I love writing because unlike anything else, it is understood that everyone is different and needs seeking/developing one's unique way (routine & habits) to become a prolific writer. This is actually one of the most important characteristic for me about writing--it makes me feel I am right (as in there is nothing wrong with my needing to get things done my way compared to having to do things always like the others, that I can learn more and better if I do it differently). There are a few "rules" most authors, including prominent ones, agree that pertain to the act of writing like reading is important as much as writing, or writing after waking up helps being creative, or having a daily schedule because writing is hard and it is not as natural as the collective imaginary of the artist might suggest. But again one has to try out different things until one finds those that best work for oneself. "I FOUND THAT " I need to sit down at the desk or computer to write, even when I don't feel like writing or seem not to have any ideas, to make the possibility of writing happen. I need to give writing a chance to actually happen. I am curious about how other people do writing, what are your habits or requirements?
I'm not sure. Sometimes the whole thing is like spinning a bottle, honestly. One day, something will work; the next day, it's another thing. Here's a comprehensive list of things that can work for me on any one day: - Writing to a schedule. - Writing whenever. - Writing early. - Writing late. - Writing and pulling an all-nighter. - Getting a good night's sleep and then writing. - Using a typewriter. - Using a pencil and paper. Or pen and paper. - Going to cafes. - Withdrawing from people altogether. - Rocking back and forth in my chair until I don't even realise I'm doing it. - Literally being in a mood and letting myself be moody. - Writing in bed/at a desk/downstairs/in a different room. - Writing with coffee/tea/water. - Barricading myself in. - Clean desk, THEN write. - Being intentional when crafting each sentence. - Writing any old shit but getting the gist of the scene. Andddd then there's the editing... My god, though. See what I mean? It's so flighty that sometimes I don't know where I stand. My one saving grace is that, 99 times out of 100, the writing is actually good (or just needs slight editing). Although, I will say that the idea of having a daily schedule - that never changes - only ever makes me want to die in a number of painful and miserable ways. I have a sort of timetable that I plan each week for everything that I do, but things crop up, and I can't always write 9am-12pm, so the session details (how long it is, the number of sessions) get shifted around as required. But I never really procrastinate anyway, so it's never a case of convincing myself to write. It's just hard, sometimes.
Here's now it goes for me when I'm excited about an idea, characters, setting etc (otherwise it's a crap shoot). The story drives everything else out of my mind. It's hard to stop to make myself do other things, and I tend to fall behind on even the important things I need to be doing. Early on I try to work out something like a synopsis, but loosely, so I have enough of an idea where it's going and some of the major things that need to happen—make sure to write it down in some kind of vague outline form, or just as notes. I wake up thinking about the story. It drives out any memory of dreams I might have had (and I love dreams, I usually write them down). Sometimes I dream about the story. Often lying in bed I'll come up with new ideas for the story and excitedly have to write those up real quick so I don't forget them, before making breakfast. Often while trying to make breakfast I keep having ideas or developing them, and have to stop and write many times. It can take over an hour to make some coffee eggs and sausage, and I often end up eating it cold. That was just the basic ideas in outline or note form. After breakfast, assuming I'm on to the actual writing (if I've worked out a decent enough outline or whatever I'm using, sometimes just vague ideas) I'll settle in and write up as much of a chapter as I can. I type fast and afterwards, when I feel the rush of ideas is mostly over, I fix most of the massive typos and mistakes. I keep the writing and editing steps separated. Then throughout the day ideas keep hitting and I keep needing to go in and write them as notes or add to whatever kind of loose outline I'm making. I do a lot of freewriting just playing with ideas, seeing if something emerges. But if I manage to get on a roll and the story is flowing out, it's all I can do to keep up with it. The freewriting is usually in the early stages when I'm still working out characters and situations. If an idea does take on what I call the flow it basically starts writing itself through me. My mind becomes like a radio receiver with static and little fragments of ideas coming in intermittently, and when one of them is good I'm off and running, and need to get to the keyboard quick and try to keep up with it. The most fertile times for ideas is when I'm doing mindless repetitive work like mowing the lawn or doing dishes or cleaning house—I have to keep stopping and excitedly typing ideas up. Sometimes they come in and work themselves up way too fast for me to keep up with. It gets very frustrating, because some simple thing like mowing the lawn can take half the day, I keep having to stop and go in and write. These days can feel overwhelming. It's like I've been taken over by someone or something that's writing through me, giving me ideas in raw form and leaving me to develop them and write them. And often it exhausts me. I type so fast and so much my fingers start to hurt and I get saddle sore from the chair, but still my mind drives me on. This is if ideas are really flowing. Otherwise it's very different, I'll try to make ideas work and nothing is happening, or sometimes I get excited and think things are flowing but it just isn't connecting up or the story isn't working well.
The biggest thing for me is getting one "big" session in as soon as my schedule allows. Sometimes I have to use a pomodoro timer to stay focused, sometimes I don't. I usually start working on the project at my desk but if I need a change up I use a laptop on my bean bag. I don't listen to any music. I very much prefer to know what I'm writing that day or else I flounder a lot. I like being dressed and ready for the day.
These days I realized that I need to know what I will be working on right before I sit down to do it. If I sit down and then think about it, I will most likely spend a long time wasting time and not getting any inspiration. Instead knowing in general what I want to work on will help me stay focused. It is more about entering a state of mind than having a solid plan or agenda to follow. I wish I had known that in college, when my aim was to first sit down to get myself to study. Even when I had a list of things to do, I never thought about it until after I sat down. As a result, my thoughts and focused were scattered all over the place and the will to work always came a couple of hours later, if not more. What a waste! On the other hand, those days I feel dry and unfocused I still sit down without inspiration to make the possibility for writing to happen.
