Just wondering, do any of you have anything strange you do when writing? For example, I have a rule that the first word of my finished manuscript has to be the same as the first word of the first draft, that one word is not allowed to change. Stupid, I know.
I can't move on from a scene unless it's finished. Unless I figure out that scene (How to write it) then I'll even put the whole novel on hold. I guess I have a pet peeve for unfinished stuffs~
I do my best writing when I'm enraged, but there's two kinds of enraged. There's stressed out and high blood pressure enraged. And there's broken, depressed, and entirely hopeless enraged. The second one is the one when I do my best writing. I practically feed on anger.
Nothing too peculiar, I don't think. I like it to be quiet. I used to write a lot in my parents' conservatory, overlooking our garden. For some reason I like to have tea with lemon when I write. I don't really have that combination any other time.
Nothing, really. I know my document has to look a certain way, but I don't know if that's really strange or just what I'm used to.
i sometimes like to make the title of the story into a style. like change the font and colour and size to suite the style of the story to start me off writing i also sometimes draw scenes or lanscapes or creatures from my mind if its a fantasy, or collect pictures that have any similarity to the story including characters.
I do my best work sitting in my massage chair. Because moving is impossible, I have to sit straight and then I focus better. If I sit in my office chair or in the sofa, I move all over the place and end up doing something else. Now something about my actual writing that bothers me is how many filler words I use. When I post of forums too. I always write lots of kind of, barely, hardly, totally, etc... when there is no use for them and they just clutter whatever I'm writing. It's weird, because I don't speak that way.
The only odd thing I must have is a title page for my stories. I don't even care if it is a blank page it just has to be there or it annoys me to no end.
I have to be holding a spatula between my teeth and have a banana skin under each foot. Only THEN will I get into the zone. Seriously though. I have tried to get rid of ritualistic habits because they're ultimately unrewarding. I used to compulsively clean before I wrote and all it does is eat into writing time. You have to be ruthless with that kind of thing and be able to write anywhere.
I tend to write late at night, and only on my laptop. If I listen to music, It can't have words. I have to go in order-- I can't write a scene I know I'm going to do before I get there. I have to edit in order, too, which is a pain because if I walk away from a project for a while (like two months, let's say), I have to re-edit everything I've already edited because I can't pick up where I left off.
I don't read much -- if any -- fiction when I'm heavily invested in a writing project. I don't like the thought of someone else's work bleeding too much into my own, as I feel is quite apt to happen when I'm working on reading some novel while also writing my own. I usually switch to nonfiction for the duration.
I do that too, but then I clean up the ms from those when I edit or try to rephrase it in order to make it clear even without them.
funny, I do that too. I just don't feel very interested in reading others work when writing on my own, but it's not for the fear of getting influenced, rather the opposite, when I feel I start repeating myself and feel restricted vocabularywise I WANT to read someone elses novel to get some new ideas (on how to express myself) or activate different parts of my vocabulary.
I wear a sport coat. Weird, I know, but something about the formality of it makes me more focused and separates that time from the rest of the day. I draw the line at corduroy and elbow patches, however.
Over the past couple of years, I've found it soothing to have golf tournaments on TV while I'm writing. As sports go, they're very quiet and respectful, the commentators speak in low voices, the applause is limited and rather gentlemanly, and when I need a character name, I can just glance up and see a leader board and pick first and last names from that. I never used to be a fan of golf. But for some reason, it seems to help me write.
I, also, do not read that much while in my "writing" mood. I can't concentrate on both, so I don't. My writing stops dead if a character's name isn't working, and I can't move past it until the right name has been found. It's frustrating but very rewarding when I know the name is appropriate to the character. I like to keep a visual representation of the setting I'm using in the next program window for quick reference. My writing is most productive at night and I tend to listen to ambient "space" music to set the mood.
I don't have any rituals as such, except having some chocolate next to me! But I do bite my nails when I write. I don't bite them any other time. On Wednesday I had an amazing 8 hours of peaceful writing (on vacation, kids were at daycare and hubby at work - house to myself ALL day! Laid down 5100 great words too, I was thrilled!) and when I finished, my nails were bitten to the quick and so sore! Half the time I don't even realise I am doing it. :redface:
I like writing outside on a sunny day... or in the pub, or late at night in bed (with notepad). When I'm writing with a pen instead of typing the words seem to flow easier. But I don't 'have to'...
