7 Things A Writer Can Do Without A Computer
I'm 4k behind in one writing project (Metamorphose, for those of you interested) and my editing on both Melisande and Allied came to a complete stop for three days. Why? Because I took a three day business trip with my husband. Some of you lucky people have working laptops you could have taken with you, or don't get motion sick.
I, however, do get motion sick. So badly, in fact, that I've had to take Dramamine after reading in the car for less than half an hour. And even if I didn't, I do not have a working laptop.
What's a writer to do? Well, while I was stuck in a car for hours, I came up with some excellent things a writer can do that don't require computers - or even a notebook. So the next time you're going to be without a computer, or access to other writing tools, don't despair. You can still make progress!
1. Work on the plot for a writing project.
I did this quite a bit. I have a long-term project I'm working on (it's my favorite) that I don't expect to even start writing for another few years. Because it's such a complex story, I've been working on it for about ten years now. When I don't have a notebook to write in or a computer to type on, I work on the plot of the story by imagining different outcomes if I change certain parts. I can also examine various aspects of the events I plan to happen, and make sure they mesh with the rest of the story. One of the most fun parts of doing this is you can change anything you want, without having to write it down. Nothing is concrete, and you're free to change or create as you please.
2. If you're writing fantasy, world-build.
The first day of our trip, I asked myself a question. How do the people in this fantasy world tell time? The standard answer would be by the position of the sun, or using a clock. But considering the culture of this people, I decided they were unlikely to have used mechanics to design something like a clock. Using the sun is fine for telling a general time, but what about exact times? Minutes, hours?
With the type of culture this group of people have developed, they were likely to have used natural, organic ways to tell time. Since it was a fantasy world, I could create as I pleased. And I did. The people of this world now have a form of clock called a time tile. I can't tell you too much about it, because it's going to be part of a book, but it's organic in nature and uses colors to indicate what time it is.
This is something you don't need access to a computer or writing materials to do. You can develop the world around your characters.
3. Sync book scenes to music.
It sounds a little silly when put that way, but it's actually a lot of fun. One thing I did have access to on our trip was an MP3 player loaded with music. Since I could never read or write on family road trips, I had to entertain myself on the six to eight hour drive to California from Oregon. One of the things I would do often was take a scene from a book I was working on, and imagine it as a scene from a movie, with the music in my headphones as the soundtrack.
Visualizing your scenes this way can make them more vivid to you, and aid you in describing them later. It can also help motivate to write once you can get to a computer again. I'm always excited to write when I do it, because epic music really makes book scenes amazing.
4. Plan a blog post.
I planned this blog post while we were gone. Originally, before we left, I was upset and a little panicky that I wouldn't be able to get a blog post written, or do any other writing while I was gone. But then I realized that while I might not be able to do the actual writing, I could decide what it was going to be about, and decide what was going to be covered in it.
If you have a blog, you can do this, too. It's easier to take notes, of course, but they're not strictly necessary. You can even plan out a whole series of them, if you have a good memory for it.
5. Experience new places and things.
While not necessarily writing, experiencing new places and things will give you more resources to draw on when you are writing. As an example, my husband and I were caught in a snow storm. I had never been caught in one before, since I grew up in a warmer climate. I'd never gone into a grocery store with a clear parking lot, and come out to a half inch of snow on the ground. I also hadn't been on a highway while it was snowing so hard. This experience will enable me to write about being caught in a snowstorm more accurately than I would have if I hadn't experienced it myself.
So be mindful of what's going on around you. The land, the plants, the weather. This will give you experiences and sights to draw on later.
6. Design writing prompts.
I took pictures with my phone. Not a ton, but I did take a few. Why? Because I have a Facebook page dedicated to writing. There are writers who have liked my page, and my job is to help them or entertain them. One of the ways I decided to do that for next month was to design writing prompts. So whenever I saw something I thought would make an intriguing writing prompt, I took a picture.
You don't have to have a Facebook page to benefit from this. You can take a series of pictures and pick writing prompts for them yourself. This alone is an exercise in creativity, and if you also use those prompts, you get even more benefit. A new book idea, perhaps?
7. Rest and relax.
A writer rarely stops thinking. And because a writer rarely stops thinking, they rarely stop writing. But one of the things every person needs to do once in a while is just rest. I try to tell my husband this once a week or so: if you keep yourself rested, you'll work better afterward. It may seem like resting is wasting time, but it's not. You work more efficiently if you're rested than you do if you're exhausted. The time you take to rest may very well enable you to work faster, allowing you to get the same amount of work done as if you'd pushed on while exhausted - but with the bonus of you feeling better while you do it.
So the next time you're without a computer or other writing tools, take the opportunity to rest your brain, too.
I, however, do get motion sick. So badly, in fact, that I've had to take Dramamine after reading in the car for less than half an hour. And even if I didn't, I do not have a working laptop.
What's a writer to do? Well, while I was stuck in a car for hours, I came up with some excellent things a writer can do that don't require computers - or even a notebook. So the next time you're going to be without a computer, or access to other writing tools, don't despair. You can still make progress!
1. Work on the plot for a writing project.
I did this quite a bit. I have a long-term project I'm working on (it's my favorite) that I don't expect to even start writing for another few years. Because it's such a complex story, I've been working on it for about ten years now. When I don't have a notebook to write in or a computer to type on, I work on the plot of the story by imagining different outcomes if I change certain parts. I can also examine various aspects of the events I plan to happen, and make sure they mesh with the rest of the story. One of the most fun parts of doing this is you can change anything you want, without having to write it down. Nothing is concrete, and you're free to change or create as you please.
2. If you're writing fantasy, world-build.
The first day of our trip, I asked myself a question. How do the people in this fantasy world tell time? The standard answer would be by the position of the sun, or using a clock. But considering the culture of this people, I decided they were unlikely to have used mechanics to design something like a clock. Using the sun is fine for telling a general time, but what about exact times? Minutes, hours?
With the type of culture this group of people have developed, they were likely to have used natural, organic ways to tell time. Since it was a fantasy world, I could create as I pleased. And I did. The people of this world now have a form of clock called a time tile. I can't tell you too much about it, because it's going to be part of a book, but it's organic in nature and uses colors to indicate what time it is.
This is something you don't need access to a computer or writing materials to do. You can develop the world around your characters.
3. Sync book scenes to music.
It sounds a little silly when put that way, but it's actually a lot of fun. One thing I did have access to on our trip was an MP3 player loaded with music. Since I could never read or write on family road trips, I had to entertain myself on the six to eight hour drive to California from Oregon. One of the things I would do often was take a scene from a book I was working on, and imagine it as a scene from a movie, with the music in my headphones as the soundtrack.
Visualizing your scenes this way can make them more vivid to you, and aid you in describing them later. It can also help motivate to write once you can get to a computer again. I'm always excited to write when I do it, because epic music really makes book scenes amazing.
4. Plan a blog post.
I planned this blog post while we were gone. Originally, before we left, I was upset and a little panicky that I wouldn't be able to get a blog post written, or do any other writing while I was gone. But then I realized that while I might not be able to do the actual writing, I could decide what it was going to be about, and decide what was going to be covered in it.
If you have a blog, you can do this, too. It's easier to take notes, of course, but they're not strictly necessary. You can even plan out a whole series of them, if you have a good memory for it.
5. Experience new places and things.
While not necessarily writing, experiencing new places and things will give you more resources to draw on when you are writing. As an example, my husband and I were caught in a snow storm. I had never been caught in one before, since I grew up in a warmer climate. I'd never gone into a grocery store with a clear parking lot, and come out to a half inch of snow on the ground. I also hadn't been on a highway while it was snowing so hard. This experience will enable me to write about being caught in a snowstorm more accurately than I would have if I hadn't experienced it myself.
So be mindful of what's going on around you. The land, the plants, the weather. This will give you experiences and sights to draw on later.
6. Design writing prompts.
I took pictures with my phone. Not a ton, but I did take a few. Why? Because I have a Facebook page dedicated to writing. There are writers who have liked my page, and my job is to help them or entertain them. One of the ways I decided to do that for next month was to design writing prompts. So whenever I saw something I thought would make an intriguing writing prompt, I took a picture.
You don't have to have a Facebook page to benefit from this. You can take a series of pictures and pick writing prompts for them yourself. This alone is an exercise in creativity, and if you also use those prompts, you get even more benefit. A new book idea, perhaps?
7. Rest and relax.
A writer rarely stops thinking. And because a writer rarely stops thinking, they rarely stop writing. But one of the things every person needs to do once in a while is just rest. I try to tell my husband this once a week or so: if you keep yourself rested, you'll work better afterward. It may seem like resting is wasting time, but it's not. You work more efficiently if you're rested than you do if you're exhausted. The time you take to rest may very well enable you to work faster, allowing you to get the same amount of work done as if you'd pushed on while exhausted - but with the bonus of you feeling better while you do it.
So the next time you're without a computer or other writing tools, take the opportunity to rest your brain, too.
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