.png

    Yes, there's a few calculators and a slide rule on the table. I'm a total nerd. There's also a weird tablety-thing called a ReMarkable I'm starting to play with. There's also my ever-present bottle of ginger beer, without which I devolve into a person without ginger beer.
     
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  14. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    (Enlarges pic and scans carefully for anything incriminating)

    Aha! Your garbage is almost full!
     
  15. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    My eternal thanks for alerting me to this serious problem. I shall have harsh words with my Housekeeping Staff -which consists of me - about keeping the wastebaskets empty. I assure you that I will lose the appropriate amount of sleep over this transgression.
     
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  16. D.Clarke

    D.Clarke Active Member

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    In my room but I'm purchasing a small notebook pc soon. After that, I'll probably be that douche at Dunkin Donuts. Looking forward to it.
     
  17. Spacer

    Spacer Active Member

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    If we’re sharing…

    I use an original “Das Keyboard” with mechanical Cherry brand (blue stem) key caps, which is solid black with no markings whatsoever.

    I also have a Mac Book Pro on my desk, but the keyboard is not at all good for typing on.
     
  18. Laurin Kelly

    Laurin Kelly Contributor Contributor

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    I don't touch type so that keyboard, while super cool, is also what my nightmares are made of. :p

    I think this gives me an idea for a new thread though...
     
  19. K McIntyre

    K McIntyre Active Member

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    I wrote at the Toyota dealership today, waiting for my car to be serviced. It worked out surprisingly well, and made the time fly by.
     
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  20. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    So let me get this straight: If you buy an unreliable car, you spend more time getting it serviced, so you spend more time in the dealership, so your writing productivity increases. Right?

    Unreliable car = more novels = greater fame and fortune! o_O :D
     
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  21. Hitokiri

    Hitokiri New Member

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    Usually I write in home in the nigh time, because in that time there is silence in my home :)
     
  22. K McIntyre

    K McIntyre Active Member

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    Hmmmm ... hadn't thought of it like that. Actually, my Scion Xb (the shoebox) is quite reliable, i just get it serviced regularly. Keeps it reliable. Today, they did find a mouse nest (unoccupied!) in the underneath of the car though. LOL
     
  23. Mrs.Smith

    Mrs.Smith Member

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    A mouse nest? Wow! That's kinda' funny!
    "Why were you late, McIntyre?"
    "Baby mice, sir."
     
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  24. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    Do you guys write every day? I seem to go through spurts of creativity, but I would like to find a way to keep the momentum going. I've been reaching pretty high word counts the last few days, and it hasn't been impossible and I wonder why I don't write like this all the time and then I remember all the times I've tried and burnt out. I am a full time writer. This is my main focus. Since I've been writing my novel like crazy and just reached a good spot to pause, I'm going to take a week or so to really edit what I have. I feel like switching over to editing could prevent burn out and I'm still working on my novel and writing. How do you keep the momentum going? How to you work hard but not burn out?
     
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  25. izzybot

    izzybot (unspecified) Contributor

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    I wrote every day when I was writing LAFS, save for two or three days that I took 'off'. And I wrote every day in November as a challenge. But I can't do that full-time - it's exhausting mentally and emotionally. I have to take breathers, even if they're to edit or work on outlining something else or even actually put words in on a different project.

    I think for me, though, burnout is just inevitable. I know there are successful authors who really do write every day, and I might one day be at a point in my life where I can do that, but right now it's not so much a question of "How do I prevent burnout?" as it is "How do I minimize the effects of burnout?" which may not be helpful to you. But to that end it's all about taking time to recharge the batteries now and again - relax for an evening, see a movie, hang out with friends; I like being busy so it's 'relaxation' for me to just get away from my desk and clean the kitchen thoroughly or spend a day tidying up the house or accomplish something that isn't writing. I love it, but I just gotta get away from it sometimes, and that's fine. It's fine to take some time off so you can come back to it bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
     

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