Other than reading and writing on the theme you write on, what do you do to keep in touch with your writing?
Publishers are always looking for something different, but the same. I know It's stupid. If you know that you have a story thats captivating and awesome-sauce, it will do well. Write the ****er.
the thing that generates most ideas for me and always makes me stay in touch with my writing is daydreaming about my characters and possible scenes/events. Even If I will never use these scenes in the actual novel it helps me to get to know them better and learn how they would react in given situations. it is also a pleasant way to spend my time. plus it is a way to stay creative even when not writing.
I definitely agree with this. I daydream about my characters a lot - more than I write and study, at least. I know you've already stated reading, but this isn't fiction: currently I'm reading an autobiography of a man whose dealt with the same things some of my major characters go through and so far it's interesting and it's given me different perspectives to think about. It's not the first I've done this as research - I find reading non-fiction is sometimes more helpful than fiction. I also watch a lot of documentaries that include/influence the themes in my novels too. Learning more about real people and situations helps me with making my novel feel more realistic. As well as this, I talk about themes and writing face-to-face with non-writers: I mostly talk about them with my partner and he's always the first to realise if I ask/propose an awkward/offensive question to a group of our friends then I'm usually doing research.
Keep in touch with my writing? I wasn't aware that I was supposed to be keeping in touch with it. It's just part of life for me. No need to touch bases with it or anything. I observe my world, read, and write. It's like sleeping, breathing, or eating. It just is.
like lord m, i can't guess what you mean by 'keep in touch with [my] writing'... i simply write... period!...
I sometimes, ironically, send letters to my manuscripts. Dear Title, hey, it's been awhile. I know, I'm sorry I haven't been revising lately, just know that it's not you, it's me... You know, keep it touch with my writing so it doesn't think I forgot about it!
"Writing is to reading, as eating is to food." Or is it "Writing is to reading, as barfing is to food." I don't know what more secrets you could ask for. Read. Read. Read. Write. Read. Read. Read. Write. Read. Read. Write. Read. Write. Read. Write. Write,write,read,read,read.
That is so true. If I get blocked up, I read other books and they usually unblock me. Read, read, read; write until you pass out and read some more.
I know this sounds corny but the other thing I do besides read is to talk to my friends about philosophical issues. The hole meaning of life thing and how people think and what is wrong in this world. By talking about these things, they give me stories I want to tell. I think once a thought gets planted in your head, it grows and becomes an infection that has to be told, right or wrong. I have seen this theme in the, "Why do you write?" forum when people say, "I write because I have to." I can so relate to this. I hope that helps.
Research. I study things that interest me, most would apply to my genre, directly or indirectly. How other writers have developed what they use. How real things work so I can make fantasy things seem more real. Real animal behavior to apply to fantasy animals. People watching: I am always studying people and what they say and how they say it. reading; diving into the genre that I love. Feedback: I think is the most important part. Knowing what people liked or disliked about what I wrote. I know this is hard to believe, but most reviews tell me I need to work on sentence stucture and tenses. Finding a place for people to look at your work and tell you weaknesses and strengths.
Lol! I think for me it's moe like write, write, write, read, read, write, write, read, read, read, write, write, write... Uh-oh! that is a writing-killer to me. Critique from friends/people I know seem to put me off it, and definitely when I'm still writing... I'm hypersensitive about critique when I'm in the writing phase, if anyone starts question even the slightest detail I start questioning the entire story, and that is the beginning of the end. Love your user-name! I'm the same. I do my best daydreaming while walking or before sleeping. But im always daydreaming, from the moment i get on the subway in the morning on the way to work until I fall asleep at night.
I love this format to describe someone's methods, lol. The history of my practices as a writer: write write write write write write write, read, sigh, read, !, read, hrmmm wow, ....write? DELETE, read read, write....? cringe, read read READ, write, shrug, sigh, read read read read READ READ READ READ!!! write, phew, read read write read read write read read write. It basically took really getting vigorous and almost angry in my determination to read that I ever made any progress at all, lol.
LOL! seeing it like that it actually seems rather stressful No wonder if you have to take some time off and send holiday cards to the novel apologizing for not being more present,
Definitely listening to music. A lot of the big scenes I've written were inspired by some of my favorite songs.
Yes! This is something I've overlooked. Though I can't write something alongside a song with lyrics; it's too distracting. I do however like to listen to instrumental music while I write. I have multiple play-lists that I write to depending on the tone of the piece that I am writing. I usually write without music, but listening to a good song, even when your not writing can be very inspiring.
I carry around a small notebook along with a pencil and eraser. Whenever I have free time on the road, I pick it up and I start writing every single detail of my novel. I do it on the bus, in the metro, at the bus stop, in the school hallways (if I'm alone), and at home. I haven't been writing lately, so I try to keep it together by writing about my novel. Even when I'm not writing about it, I just think about it. All the time. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my novel. It's a fixation, alongside food and sleep. Especially food and sleep.
Hi Tesoro I am satisfy with you.Daydreaming about your story and characters,possible events would put your story not to got borring and concentrate you on main topic or idae of your story.
Hi For me it works really well, and it makes me feel I know my characters in every aspect, and that is helpful when writing the story as I never have to pause thinking about what they will do now/how they are going to deal with this problem. they are almost as real as real persons to me, lol. and it makes me feel less guilty of "wasting my time" wityh daydreams...
