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What does it take to get you to get writing?

Tom

Istar
What weird things do you do to get yourself writing productively? Do you have any special items you have to have or specific rituals you have to go through before you feel comfortable enough to write? Do you have to do something weird while you're writing to keep focused?

I, for instance, have a tendency to edit while I'm writing, which really kills my efficiency. So I always write with my eyes unfocused, so I can't read what I've written until I come to a stopping point. It works, but it makes me go noticeably cross-eyed, so it's led people who've watched me write to suggest I get my eyes evaluated. I always have to explain that it's not that I can't see what I'm writing, it's that I don't want to see what I'm writing.
 

Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
An appropriate song and beverage to the scene i am writing. If appropriate beverage not available it is substituted by coffee.
 
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Velka

Sage
I need to be alone, and for it to be quiet. I cannot write when the TV is on, or if there is music in the background. I like to write outside when weather allows. I'm fine with the ambient noise of nature, and the city.

I make sure my phone is in another room.

As for rituals, I usually thoroughly clean my glasses and pour myself a drink. Often the drink goes ignored, but there's something very Hemingway about mixing one that I enjoy. I then allow myself to reread one thing I wrote the day before before banishing myself to a blank page, or a half-written one (that I only allow myself to scan, if necessary, to see where I left off).
 

MineOwnKing

Maester
For me the weird thing to do is to get weird.

By that I mean the world around me cannot exist.

I have to peal open the lid on my manuscript and crawl inside.

Good sleep, early start, eggs, bacon and coffee.

Afternoons are for editing.
 
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D

Deleted member 4265

Guest
Honestly, 90% of my writing happens between 1:00 and 3:00 am. For some reason I can crank out pages at that time no matter what but the rest of the day I struggle. This sucks because I'm at school during the day and I actually need to sleep at some point so I don't do a lot of writing during the week. I write a few pages on weekends, but the bulk of it is done during the summer. This isn't a particularly good system, but that's how I do it.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
On even numbered days of the week, I hop on my left foot twenty-three-and-a-half times before humming the tune to Eye of the Tiger. After that, I open the email that I get sent to me every quarter that contains the ideas I'll use in my story. It's $5 well spent.

On odd numbered days of the week, I sacrifice a stuffed animal, splitting it from stem to stern. I then burn its stuffing in a tarnished, silver chalice and sprinkle the ashes over my keyboard as I chant the Tri-Stoo-gee secret chant of inspiration, "By Moe-Taths fingers and Cur-Ly-Tath's eyes, when both meet, the heavens will cry. La-arry's cheeks will glow red, when fingers meet face. Guide my inspiration to this holy place. "

This never fails me.

Of course my stupid friend Sam actually thinks all he needs to do is sit down and start typing. What an idiot. Next thing he's going to tell me is I don't need to spend ten years on world building. Obviously, he's not committed to this writing thing like I am.


OK, I'll stop now.

But seriously, for me, the most effective way to get myself to write is to find a semi-private spot away from the house, like the library or mall food court, and start writing. The easiest way to get going, I've found, is to for the most part never stop. The more writing becomes a habit, the less time I spend struggling, and the easier it is for me to put down words. It's all about momentum for me.
 

Velka

Sage
The first rule of Tri-Stoo-gee secret club is you don't talk about Tri-Stoo-gee secret club. Expect a citation and an unlucky rabbit foot in the mail this week. You will be on stuffing scrubbing duty at the next bi-annual meeting.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
The first rule of Tri-Stoo-gee secret club is you don't talk about Tri-Stoo-gee secret club. Expect a citation and an unlucky rabbit foot in the mail this week. You will be on stuffing scrubbing duty at the next bi-annual meeting.

Darth-Vader-NOOO-GIF.gif
 

Telcontar

Staff
Moderator
Gotta say, that's a very interesting tactic to do less editing while writing. I have the same problem... but I don't think that particular approach is for me.

I myself need some confluence of discipline, motivation, free time, and a lack of distraction. The discipline is something I attempt to apply at all times with varying degrees of success (scheduling, making writing a priority, eye on the "career" prize, etc). Motivation comes and goes with the other things going on in my life. Free time likewise, with the added element of "making" free time for writing meaning pushing aside other things. Lack of distractions is something I generally need to set up for myself, which is the primary reason I do less writing at home these days (and more on-the-go with my laptop). The final point is also why I'm seriously considering setting aside a few hours several days a week to go to a bar or other not-in-my-own-home place and write. Video games are cancerous to my productivity. :)
 
C

Chessie

Guest
Butt in the chair and something hot to drink. That's it. The occasional video game soundtrack helps, too. It doesn't take much to get me writing although some days are harder than others.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I worry about your eyes, Tom Nimenai. Have you tried changing the font color? I'm thinking pale gray on white, or even white on white. You would still be able to see the cursor, but not the words.

I do nothing weird to prepare to write. I am a perfectly normal human being. My routine is absolutely ordinary. Nothing to see here. Move along.
 
I need to be in an entirely serene atmosphere and it must not be past 7:30. I get up and pace around in circles listening to music on my phone so then I get a feel for writing. I must also make sure to have nothing else that needs to be done before I start writing

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk
 

Gurkhal

Auror
I think that I need physical activity to be able to write. Whenver I take physical activity, like running, then creativity comes flowing to my brain and I can conjure all manner of characters and plots. So essentially I should be running or at the gym pretty much every day of the week, and I'll have a series to rival GRRM!
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
Habit. That's it really. For me, if I can create a habit, in any endeavor, I'll find success.

A deadline doesn't hurt either. Even if self-imposed, I find working toward a time-oriented goal helps immensely.
 

canvas

Acolyte
This has always been a problem for me, because not doing things is just so easy, right? Thanks to a necessity of my job, I finally found something that seems to work for me. I downloaded a time tracking app for my phone. It's nothing like RescueTime or anything that guilts you and shows you your wasted time, but instead a way of clocking into a project, and clocking out when you're done with it. I use it at work for different customers, and different jobs for them, and I decided on a whim to try using it to track my writing time. Pressing that "Start Time" button is like a trigger that tells me, "Okay, now I have to do this." I'm less likely to get distracted if I'm "on the clock," and it's made for some really productive evenings.
 

Addison

Auror
I can write physically anywhere, so long as I have the appropriate tools. But no matter where I go I always have to have: hot chocolate, either prior or during writing. I must also have some kind of sweet snack and familiar back ground noise, i.e a TV show I've seen plenty of times, music, the dog slaughtering a squeaky toy etc.
 
Personally, it has to be late at night (roommates are asleep, and honestly, I just crank out more pages at night for some reason). Coffee is a must, and I have several playlists of music, and depending on the scene, the playlist will change. Once I've made sure the criteria have been met, I can get to writing!
 
It does help to have a request for a piece of a certain length, a deadline and a suggestion there might be financial remuneration (like now):)
 
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