• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Do you have a routine or schedule?

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I have one rule I am living by ATM. Which is write at least one sentence every day. And, its a good strategy. A lot more writing gets done that way.

I do have a routine, and its not very good for my day job. I have always been nocturnal, and for me writing does not usually begin till after midnight. Usually by then, every one has gone to bed, and I have gotten into my writing frame of mind. Often, I write will 2:00am, sometimes longs, and then struggle in the morning.

During the day, I have a long drive to work, so I use that to work through how I want the scene, then I wait for everyone to go to bed, and write it. If I am free during the day, I think on it more, or work on marketing materials.
 

Babayaga321

Scribe
I've been doing NaNoWriMo this year to focus on the first book in my fantasy series. I'm retired, and have been waking early and writing before my wife wakes-- sometimes earlier, but usually around six a.m. I'll do other stuff I need to do through the day, then get back to writing some more later. I try to keep 'date night' with her at nine p.m. and watch a movie; bed around eleven-thirty, then it all starts again the next day. I consider myself lucky that every day seems like a Saturday these days.... (y)
 

Mad Swede

Auror
The only routine (or rule, if you like) I have is that when I sit down to write then I write something. It's about maintaining self-discipline as a writer. But I don't write every day or at any set time.
 
I do it ‘just for fun’ so it’s whenever I get a spare moment. But I do have quite a busy life.

I read somewhere that the best creative ideas are best thought up when you are lying down in the dark, and this rings true, sometimes I just get ideas and write them on my phone on the notes app quickly so I don’t forget them.

It currently reads like the ramblings of a madwoman.
 

BearBear

Archmage
I refuse to allow myself to think of it away from a keyboard because the brain just starts dialogueing and then I can't remember half of it.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
Unless I'm involved in something else—and oftentimes even then—I am pretty much thinking of something plot, character, or world-oriented. Do I forget stuff? Sure, but the keepers tend to stick in my brain. Of course, I can also forget my own birthday living like this, but why the hell do I wanna remind myself I'm getting older anyhow? heh heh.
I refuse to allow myself to think of it away from a keyboard because the brain just starts dialogueing and then I can't remember half of it.
 

A. E. Lowan

Forum Mom
Leadership
Oh hell yes, or I'd never get anything done but messing around on social media.

20210122_113532.jpg
First every day, muchly caffeine. (I have no idea why this picture is sideways, sometimes the site just hates me.) Usually one cup of coffee because I'm almost 50 and can't chug it like I used to, followed by actual straight caffeine. While I'm waking up, I go over the day's work with my two writing partners. One sits next to me, the other is in Skype from Texas. Once I've got the outline/prewrite sorted out, I launch into drafting, and I won't do much more than stand to stretch and stare at the monitor and play with my stim toys other than typing flat out and taking more caffeine when I begin to slow down. This goes on for most of the work day, or until I finish a chapter. Usually the latter.

I'm autistic, so my life is defined by patterns, and this is the pattern that has proven to be the most functional for me and my team. Breaking it really messes with me, so I try to not take too much time away from the keyboard. Everyone has their own process, and you'll find that the only thing we have in common as successful authors is two things: butt in chair, hands on keyboard. All else is personal preference.
 

Curatia

Scribe
I am one of Lowan's writing partners and what she says about butt in chair, hands on keyboard is absolutely true. We have a meeting every morning to discuss the day's chapter and to prewrite important bits of dialogue or block complicated choreography together and then we leave her to her caffeine-induced word frenzy.

My process is a little different. Like some of the others here, I am a night owl, and I do my best writing late at night when the house is quiet.

What I would recommend to you is find the process that works for you. Whether that is concentrated bursts of frenetic creativity, or calmer sustained wordsmithing ultimately doesn't matter. What matters is that you find what captures your creative spark and gets your particular hindend in the chair and hands on the keyboard.

While you're figuring out what works for you, experiment wildly. Find the quirky pattern that produces words then build it into your life somehow.
 

Pinkwizaard

Dreamer
Personally, I am very wild when it comes to my writing. Since my inspiration tends to come to me like sparks, I usually have to act upon it the moment it comes or risk losing said inspiration.

I have tried carrying around a notebook but it usually ended up being a bit uncomfortable, so I started using my phone to make notes and I still remember having over 100 notes in my old phone back in the day.
 

Curatia

Scribe
Personally, I am very wild when it comes to my writing. Since my inspiration tends to come to me like sparks, I usually have to act upon it the moment it comes or risk losing said inspiration.

I have tried carrying around a notebook but it usually ended up being a bit uncomfortable, so I started using my phone to make notes and I still remember having over 100 notes in my old phone back in the day.
Phones can be a fantastic way to keep those threads together until you have time to let the sparks fly. Great idea.
 

Pinkwizaard

Dreamer
Phones can be a fantastic way to keep those threads together until you have time to let the sparks fly. Great idea.
It usually helped! Because pulling out pen and paper while you are outside on a walk feels incredibly... Disorientating... But what sometimes happens is that you just make a ton of notes and sometimes nothing ever comes out of it, but I do enjoy reading through them as I have had occasions where they inspired me for something completely else.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I do have a note app on my phone which I can quickly use to make a new note. Generally, my notes are one word. Usually, its for short term memory. Looking at it now, the last three entries are just character names I did not want to forget. And the time and date for my next round of doctors visits... Nothing fancy. Its called minimaList.
 

Pinkwizaard

Dreamer
I do have a note app on my phone which I can quickly use to make a new note. Generally, my notes are one word. Usually, its for short term memory. Looking at it now, the last three entries are just character names I did not want to forget. And the time and date for my next round of doctors visits... Nothing fancy. Its called minimaList.
My latest notes is mostly ideas for short stories that I wanted to write. Such as "Jupiter, the gods furnance" and "Summer Heat" - But I completely forgot where I wanted to go with either one so they just remain completely empty... I really wish I remember the idea I had because I remember the Jupiter one was something a video inspired me with.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
My latest notes is mostly ideas for short stories that I wanted to write. Such as "Jupiter, the gods furnance" and "Summer Heat" - But I completely forgot where I wanted to go with either one so they just remain completely empty... I really wish I remember the idea I had because I remember the Jupiter one was something a video inspired me with.

You'll get new ideas. Better is the ability to write them. If you really want it back, could you re-watch the video?

I dont keep notes for short stories though. They dont get complex enough that I would need them.
 

Pinkwizaard

Dreamer
You'll get new ideas. Better is the ability to write them. If you really want it back, could you re-watch the video?

I dont keep notes for short stories though. They dont get complex enough that I would need them.
I tried to re-watch the video but sadly it didn't come back. That's what I meant with my imagination being almost like sparks, once they go out, they are out. I need to put the base of the story or setting as soon as I can before I forget or it is most definitely gone forever. Truly a pain I am not gonna lie :LOL:
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Well...I would say, the stuff I write rarely ends up the way I first imagined it. But, it seldom ends up worse. When writing it out, the story starts to get its own flow and stuff develops. You dont need those to get a story on page. You just need any, and any is not hard to come by.

But if you think the idea is really profound, or has a quality to change things, then I would not want to lose it either. But those, I dont think I would forget.

This site does not often do writing prompts, but writing prompts is a good way to get going if you are waiting for ideas.
 

Pinkwizaard

Dreamer
Well...I would say, the stuff I write rarely ends up the way I first imagined it. But, it seldom ends up worse. When writing it out, the story starts to get its own flow and stuff develops. You dont need those to get a story on page. You just need any, and any is not hard to come by.

But if you think the idea is really profound, or has a quality to change things, then I would not want to lose it either. But those, I dont think I would forget.

This site does not often do writing prompts, but writing prompts is a good way to get going if you are waiting for ideas.
That is a good way to see it! I do like writing things as long as I have something going as I might revisit it later at some point.

I tend to use music these days to inspire myself, or other media. Certain anime or manga's have some great moments that give me lots of inspiration at times. Even certain online games have created moments from which I was able to draw inspiration from, but I am most definitely waiting for that "fire" to re-ignite. When you feel so drawn to a story that you want to write so badly, you think about it many times.

That's why I tend to love to get recommendations from others since I think that consuming other media tends to make you more creative and write more. Or maybe that is just me...
 
Top