posted
While not a topic on the writing process per-se, I'd like to know what kind of environment you need when you guys write. If you are willing to share.
Now, I write in a small and relatively cluttered room. I usually write at night (since for the most time of the day I am at college, e.g. it is 8:02 PM here now). I use my trusty laptop and when I write I usually connect a USB keyboard. It may sound idiotic but I don't like the idea of straining my laptop keys so much (Paranoia? Whoohee.).
Sometimes I listen to music while I write, sometimes not (Mostly Blind Guardian and Maiden).
I can't work without fluids, so usually if I can afford it I buy a bottle of Coke. Refreshments are important. Noooow most of the time I can't afford that luxury so I fill a plastic bottle with tap-water. Cheap and keeps my throat wet (college life, sorry if it sounds like a horrendous stereotype).
And I find this interesting too: At home (during holidays) I have a desktop PC, and I find it nigh impossible to write on it. I have a flash memory and while , in theory, I could transport stuff from my laptop I usually feel more comfortable with the lappy.
Hope that doesn't sound too quirky. You're welcome to share.
posted
My desk and room are messy, though I hope to resolve that soon. That hope has been with me for well over a year now. Sometimes the desk gets cleaned.
I often listen to music when I write, usually soundtracks or world music. When I'm at Starbucks with my netbook I usually just listen to what they're playing.
I got a netbook to do NaNoWriMo this year and it is wonderful. I leave the WiFi off and then when I'm out I have no distractions. I am only there for the purpose of writing. I think this is the easiest way for me to focus.
Beverages are important. Water at home. Coffee when I'm out. For long NaNo sessions I even started brownbagging it at Starbucks so I wouldn't have to stop.
I also manage a few hundred words here and there at work in between customers. Let's hear it for flash drives. Right now I'm using a Princess Leia 2GB from Mimobot.
posted
Nope, not too quirky. I'm sure a few others will have some very odd habits.
I too write on my (work) laptop rather than my desktop. I feel more creative at the kitchen table than I do in the office. I hate using my laptop's keyboard too (cramped, makes my wrists hurt after more than an hour or so), but I never get around to bringing down a full-sized one from the office to work on. Actually, ever since I dish-washered my keyboard it hasn't been nearly as nice for writing on as my laptop keyboard. I find the new Mac keyboards to be my ideal writing tool, but that's just me, and I don't actually own one. Anyways, the room is pretty uncluttered, once I turn out all of the lights except the one directly above the table, and try to tune out my wife watching Dancing with the Stars in the next room. I usually write at night as well, due to work & other commitments.
Musically, I listen to all sorts of stuff depending on my mood, but predominantly it's been Portishead, Radiohead, and Rachels. Lately there's also been some Michael Franti if I'm in a good mood, or Kathleen Edwards is I'm not. Usually with big headphones on too - giant over-ear ones.
Fluidically (is that even a word?) I drink peppermint tea, or some variant thereof, when I write. The mint helps open my sinuses and I think stimulates my creative mind. I don't know if that's true or not, but I've gone on that assumption for a few years now. None of this tea-in-a-bag neither. Loose teas only, steeped in a french press. Drunk from my NaNoWriMo mug, 'cause it's awesome.
I also write with no shoes on, which isn't surprising at home, but if I'm out at a cafe or something I pop my shoes off. Open sinuses + cool feet = creative throughput. Maybe.
Anyways, here's a picture of my writing environment, sans any unshod feet.
posted
I write in a cluttered, messy, and filthy room I've called my "office" since I moved in twentysome years ago. I've always meant to clean it when I had the time, but it seems I never had the time. Some of you have heard me sing the blues about how someday I'll be crushed to death by my accumulated books falling down on top of me; well, this room isn't as bad but it's close to it. (My so-called "library" is now wall-to-wall books and boxes and very hard to manuever when I want some item or other. I've got to go in there today to get my Christmas stuff out of the closet.)
I usually have something on in the background, which is the other room...usually, it's the TV, usually turned to the news. But I'll also play music, either a CD shoved into the DVD player, or (just lately, since I only figured out how to do it about a month and a half ago) hooking up my iPod and letting 'er play at random. (Before that I blew it out through a radio and a dinky FM repeater.)
My PC is the desktop variety...I added an ergonomic keyboard and that seemed to make a lot of difference in easing the pain of writing (mostly the wrists.)
Before I start writing I usually play a hand or two of Spider Solitaire, on the theory that it loosens me up before I start, either that or it's too ingrained a habit to stop.
Then it's generally a five hundred word burst of activity---I like to quit when things are going well, on the theory that this will make me eager to return to it at some point. (Usually this works.)
As for storage media...well, I still use diskettes from the dark ages of computing. For this current computer (my second), I had to buy an outboard diskette spinner (whatever they're called). I know I should switch to something else, but, as above, it's too ingrained for me to stop. (This only applies if I haven't printed out anything, which is an even-further-removed habit.)
posted
Since I work from my home in my current job, I have two laptops connected to two 22" LCD screens on the center section of a U-shaped desk. It's my command center. Both laptops (one, an HP provided by my employer and my own, an Apple MacBook Pro) get most of their input from wireless keyboards and mice. (one set for each).
My office is an 11x15 foot bedroom. Nestled in the closet is a 27" old CRT TV along with a surround sound receiver that pumps out my iTunes playlists to my hodgepodge of speakers. The office is decorated with mostly prints and sports memorabilia. It's in my basement away from any distractions, but since I'm an empty-nester, my chief distractor is my wife, who doesn't appreciate my writing, so she leaves me alone.
I have a little refrigerator that I keep stocked with Diet Dr. Pepper and a dedicated drawer in my desk for the essential snacks.
I like to write at night, so I often have a sports game on while I write, turned down low.
The setup is about perfect for me, so I can pump out loads of stuff. Now I just need to figure out how to pump out loads of good stuff.
posted
Before last year, I used to write at my desk, i worked from home so it was great. But last year got swept away into a new job, so now--
I write on the sofa, while the tv is running, yeah, no music for me. I put my feet up on a chair or the sofa longways and place the laptop on my lap, as it was designed for, hence the name. But this process has gone through many changes, of late, my first draft, my thoughts go in a spiral notebook, and then as I am cleaning, cooking or laying hardwood floors as is the case now, i revisit each scene, character in the scene and flesh out parts which helps when i sit down with the laptop, to bring from version 1 to 2.
Drink, Diet coke, alright thats not entirely true, I have a caffene habit so my wife always the budget concious one, buys me generic diet soda, I no longer mind.
While I have taken on a new job, it is as close to being self-employed as can be, as I my bosses are in Italy. But what I thought would be a great way to write, a 20 minute drive to the warehouses, would give me time to flesh out scenes, and the time to write during a break or 2. It has never developed though, I find it hard to write at work, too much to do I guess.
posted
I've got a main desktop computer with all my works tidily organized into respective folders of chapters/drafts/etc. Its the only tidy thing on my desktop. The rest is full of papers and random junk that collects when my wife picks things up off the floor. Sometimes, my two year old likes to sit in my lap. She has a little "daddy is writing" radar, which goes off regardless of where she is in the house. It greatly impedes my typing skills.
I also have a portable laptop, and I will write on the go. Or sometimes I write at work and email myself the files to paste into my main files back home.
After my first novel sells for a six figure advance, I'll establish a home office complete with mini refrigerator and locked door...
posted
My writing habits usually consist of sitting on my bed with a laptop. Occasionally I'll sit at a desk or table instead, but it depends on the current living situation (i.e. number of rooms and number of roommates). Cats and liquid refreshments preferred but optional. Background music varies depending on my mood and whether or not I'm trying to memorize/internalize new music.
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posted
I used to listen to music, nothing too loud, just ambient noise. Now, I can't do that. I start listening and get distracted.
I work nights and try to get the most done between 12:00 and 4:00 AM. On really slow nights, I'll push that until 7:00 AM or a little after. That's only happened once or twice. I didn't want to lose steam.
That's about it. I pick a story I'm working on, try to give it a few pages, go back and do some slight edits, and then repeat the whole proccess the next night. I switch stories so I don’t get too bored or hit writer’s block. It helps, it keeps things fresh.
posted
Foste, I had to laugh when I read your post. I also listen to music while a write, and a lot of it has been Blind Gaurdian and Maiden lately. Only partially by choice, since we leave the entire music library on random and listen to whatever comes up. I write on a laptop in the basement while my husband plays WOW on one of our desktops. (Yes, we have four computers for two people. What can I say, we're nerds.) I'm more than occasionally interrupted by the dog trying to eat the furniture, but he's only 1 so I hope he'll grow out of it.
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posted
I do about half sitting at a desktop in a spare room at home in austere silence (except hopefully the clacking of a keyboard). The other half I do by hand in a notebook, usually during lunch at work or at work before start time if I am able to get in early.
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quote:I also listen to music while a write, and a lot of it has been Blind Gaurdian and Maiden lately.
I'm also a huge Maiden fan. Got to see them in Baltimore during their Number of the Beast tour, when they opened for Judas Priest. Great night of music!
Problem is...every time a Maiden song comes on, I stop typing and play air bass.
posted
Crank, recently, I've found I can't listen to music I know (especially where I know the lyrics), so I've found myself drifting toward themes and movie soundtracks.
If I'm writing fantasy, I'll drift toward the 300 movie soundtrack, the Narnia soundtracks, Conan the Barbarian, Gladiator, or Lord of the Rings.
John Williams is a good all-purpose composer.
For Sci-Fi, I drift to soundtracks like Transformers and its sequel, Terminator Salvation, the National Treasure movies, and anything action-oriented. I just use the musical score sountracks--anything with lyric-songs would defeat the purpose.
As for where I write, I guess I'm a student of Kevin J. Anderson's advice: I bring my laptop everywhere, and write at every chance I get.
posted
I choose my music (most of the time) based on what I’m working on:
* Combat / conflict scenes: metal * Romantic / festive scenes: dance / up-tempo rock / hip-hop (not my favorite genre, but it makes a difference in setting the mood for these scenes) * Science fiction: progressive rock / progressive metal * adventure / action / deviousness: anything fast and with an energetic tone, although most branches of hard rock and metal work well here * Scenes with complex math or physics: -silence-
Sometimes, my music is character-specific. In my mainstream WIP, my leading lady loves to dance, so I play any danceable songs I can get my hands on in order to get inside her head.
Now that it is ice hockey and college basketball season, Washington Capitals and Maryland Terrapins games serve much of the same auditory role as my music, especially when writing adventure / action / deviousness scenes. Ice hockey is especially a great inspiration for scenes of conflict.
I’ve been an ACC basketball fan since I was a kid, so I often play their weeknight games as background noise while I write. If Maryland is playing, my attention admittedly drifts away from my story. If Maryland is playing Duke or North Carolina, I usually don’t even bother booting up the PC.
And, yes...I am sometimes astonished I get as much writing done as I do.
posted
I listen to instrumentals, anything with words distracts my mind from writing. I'll check the tubes for nitch music like Instrumental Epic Viking Folk Metal. Really you'll get hits on that.
As for storage, main copies are on my desk top, first backups are on a 6GB Seagate USB drive (the cute round one), second backups are on Google docs. The Seagate has all the weekly backups going back over a year. My writing file right now is 34MB. It would be smaller but Ywriter5 creates it own internal backups.
posted
I got to tell you how happy I was to hear that Maiden was still Iron Maiden, I was convinced it was some new band that I was too old to know about.
I saw Maiden on the "Somewhere in Time" tour, great concert, fractured my ankle 1 hr before the concert, stood through the entire show, and went to the emergency room the next morning, where they cut my shoe off.
Still a great concert, I think I'll try writing to them tonight.
posted
I sit in a quiet room with a Macbook and try to believe I can really write.
8)
If that doesn't work I go to the kitchen and watch DVDs of Buffy, FIrefly and the Gilmore Girls because Josh Whedon and Amy Sherman sure can and always inspire me.
posted
I write sometimes in the morning--but over the past year or so, I've been getting up at five and messing around checking e-mail or Facebook, then maybe researching a bit for an article gig I'm doing for nearly nothing. I then go exercise before work--running and weights---so my real writing takes place in fits and spurts at night.
And I haven' written any fiction to speak of for well over a year. I have one heckuva mental block on doing so that I think is mostly burnout, but I'm starting to feel like doing it again, so I may bag the low-paying article gig.
posted
My usual workspace is a cheap desk in my "library", where I write in a notebook or on a PC. Sometimes, I move about my house. When I had the money, I wrote in a busy coffee shop or a quiet restaurant. For some reason, I can't write a single sentence in coffee shops that are quiet and restaurants that are busy.
I prefer to keep my workspace neat and ready for fiction writing. Anything distracting is filed or moved out of sight. My mind is hard enough to prepare.
Between nine at night and two in the morning are the most prolific hours for me. When I listen to music, I prefer songs containing lyrics I know by heart. That way, I won't stop to listen to the words, and I can sing along without stopping the flow of my thoughts. Songs without lyrics tempt me to sleep, with a few exceptions.
Like most everyone else, I keep fluids in my workspace. I prefer tea, watered-down juice, and plain water. Coffee is great for times I'm tired or experiencing a migraine.
When I'm stressed, I crave snacks like crackers and nuts--anything that won't raise my blood sugar too high.
What else... I walk (on warm days) through my neighborhood or to a nearby park when I'm blocked or too emotional. Sometimes I act out situations, speaking and moving for each character. I've considered filming those moments to review later. When nothing else works, I throw concepts at my husband and note how he reacts.
I write when I feel like. usually I have a few productive weeks followed by a few unproductive months.
Coffee works, but Redbull works better...
I hate laptop keyboards--where possible I take a wireless keyboard and mouse with me. When I go to LA next year and have to write a story in 24 hours (yeah, like that's going to happen...) I also plan to take a portable stand to lift the laptop up higher. I want a desktop experience, but the portability of a laptop.
quote:usually I have a few productive weeks followed by a few unproductive months.
I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Distractions are my biggest nuisance when I actually do manage to sit down and write. The internet and the kids are the two biggest culprits.
I had half an hour to myself yesterday and thought I'd write in that time. I sat down, pulled open the story, remembered 'ah yes, I have some plot notes on the pda', hooked the pda up to the PC and dicked around getting the notes onto the PC, reviewed them, thought 'aha, yes, that's where I was going with this', started writing, and then the one year old woke up from his nap screaming (as usual). I think I wrote one sentence yesterday.
Now that I've actually made a little money writing, it doesn't feel like I'm taking anything away from the home, by securing a space all for myself. Now, it feels justified! If I bust my butt, that home office will be putting some serious bread on the table in the next 5 to 10 years.
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