The Way We Write
When you're hard at work writing your next great literary piece, be it short form or novel, do you listen to music or TV, or are you like me, a writer needing silence to accomplish anything of substance?
A few months ago, some of us writers posted comments concerning this very issue on the Koobug.com site. It surprised me that there are so many writers who can, not only write with music blaring in the room, but actually prefer this method. And they tend to put out high-quality work!
I recall reading in Stephen King's On Writing an interesting account of the author's early writing habits. These included drinking large quantities of beer, snorting piles of cocaine, and cranking up the stereo with the latest from AC/DC and Metallica, before sitting down at his typewriter and delivering some of his best work.
I scratch my head at these rituals. I won't lie; I did my fair share of booze and drugs way back in those crazy days of the 1980s. Someday maybe I'll write a post about those experiences. But for today, I'm trying to get at the heart of what it takes for individual authors to create their best work.
I've mentioned before that it took me nearly ten years to finish my novel Jazz Baby. But that's because I put the manuscript through several rewrites, changed the plot numerous times, researched the hell out of the 1920s, and eventually put it away for more than two years, deciding that it would never see publication. The time away from it actually helped me to see the story in a clearer light. When I returned to the manuscript, it all fell into place.
During those years of writing Jazz Baby, I did so in nearly complete silence. Sure, there were a few nights where I played some 1920s jazz to set the vibe for certain scenes. But silence is something I cherish while at work writing. That's because in my mind I'm building the scenes, I'm hearing the voices of the characters, I'm imagining the moment as if I'm watching a movie. Maybe all writers do this sort of thing. Maybe some can only do it with Metallica raining metal upon them. (I love Metallica. My second favorite band, right behind Led Zeppelin.)
I wrote the entire manuscript for Jazz Baby by hand. I wrote with Bic ballpoint pens (black ink) on plain white typing paper, using a piece of lined writing paper underneath to keep the sentences straight. I sat on my bed, hunched over the work, with an old high school history book and various notes scattered around me for quick and ready access into the past. I wrote most of my short stories this way, as well. It's a tough way to write. It's hard on the neck and back. I certainly don't recommend it.
As I write what's to be my second novel, I'm taking a different approach. I'm writing on a laptop these days. And I'm sitting at a proper desk, as well. Even Stephen King changed his rituals to writing. Gone are the booze and drugs. Does he still crank up the music? I know many who do. And it works for them.
So how do you write? What are your rituals? Are there certain elements needed before you feel comfortable enough to put words in the mouths of your characters? We're all different, we authors, we human beings. We're quirky and strange and maybe even a little insane. But if we find fans of our work, well, it's all going to be okay.
A few months ago, some of us writers posted comments concerning this very issue on the Koobug.com site. It surprised me that there are so many writers who can, not only write with music blaring in the room, but actually prefer this method. And they tend to put out high-quality work!
I recall reading in Stephen King's On Writing an interesting account of the author's early writing habits. These included drinking large quantities of beer, snorting piles of cocaine, and cranking up the stereo with the latest from AC/DC and Metallica, before sitting down at his typewriter and delivering some of his best work.
I scratch my head at these rituals. I won't lie; I did my fair share of booze and drugs way back in those crazy days of the 1980s. Someday maybe I'll write a post about those experiences. But for today, I'm trying to get at the heart of what it takes for individual authors to create their best work.
I've mentioned before that it took me nearly ten years to finish my novel Jazz Baby. But that's because I put the manuscript through several rewrites, changed the plot numerous times, researched the hell out of the 1920s, and eventually put it away for more than two years, deciding that it would never see publication. The time away from it actually helped me to see the story in a clearer light. When I returned to the manuscript, it all fell into place.
During those years of writing Jazz Baby, I did so in nearly complete silence. Sure, there were a few nights where I played some 1920s jazz to set the vibe for certain scenes. But silence is something I cherish while at work writing. That's because in my mind I'm building the scenes, I'm hearing the voices of the characters, I'm imagining the moment as if I'm watching a movie. Maybe all writers do this sort of thing. Maybe some can only do it with Metallica raining metal upon them. (I love Metallica. My second favorite band, right behind Led Zeppelin.)
I wrote the entire manuscript for Jazz Baby by hand. I wrote with Bic ballpoint pens (black ink) on plain white typing paper, using a piece of lined writing paper underneath to keep the sentences straight. I sat on my bed, hunched over the work, with an old high school history book and various notes scattered around me for quick and ready access into the past. I wrote most of my short stories this way, as well. It's a tough way to write. It's hard on the neck and back. I certainly don't recommend it.
As I write what's to be my second novel, I'm taking a different approach. I'm writing on a laptop these days. And I'm sitting at a proper desk, as well. Even Stephen King changed his rituals to writing. Gone are the booze and drugs. Does he still crank up the music? I know many who do. And it works for them.
So how do you write? What are your rituals? Are there certain elements needed before you feel comfortable enough to put words in the mouths of your characters? We're all different, we authors, we human beings. We're quirky and strange and maybe even a little insane. But if we find fans of our work, well, it's all going to be okay.
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Kurt wrote: "An interesting article, and I absolutely agree that we each have our own quirks, but I also think that certain writers amongst us are susceptible to the imprint of our respective generation.For m..."
Brilliant comments, Kurt. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Rain falling is fine for me. It's calming, and in some cases, sets the tone for a quiet scene in a story I may be writing. By silence I simply mean no TV or music, no external conversations going on around me. In the 1980s, music was my creative outlet. I played guitar. I used to play for hours while high on weed, maybe a little cocaine, and certainly more than a few acid trips. I'm older now, though. So those days are far behind me. But if you're still being inspired by these elements, do you own thing. As to your mention of always having electronic things going on around you, I wrote a blog piece about those who are in their twenties always having the internet and such at their fingertips. Here's a link. Take a read if you'd like. Thanks for your comments. You captured the message perfectly. There might be an author out there who can't write unless his monkey is sitting on his shoulder screeching in his ear while Justin Beiber music plays on his iPod. I want to hear from him, too!
http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
For me, I've always had many things going on around me electronically, and socially. I typically have the tv on at a low volume and music on at a slightly higher volume, which serves to move me in some emotional manner. Then there are of course those drug times, where I'm at the height of an acid trip and find a pool of inspiration that sparks a writing frenzy or builds up a desire to write that carries over when the trip has faded and I'm exhausted, but creatively driven.
I always write on a laptop, as I find inspiration from many random sources of social interaction and research, which is made all the easier through the internet. Whatever it is that puts me in the mood to write, it's an external influence I find that sits me down and gets my mind on track. I can't imagine writing in silence, as I would at least need the sound of the rain pouring down to settle me in and calm my mind. Perhaps it's even the competition for my attention, between the external sounds and my creative thought process that forces my mind to focus more on what I'm writing in order to drown out the music and television.
It's all personal philosophy, but as you said, who cares how we do it, as long as we do it and enjoy it.