Crazy writing habits

[Kathleen]

I have some silly habits when I write. I know other writer's do as well. I want to hear about them.

My number one - I write in the rain. By that I mean, I listen to rain and thunder on my laptop when I write. I don't know why rain motivates me so much, but it does. I love cloudy, rainy, stormy, gloomy, blizzard, wind howling days, and everyone thinks I'm nuts...but...put it together with a day of writing and I'm in heaven!

What odd thing do you do when you write?

[Adriaan]

I'm a part-time writer and I find I'm at my most creative right before going to sleep, so most nights I curl up in bed and type raw scenes into my smartphone.

Anyone else routinely write on their phone?

[Amy]

I'm definitely a night person when it comes to writing, and will happily stay up until two am making words. (Every time I hear people recommend morning pages, I get a pang of dread, because I'm not a morning person and having to do creative stuff before noon is just a distressing thought.)

Two things are a big help in my writing process - cold, sweet drinks, and music. The iced chocolate drinks I keep finding in cafes in Southeast Asia are the best, but cold and sweet are the main factors. (I'm trying to see how well I can do with herbal teas that taste sweet, but don't actually have sugar.) I set up a "Writing music" playlist on iTunes so I can get music running without going "No, this song is not for writing!" and interrupting myself to skip over things.

[Elly]

Amy, I totally agree!! I can't imagine how other authors write in the morning...my brain doesn't switch on until 9am!

[Ubiquitous]

I can't write well if I'm tired or hungry. Instead, I focus on being cranky. That usually results in being told to go take a nap or eat something. I'm usually good with either option.

[Ken]

Dictate into my android tablet when commuting to and from work. And I write best when listening to a mix of angry German music (Eisbracher, Rammstein, etc) and Tchaikovsky.

[I.E.]

Adriaan wrote: "I'm a part-time writer and I find I'm at my most creative right before going to sleep, so most nights I curl up in bed and type raw scenes into my smartphone.

Anyone else routinely write on their ..."

I do. When I think of something and all I have is my phone, I type away on its tiny keyboard.

[Kathleen]

Elly wrote: "Amy, I totally agree!! I can't imagine how other authors write in the morning...my brain doesn't switch on until 9am!"

I write my best from 7 a.m til noon...tehehe. Yup! I'm an odd ball!

I've tried nights but after I come home from a long day of work, make supper, cleanup...I am exhausted and cannot think clearly enough to write, so I do it 2 hours BEFORE I got to my day job.

I also use 'Dragon' Speech recognition software and it helps me go faster....but I type and speak at the same time...and only if I'm on a roll...haha ;)

[Stan]

I usually write late at night, but I know I'm getting serious about a book when I get up in the morning and start writing before checking my email.

[Josh]

Previous strange ways I have written include when I worked at Fed Ex's Oakland Airport Hub driving a tug: I would carry a small notebook in my pocket, and when there was a break in the work action I would furiously scribble out everything I had been thinking about as I worked.

Recently I returned to substitute teaching, so whenever students get independent work I don't need to help with I get desk time to write. It's an exercise in focus to keep a narrative going among the distraction of managing 36 students.

[Thaddeus]

Kathleen, that's clearly the sign of a wise and subtle writer (I do the same. Rain lashing the window is a splendid sound to write to).

I often write little bits at a time. So, I might write a few hundred words, check Goodreads, write a few hundred more, watch a short video on Youtube, etc. I very rarely managed to write a huge amount in one sitting (even with the practice above my 'serious' writing will rarely be more than 1,000 words or so in one go). That said, I'm working on a comedy now and I seem to write either absolutely nothing or thousands of words. It's quite weird.

[Barbara]

Adriaan wrote: "I'm a part-time writer and I find I'm at my most creative right before going to sleep, so most nights I curl up in bed and type raw scenes into my smartphone.

Anyone else routinely write on their ..."

I don't even have a smartphone, LOL! :D
I handwrite my first drafts. Then I type them (with 10 fingers, but I'm still faster writing by hand...) and start copy/pasting and editing.
I don't have a writing routine for that reason (and a part-time day job in the mornings): I write when I feel like writing and stop when my hand (if writing longhand) or my back (if typing) hurt...

[Ubiquitous]

I have a smart alec phone. It insults me in ways I can't begin to understand. It's quite infuriating. I got the phone in an attempt to raise my IQ score to a positive number. That cracks my phone up.

Anyway, my day job (with a lengthy commute) makes finding effective writing time difficult. When I write, it's on a laptop. That's a good thing, because not even doctors can read my handwriting.