Inspiration struck...

[Mad Swede]

Somewhere out there Stephen King is turning green with envy.

Maybe. I seem to recall that David Gemmell could write a complete 500 page novel in a single weekend, so I'm not sure it's that unusual

 

[RoccO]

I had a cigarette once, and managed to stay up for four days. I think it was spiked. I wrote 15 000 words in one sitting. Maybe on second thought it was 150 000. Well done.

 

[Mad Swede]

And now the spelling and grammar corrections are done, and I'm about half way through adding the last bits of prose. I'm really quite pleased with this novel, even though I do say so myself.

 

[ThinkerX]

And now the spelling and grammar corrections are done, and I'm about half way through adding the last bits of prose. I'm really quite pleased with this novel, even though I do say so myself.

I am impressed.

 

[Mad Swede]

I am impressed.

It's all about concentration. This is, for me, one of the most important things about writing (or doing anything else) well. It takes concentration, it isn't something I feel you can do on a wing and prayer. It needs thought, it needs preparation and it needs care.

Once I've thought the story through what I have to to do is overcome my dyslexia and write it down. Being on song helps the inspiration, but being able to concentrate gets the story down on paper.

 

[ThinkerX]

I can almost but not quite envision my full story, but writing out the rough draft in one shot is beyond me. As it is, I have to recheck the names of secondary characters, plus I have scenes and chapters that change locations. Being a slow typist with bad hands doesn't help.

 

[pmmg]

I have to settle for 700 words a day That's a good pace for me.

Guess that puts me in the 1% club.

 

[The Dark One]

It's all about concentration. This is, for me, one of the most important things about writing (or doing anything else) well. It takes concentration, it isn't something I feel you can do on a wing and prayer. It needs thought, it needs preparation and it needs care.

Once I've thought the story through what I have to to do is overcome my dyslexia and write it down. Being on song helps the inspiration, but being able to concentrate gets the story down on paper.

When I'm in the zone (in the draft generation phase) I am completely oblivious of the process. The words just pour out of me without trying and the first time I take real notice of them is the following day when reviewing the previous day's progress.

That is the most pleasurable part for me because it's the closest I get to reading my own work as a reader does. It can be very surprising because I've usually forgotten what I've done, even though I'm a consummate planner.

So if you have to concentrate so hard, I wonder if you ever get to enter a similar meditative state while writing?

 

[Prince of Spires]

The most recent first draft I completed took ages and was a big struggle. Looking back, the main reason for that is that I didn't think the story through enough. I thought I had when I started, but I ended up pantsing large parts of the story. Which doesn't work for me. I can get 1k words per day if I know what I'm writing, but this story, I struggled to get 300 words a day down on paper. A lesson worth learning for the next one (though this one will require some very heavy edits).

I'm really quite pleased with this novel, even though I do say so myself.

You're allowed to be pleased with your own work I often am when I read back my writing. Not that it's award winning amazing or anything. But it's usually better than I fear when I'm in the middle of the draft.

You really should manage to get English translations done. I'm certainly curious.

 

[Mad Swede]

When I'm in the zone (in the draft generation phase) I am completely oblivious of the process. The words just pour out of me without trying and the first time I take real notice of them is the following day when reviewing the previous day's progress.

That is the most pleasurable part for me because it's the closest I get to reading my own work as a reader does. It can be very surprising because I've usually forgotten what I've done, even though I'm a consummate planner.

So if you have to concentrate so hard, I wonder if you ever get to enter a similar meditative state while writing?

It's when inspiration strikes like it did this time that I really land in the zone. In that zone my inspiration and my writing are on song, it all comes together and, as you say, the words pour out. I can't stop writing, I lose all track of time and I'm not even concious of how much I'm concentrating. I'm not sure I'd call it a meditative state, but I hit a sort of storytelling high and it's a wonderful feeling while it lasts. I'm exhausted afterwards, but that's the price I pay.

Normally I don't write so intensively or for such long periods so I'm more concious of how much I'm concentrating when writing the words. That's partly because I try so hard to get spelling and grammar right when I'm writing. I'm also more aware of the concentration I need when I go back to correct spelling and grammar after one of these inspired sessions, simply because making corrections takes me so much effort.

I should add that when I'm thinking my story through before writing (planning it, if you like) I tend to find myself seeing the story through the eyes of the characters. I try to capture that when I'm writing it all down, in the hope that my readers will also experience this.

 

[The Dark One]

Well everyone's different and I'm sure your brain is very different from mine, but it does sound as though our generative experiences (in the zone) are similar.

With the exception that your generative sessions can be far longer than mine.