Noooo! Sound! I need sound! Even music usually isn't enough sound; I need the erratic, unpredictable sound of television or a crowd.
I don't usually listen to music when writing - it distracts me. Typically when I'm writing, there are background noises. (TV, coughing, talking, etc.) Unless the noise is ridiculously loud I'm not bothered. I find this works well for me. But I think what works best for me is relative silence. I recall writing really well when it's very quiet. This is only available when I'm home alone or after midnight, which coincides with me writing better at night.
I prefer silence, but that hardly ever happens. I usually have cartoons, noisy toys beeping & singing, and the occasional "Mine! Gimme!" to serenade me. Some times I'm lucky enough to block it out.
I love quiet. I once tried playing music, but I ended up getting all distracted and forgot about writing.
Same here. Internet's both a blessing and a curse. I should be writing right now, and look what I'm doing! Lol.
No, we are just working on our meta-identities: the characters we create for the writingforums.org site!
I'm a musical writer myself. I find that with the right music on I either end up with ideas and emotions that I try to weave into my writing, or I'm able to tune out the outside world and just disappear into my writing. Usually both happens, and I love it!!
It depends for me. Sometimes I find it best to write in silence. However sometimes I find music helpful. Music can help me evolve emotions better sometimes, and find words do describe things I am trying to say.
What is silence? There is always something going on around me, even in the middle of the night when I want silence. Where does the person next door get off thinking it's okay to vacuum at 2am? I always have my earphones in and music playing whether or not I'm writing. It's either that or listen to other people talking, or listen to their music or listen to whatever they're watching on television. Life is one big distraction so I block it all out with music. I can write to almost anything but I'm most productive when it's either super fast electronic music or slow, emotional ballads.
I must have silence. Occasionally, I'll let a TV can drone in the background, but that's the only exception. I can't listen to music or anything. I find it so much of a distraction.
lol whenever I try writing I choose a song ive started liking recently and just put it on repeat... which kinda ruins the song lol
The art, the explosions of creativity (plot twists, voices, back story ) more often than not come behind the wheel of my car, knowing this to be true I rarely play the radio driving.
I have a question: is there such a thing as stamina when it comes to writing? And, is it likely to increase if I stick at it? I seem to go through bursts of creativity and then nothing for days. I find I am switching off a little when plot issues that need to be ironed out require some rewriting and often only really have the the passion to write the "new stuff" even when I know that will itself be flawed and need to be revisited. I am starting to wonder if I should discipline myself to do so many hours of the "ironing out" per day. Is this something that eases with time or you become more efficient at? I think I can deal with the notion of working on a long piece being a case of: three steps forward and two back but as I get further into my project I am starting to feel that the housekeeping aspect of going back and rewriting might be growing exponentially to the point it will stall the new stuff completely. When I have hit this stage before I have given up as I end up being dissatisfied with what came out in the creative burst when it's under closer inspection or I realize that something I really like has to be jettisoned because of how the plot or a character has later developed.
Everyone does it differently. I, for instance, sometimes go through an entire first draft without doing any editing until I am completely done. Other times (like currently) I am constantly going back to fix things in a WIP. Either way I think it's fairly safe to say that your final work will bear little resemblance to your first draft. That's what it's there for. It's a springboard. Oops. Missed the point there didn't I? I often spend over 6 hours a day writing, on my own work and helping other people with theirs. I don't break it up into write/rewrite though. Is that what you mean?
I don't iron out or edit anything until I have a completed story. Then i completely rewrite it. I do have two hours a day no distractions, no internet etc and I just write.
The first bit is me, for sure. Mainly I'm prevented by work and stress from sitting down and writing properly for fixed, regular periods of time. It's hard to keep to a schedule. At one point I was lugging the laptop in to work so I could write on the ferry and bus. My bursts of creativity seem to get longer and more closely spaced when I make more time for writing, if you get what I mean. I always edit and revise as I go along, add in clues etc. I can't abide looking at horrible first drafts. Never have done. In my university days I would rewrite the first pages of an essay maybe 7-10 times--in longhand too, no computers then. I've found I'm more...sure of myself as far as editing goes as time goes on, so yes it gets easier.
It gets easier. It like any craft. If you were to learn working in leather, sewing or woodcarving, in the beginning each sitting would demand total focus and attention. Because every thing is new and strange and you cant do any of it on autopilot. Later when you become accustom to it, part of it will be on autopilot, and you just have to focus on the creative stuff. Rather then struggling with each world of dialog, the conscious effort would be on a higher level, consider the bigger issues ("Where do I want this conversation to go?") with an occasional stop to focus on some tricky detail. When you have reached a level when you can do some things on autopilot you don't have to rely the same way on the burst of creativity. You still have great days when you feel like a genius, but once you know your craft you can fall back on that each day and do a good days work. Or at least most days. We all have crappy day every now and then. If you revising is getting on the way of writing, keep it separate. Write the whole draft first. Revise later.
Well for me, there is no stamina. The ideas just come and go, and come and go. I do try to make myself write, but I usually just wind up depressing myself. I can't really rush my writing. I have to let the ideas come when they want to.
I finished my first story without editing. All the rest I charge through until I get a lull in creativity, then I go back and edit, correct mistakes and rewrite sentences. The preasure is off when I edit, but I am still focusing on the work, so when I get back to writing, it will be with more time focusing on the direction of the work. I should note, that my first story needs major work, even after editing several dozen times. So I think for me, editing as I go seems to work better. I don't assign a time, if I have some spare time, I write. I write more when I don't have my daughters(we all want to use the computer at the same time.) I do write two or three times a week, some times everyday.
For me, it depends on many external factors. When I don't have anything important to do, I feel like writing, and I don't really have any plans, I can write quality stuff for hours at a time.
Actually, it's the opposite with me. I like or rather find it easier thinking and working on half baked plots. I like working on new stuffs too. Let's just say, I like interior decorations than building the foundations.
depends on the individual... when working on major projects, i've been known to write non-stop for 18-20 hours a day for weeks at a time... if someone doesn't bring me food, i forget to eat... [it'[s a great way to lose weight, btw! ;-) ]
I'd say, focus on the new stuff until the story is finished. And if this means that you need to throw in things like: "Note to self: Jane is at the St. Louis warehouse at this point, and needs to be in Bermuda twenty minutes later for the scene with Jeff. Figure that out later," then, well, throw in things like that, and then go write the scene with Jeff while it's still in full color and sound in your mind. I say this because for me, keeping the creative flow going is the difficult part. So I figure that if you've still got creative flow, go with it. Get the characters, the emotions, the energy, the scenes, and if you have to cut things up and rearrange them, do it later, in the editing phase. ChickenFreak
