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How do you write?

SDWallwork

Dreamer
This is not as serious as the title makes out. Im just curious as the ways you prefer to write. Do you write everything on a computer or do you like to scribble things downs on paper and then transfer them? For example, do you write notes on paper and then expand them on the computer? Do you write primarily on a laptop or a PC or do you do things ye olde fashioned way?

Personally I carry a small notebook to jot down random rubbish that enters my head, and then write out larger ideas in a journal. From there I will write outlines or large chunks or lore on a computer. To write a story, my personal preference is a laptop as It allows me to write anywhere in the house, whether it be on my bed or out in the garden enjoying a pipe. I do write on my PC, when I am at home depending on my mood, usually if I am chatting on Skype with friends or if I want the space on the desk for paperwork.

Just thought this would be something a little different and less serious for you guys to think about :)
 

Noma Galway

Archmage
I used to write everything out in a spiral notebook before I typed it, but my typing got ahead of what was written (I still have the notebook, though). Now I have a legal pad to work on concepts, but most of my actual writing gets done on the computer. Sometimes I'll even shut down my internet for a while if I have a really difficult scene to work through.
 

Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
I use the laptop almost exclusively. I used to use the desktop as well now and then, but there were too many distractions there.

I prefer leaving the home to write. There are some nice cafes and pubs nearby that I like to go to. I sit there and watch the people and drink coffee and make things up. If I'm writing at home I'm usually on the sofa, but I don't get as much or as good work done there as if I'm out somewhere.
 

Lumani

Minstrel
Most of my work gets done on my PC, however I always carry a small notebook of some kind to jot down quick ideas. :) If I am doing a lot of braining storming, I like to `see` things on paper before hand. I then transfer to my computer. I also usually keep a note book close by if I'm watching a movie with the husband or kids, just in case!
 

Saigonnus

Auror
I use my laptop also, using Ywriter 5 and Word for most of my stuff. If I am out and about though, generally I use the notepad in my phone to scribble the basic thoughts and expand on them later. :)
 

Ireth

Myth Weaver
I can't really describe my reasoning for handwriting some first drafts and using the laptop for others, but that just seems to be the way it goes. Low Road's first draft was handwritten, as is Tenth Realm's (still in progress), but Winter's Queen was entirely typed. Hard to say at this pint which technique is more effective, as none of those stories are really finished yet. Winter's Queen is closest, but I still have several rewrites and editing passes to go through before it's done.
 

A. E. Lowan

Forum Mom
Leadership
We (I write with a partner) do development and outlining on notebook paper which I then promptly transfer into OneNote. In our office my PC is the workhorse, with Word as our word processor and OneNote for organizing everything. I draft the narrative because we want to maintain one cohesive voice, but our computers are networked so she can edit on her PC. I also keep a small notebook in my coat pocket and one in my purse for when I'm away from the computer and thoughts hit - these will one day be replaced with a networked phone so everything is streamlined and connected in real time. Yes, I am a geek.

Oh! And a new thing I do is keep Mythic Scribes up in the background when I work. For some reason this is very helpful to me. I like the sense of a "shared" workspace with other writers, and I like chatting while I work. While this can sometimes be very distracting, my productivity has skyrocketed since joining the site. Strange, but true!

Years ago I used to write in a notebook for short periods of time and then would jump to the computer to keep going once my brain warmed up, kind of like run-starting a motorbike, but I guess I grew out of that.
 
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Spider

Sage
I type my stories on a laptop, and I have a notebook dedicated to my main WIP for jotting down ideas. I actually can't write in attractive or cool-looking journals because I never have the guts to mess them up. I have a stack of empty journals that people have given me over the years, and I'm not sure if I'll ever use them. On the other hand, I'm not afraid of scribbling all over my plain, old spiral notebook!

I also keep a small journal for broad story ideas, and I keep that near my bed in case inspiration hits me while I'm dreaming.

And a new thing I do is keep Mythic Scribes up in the background when I work. For some reason this is very helpful to me. I like the sense of a "shared" workspace with other writers, and I like chatting while I work. While this can sometimes be very distracting, my productivity has skyrocketed since joining the site. Strange, but true!

Hmm, interesting. I might try that out. :D
 

JadedSidhe

Minstrel
I write on a laptop and I keep my nook tablet with me when I'm out and about. I keep the current chapter I'm working on in dropbox. For random notes, I'll use whatever I have on hand (paper, napkins, etc) and then transfer them to either my 'what if' or my 'working notes' .txt file.
 
If I try to write by hand, I write very, very slowly, to the point that I can actually forget the end of a sentence because I took so long to write the beginning. I primarily write in Google Docs, both because it automatically saves my progress, and because I like to use comments to mark things I'll need to revise later. If I'm unsure of how to write a specific scene, or if I want to rewrite it then and there, I'll "test" passages in OpenOffice, then copy them into Google Docs if I like them.
 

AnneL

Closed Account
Word on latop, with pages on iPad as back-up/ supplement. I edit on the iPad with a program that allows me to annotate PDFs, so it's like writing on paper. I do print hard copy occasionally for edits. i'm going to try Scrivener for my next project. I do my brainstorming/ doodling by hand on blank paper. When I write scenes out by hand now, they are always very sketchy so I rarely do it.
 
Hi,

I don't know that I can still write by hand. I've been typing for so long. My primary weapon is a laptop, Dell with a seventeen inch widescreen. That's not as flash as it sounds, the computer was a cheapy, but I specifically wanted the widescreen because it meant the laptop came with a full sized keyboard and that was important. These days I use my desktop for internet and games.

Cheers, Greg.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
I have a dedicated laptop that's primary use is for writing. I carry it around so I can write at the library, the mall, McDonalds, etc. I use Scrivener as my main writing program. I use wikipad for organizing my unwritten ideas. I use to carry around a little notebook, but now I have an iPhone so I use that to jot ideas down on the fly and email them to myself.
 

Bansidhe

Minstrel
I do all my development work in a notebook, then begin drafting on my laptop in a nice, comfy recliner surrounded by my cats. I use noise-cancelling headphones and an online white noise player to block everything out. I pretty much keep to my routine--character development, plot development, key scene work, beat sheets for each section of plot in a spiral notebook with a good writing pen that flows and won't cramp my hand. Then I turn to my laptop and begin my "second" draft. Revisions, then off to BETAs, then a final polish before submitting.
 

Gurkhal

Auror
I write with a pencil on paper and only later, if it turns out as I want it, do I bring it over to the computer. But most often I just put in a box with the rest of my short stories. All hand-written.
 
C

Chessie

Guest
I like to plot/brainstorm my work out by hand then type up the story. Lots of music, hot tea or coffee, my kitties somewhere nearby so I can pet them. I take breaks to stretch or do whatever around the house.
 
It has been a solid year since I have been writing and now that I am doing it again I have been handwriting my short stories in a spiral bound notebook for my first draft and then type it onto my laptop. I use the process as my first round to edit for grammar and spelling errors and to rework anything I feel needs to be adjusted as I go. That way before it's off to any beta readers or editors I have initially written it and the opportunity to go through it again at least once to make sure I'm satisfied with my product before I let any other human eyes touch it.
 

SDWallwork

Dreamer
Wow, its interesting to see just how differently other people do it, thanks for the great response everyone :) thanks to this thread I have discovered OneNote and I am loving it!
 

A. E. Lowan

Forum Mom
Leadership
Wow, its interesting to see just how differently other people do it, thanks for the great response everyone :) thanks to this thread I have discovered OneNote and I am loving it!

I love helping people discover OneNote. It's an awesome program for organizing, and the beauty of it is if you have Microsoft Office, you already own it! I stumbled across it one day, didn't even realize I had it, and it changed everything.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I used to write primarily on paper, in a small notebook. This was mainly because I was still working and I was using lunch breaks and ... er, other times ... to write. I didn't get a whole lot done, but it was enough so that when I had an hour or two in the evening--not every evening!--I could type up what I had in the notebook and jump start my writing even though by end of day I was tired. It was enough to keep me going and believing.

I'm retired now and find I have less reason to use the notebook. As others have said, it's nice for sketching out ideas because of the non-linear nature.

My primary tool now is Scrivener on a laptop. I haven't found a good way to use Evernote or OneNote, though I recognize their strengths.

In Scrivener I've been experimenting with keeping all drafts in a single project. As I re-work, I'll make a new folder with a new draft number, then copy in either entire chapters or segments from the previous draft, on the theory that it may be useful to be able to go back to some earlier scene. It's been marginally useful so far, but I'd be interested to hear how others have struggled with proceeding from Draft 1 to Draft 17 (or Draft 85!) to Draft-Ready-to-Submit-to-Agent, just at a purely practical level.
 
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