I got to thinking, after reading a new guy's post. What helps you get the muse flowing and where do you like to write? Do you keep a notepad or tablet/cellphone handy to take notes on, or does said items let you actually write on the go, like it does me? My creative process is often all over the place so I keep onenote handy on my phone, or scrivener on my old ipad mini to jot down ideas. qiote often I'll be doing something while my book is on my mind and suddenly BLAM an idea hits me and I spend some brainpower refining it then I jot it down when I have a free moment. As for my places to write, I write at my computer using Scrivener. But I often type on the go with my iPad mini 1 (soon to be an up to date full sized one) and scrivener for iOS.
I write mostly on my phone. My job requires much travel, so I write during my waiting periods. Keeps the mind going while I'm waiting for vacuum or high tension on my microscopes. Although I do a lot more editing nowadays than writing. And school is eating time too. Don't even know where I "like"to write anymore. I just write everywhere.
I write my ideas as I get them on my phone with a note-taking app (though, I really should have some redundancy, in case the app ever stops working). My actual writing, I do at a Barnes & Noble Cafe.
If I have to adhere to a process to write, I am completely screwed. In my personal life I write when I have something to say. In my professional life I write because something needs to be said.
I write on my laptop, usually at my desk, sometimes in bed. I don't carry a notepad or try and write on my phone. When I'm writing I'm writing. When I'm not I'm not. I've found a writing routine outweighs any spurt of inspiration I feel on the go. If it's good enough to remember, I trust that it will stay with me. If not, I don't worry. We'll always have ideas. I've found it works better to rein in my approach to writing rather than letting it run free. I am a professional writer. It's my job. I've found that I can be just as creative on demand at a scheduled writing time as I can be waiting for a bus.
I've done a lot of different things in my life, but usually, I am sitting at my desk when I write, or in a restaurant when I'm writing over lunch. I may take some notes on my phone or my tablet if I have an idea, but usually, since all of my creative work is done up front, I don't have to do that. I know what I'm writing when I write. I can turn creativity on when I need it.
I use Scrivener and Evernote and Google Docs to organize my ideas, but the ideas are all over the place anyway since I'm very scatter brained
I do not write down ideas as I get them, generally. If it's truly a good idea it comes back to me and I think about it more and more until full scenes are developing. Then I begin to write some. I'm still learning my process though. I keep flip flopping between pantsing and plotting. Naturally, I'm a pantser. While I'm developing an idea for a book I start attaching to songs. They become representation of a character and scenes. I will listen to the song on repeat entirely too much, my mind using the song to develop the story/characters in different ways. It can be a little obsessive but I really enjoy it and get a good grasp on the characters and what they might do. Mostly I write in my home "office" on my desktop. I've used scrivener but in the end I keep coming back to Google Docs. Sometimes I also write on a laptop, either in the living room when no one is awake, or I've used the private rooms at the library before when I couldn't manage to focus at home.
Ive totally been there, Carrie Underwoods song blown away inspired one of my scenes. The hero's attack on the villain's lair. I've been there too when I first started using scrivener. I'd put the current chapter in docs then put it in scrivener. However, once I heard about scrivener for iOS, I saved up and got my mini 1, which is now woefully outdated. I set it up with my Dropbox, puting the pc location in the c:/Dropbox, always make sure Dropbox is synced and carry my iPad whoever I go. I have a section for ideas and edit whenever I want. They have this awesome keyboard topper that is totally customizable with 3 pages. I love it.
I, as a pantser from the couch type, have a notebook for notes and use a program that is like word for actually writing. Usually I write to music and on rare occasion with a movie going on in the back groud. It sounds weird, sometimes it works for me. Though it is sporadic and with little in terms of consistency in terms of how often I can/do write anything. It can be a few times a week, to maybe once or twice a month, to falling off for a few months before I get anything new written down. Might be due to long runs on the depression railways, that are not very helpful to writing anything. Or if I start to get burned out on a story idea, that it peters off with only putting out a few hundred words or less until I just give up on it entirely. I am constantly mentally working out the story, to come up with the best possible way of telling the story in each part or chapter. Kinda like playing a long form game of 3D chess (which I have never played, and would probably be just as bad at as the classic version), to get the story written with the best possible storyline while avoiding plot holes and plot demands. If it doesn't feel probable and well reasoned in the fiction then it will probably not be all that good to read.
My muse stimulates me orally. That is to say, she reads what I've written and gives me feedback and ideas. What did you think I meant?
I think the rules came with the board. I'm almost certain of it. It's packed away in the closet somewhere but if you're really interested I can try to find it.
Paramount never released official rules. There have been some fan-made rules, but never anything from the official Star Trek franchise.
Oh yeah, that's true. But they had to come up with some to send out with the board and pieces. It's actually a lot of fun. Hard to see very far forward in the game but still fun.
I don't tend to have a set process as I find different project require different things; some require lots of research. I find it hard to write anything done, I hate writing ideas down it feels like I'm committing it to a coffin when I do that. I find I just keep everything in my head. I create a plan in my head, like for the epic Fantasy I'm writing now, I have nothing on paper for it. I never find forgetting anything has been a problem for me. I love researching so I tend to spend too many hours hunting and gathering. Then build everything on what I've learned.
I only write at home, in my office, on my desktop Mac, using Pages as my wordprocessing programme. I have a relatively new MacBook Air (shared with my husband) but I never use it for writing. I suppose I would if I traveled a lot, but I don't really travel any more. I have a StupidPhone. And an out-of-date iPad. So no writing there. I write best early in the mornng before anybody else is up. No phones ringing, no doorbells, nobody yakking at me. Fresh from sleep, the day is a blank beginning. That's when I can get my creative stuff down. I also keep notebooks to scribble ideas into. And a few containing research materials as well. (I went on holiday to Nova Scotia back in 2002 to do research, and filled a large notebook with stuff while I was there.) I always keep a notepad by my bed, so I can scribble down ideas that occur to me in the middle of the night. I always carry one with me when I'm 'out,' because I often get ideas when I'm walking or riding a bus. But I don't actually 'write' in these notebooks. They're just for recording ideas or bits of dialogue that occur to me. I can edit in a more relaxed timeframe ...doesn't always have to be morning. I do prefer to do editing via a printout, rather than onscreen. And I can't function well if I keep getting interrupted or pestered, though. I can proofread any time. Onscreen. With the font beefed up to a large size and the 'invisibles' turned on.
I usually only take notes when I'm out of the house for longer periods of time, or when I am too lazy to get out of bed, regardless if in the morning or evening. Notes I take oldschool, with pen & paper. Though, I rarely need them, I either remember without them, or don't. If I don't, I assume they weren't that good in the first place. Yet, I find it important to write them down, because my brain then thinks a little more about the ideas and filters out the bad ones. I only write on my computer at home, and make longer notes, all with OpenOffice. Ideas come to me either randomly, or are triggered by something, often even by the strangest things. They often cause me to just write them out like crazy, often for several hours straight. Things that don't work are, writing in total silence, and writing with annoying noise around. Usually I have a youtube playlist running in the background, let's play's from youtubers who don't constantly scream and yell at their audience...
Ideas on my phone. Pilot chapters on my laptop in bed. Long writing sessions on my Raspberry Pi 3B connected to a 48" television from the sofa. Mmmmm I'm a lazy bear.
I write my fleshed out chapters on my laptop, but otherwise I keep a black notebook with me where I'll write scenes that come to mind and in bed if I think of something, I'll use my phone. I've been thinking about getting scrivener, do you find it worth it?
