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message 301:
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S.
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Feb 01, 2017 11:42AM
Guys, I'm curious to know your writing process, not the basic thing such as preparing a large cup of coffee or outlining the story, but if you have any odd quirks that you uses like taking long walks in nature or reading a specific genre of books by a specific author. This question is inspired by a interview in which James Dashner, author of Maze Runner, commented that whenever he writes he makes it a point to be reading a Stephen King book, claiming that it helped him produce a simplified writing style such as King's.
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Kudos to all you organized writers! I read all 304 post and must say, that I'm quite the opposite of you all :o) But that's quite fine with me, that's the way I function. One thing that helped me not to lose track of my work was to design a real big mind map on one of the walls of my office. This surely is a bit old fashioned and might not be a solution for everybody, but to me, as a visually hardwired person, this is actually a big help. Everything I need to know at one glimpse:o) I often use a virtual mind map to shift ideas and develop plots, in the first place. The final version of this virtual map makes its way on the wall and then the fun part begins:o) A triple hurray to Tack-it :o)
S. wrote: "Guys, I'm curious to know your writing process, not the basic thing such as preparing a large cup of coffee or outlining the story, but if you have any odd quirks that you uses like taking long wal..."I find that a lot of my stories solutions to issues come to me when I'm falling asleep. As to when I start to write, I just sit at the computer and use my notes and go for it. Like right now, I'm in a Starbucks in a Safeway. I'll be doing some writing today and all I need is my computer and a place to sit. Nothing special.
@S, that's interesting. I have done things like that, where I like a writing style I want to emulate, I'll listen to, or read some of that. If I want to write in a certain accent, I'll often listen to an audiobook by a reader of that accent. I don't really have a lot of rituals, though.@Barbara, I'm visual too. Sometimes I have to write scenes down on notecards and rearrange as needed. Seeing it with my eyes in that form makes it easier to understand.
B.A. wrote: "S. wrote: "Guys, I'm curious to know your writing process, not the basic thing such as preparing a large cup of coffee or outlining the story, but if you have any odd quirks that you uses like taki..."Aye, I've got the same issue with plots popping up in my head when I sleep. It's very inconvenient as it keeps me awake and I also forget it most of the time, and when I write keywords to remember, it makes no sense the very next day.
Barbara wrote: "Kudos to all you organized writers! I read all 304 post and must say, that I'm quite the opposite of you all :o) But that's quite fine with me, that's the way I function. One thing that helped me ..."
Don't you find the mapping thing restricting in creativity?
S. wrote: "B.A. wrote: "S. wrote: "Guys, I'm curious to know your writing process, not the basic thing such as preparing a large cup of coffee or outlining the story, but if you have any odd quirks that you u..."You might try keeping a recorder close by.
Trusting your own instincts as a writer is the best advice I can give. It's important to seek out instruction and helpful ideas, but don't let another's writing style or ideas hinder your own creativity.
As a writer myself, I sometimes notice that what worked for me on one writing project sometimes hinders me on another. For example, on one project I would have been lost if I hadn't made a lot of notes to keep myself organized, but the very next story I needed to let myself write more freely.
Kathy wrote: "S. wrote: "B.A. wrote: "S. wrote: "Guys, I'm curious to know your writing process, not the basic thing such as preparing a large cup of coffee or outlining the story, but if you have any odd quirks..."I tried, but it never really worked out for me. Just ends up being forgotten in the drawer.
S. wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Kudos to all you organized writers! I read all 304 post and must say, that I'm quite the opposite of you all :o) But that's quite fine with me, that's the way I function. One thing..."
Not at all...I often tend to have more ideas than needed :o) As I have a tendency to improve things for the worse, this technique helps me not to do so. It helps me evaluate which ideas to keep and implement into my story and which to store for a future project.
@ Nat: do you, as a visual, have the need to change the surrounding that you write in? To me, it's a big issue. I constantly have to move around. How about the rest of you? Do you feel comfortable writing in one spot for a long period of time or do you wander around as I do?
Adrian wrote: "@S., I guess my quirk would be a daily hike through the hills here in Los Angeles where I live. The more I think about the book I'm writing the faster I walk, and the faster I walk the more ideas c..."Wow, I ran out of breath just imagining the process. Honestly though, what's the rate of notecards you end up tearing or never using?
A couple of tricks that work for me:1. While writing, I store several things at the bottom of the page, below the typing point. First is a character sketch for each character, which I add to as the scene situation requires some new background or personality quirk for that character. That way, there’s a character reference available right where you need it.
And if an issue arises that needs to be resolved later, or I need a reminder, I place them, as a bulleted point, below the character sketches, to be reviewed as I begin writing for the day, so as to find a natural place to slip things in.
2. One problem we all have, when editing, is that we know what we want to be on the page, and so, tend see what we expect rather than what’s actually there. One trick to overcome that is the traditional: let it lie in the drawer for a time so you will approach the work more as a reader than as the writer. Another that I find really helpful is that after editing on-screen till I think it’s perfect, I print a copy for editing (line spacing set to 1.5 to allow for markup). For some reason or other, when I read on paper I see lots of screw-ups and awkward phrasing that I miss on the screen.
3. In line with the previous point, I have the computer read it aloud for me. That keeps me from going into “autoread” mode and skimming. It picks up the spots where you typed a comma instead of a period, and vice versa, and because the computer is reading more slowly than we read in our minds, you have time to think about each line and if it could be improved.
4. When I do my final editing pass I search the file for a list of filter/crutch words that distance the reader from the scene—words that can only come from the narrator, and so change showing to telling. Suzannah Freeman wrote a great article on the subject, here:
http://writeitsideways.com/are-these-...
There are also links there to articles on things like why manuscripts are rejected that are very helpful, because readers reject our books for the same reason.
To that list I added my own list of words I’m too fond of, and which intrude because of repetition, like “all” and “simply.”
5. And finally, I make use of the site ProWritingAid to scrutinize my manuscript. A free membership allows you to check 3000 words at a time for overused words, sentence length, grammar, unbalanced quote marks, and lots more.
Hope this helps.
Barbara wrote: "@ Nat: do you, as a visual, have the need to change the surrounding that you write in? To me, it's a big issue. I constantly have to move around. How about the rest of you? Do you feel comfortable ..."I don't really have to do that. being away from the house and the cats and the chores helps, but for the most part, if I'm 'on' I can sit and write for hours. If I'm not on, well, then I fiddle with this, and that. It's about distractions, not the visual of my surroundings.
If I had a formula for getting into "flow" I would, well, SELL it and make a zillion dollars. Sometimes I get into that lovely state where the words are flowing and time passes without my awareness, but more often than not it's a disciplined slog until I reach the word count or the end of the scene, chapter, or story that I've set as my goal that day. And then there are times where I am not drafting anything new, but editing or polishing stuff I've already written. I find it pretty hard to do both in the same day.
Some great comments here. Really helpful....For me I find the more I read, the easier it is to write. If I go a few days without reading much I can find it hard to get back into the groove again. The problem comes when you don't always have time for both. I find I have to be very disciplined - 1 hour reading followed by 2 hours writing. It's not a perfect solution, but seems to work for me
Good idea, Jonathan. Looking to get my groove back after a very disruptive start to the new year!
Jay wrote: "A couple of tricks that work for me:1. While writing, I store several things at the bottom of the page, below the typing point. First is a character sketch for each character, which I add to as t..."
in point two, you say it's better to edit paper copy as opposed to on-screen. Paper is wasteful. Cheaper to get a larger computer monitor and/or increase the size of typeface.
I got back and forth on editing on paper. On one hand, it's good for me to be able to sit down away from the computer and fiddle with something. On the other hand, doing it directly on the computer is probably more time efficient.
Jonathan wrote: "Some great comments here. Really helpful....For me I find the more I read, the easier it is to write. If I go a few days without reading much I can find it hard to get back into the groove again...."
THanks Jonathan! I wondered why I was reading 19 hard backed library books since January this year. Thought I was doing competition research BUT - you were spot on, I have been more effectively writing as well. Also enjoying both activities as a side benefit.
I find doing both helps with idea generationand teaches me about structure like describing things in detail.
Jay wrote: "For some reason or other, when I read on paper I see lots of screw-ups and awkward phrasing that I miss on the screen."I've read about this in a few places. It appears to have a physiological basis. I certainly find it to be true, even though I work on a large desktop monitor with large fonts. My kindle paperwhite is almost as good as reading from paper, but not quite.
I like editing on paper. As with others, I find getting away from the computer somehow seems to give me a different perspective. Then when I sit back down to transfer my edits, I get that "one more pass" where I catch a little something or get a last flash of inspiration/phrasing, etc.
I have no way to print out in braille. I guess I could record my screen reader reading the manuscript, but that would only work for the verbal aspect of tthe work. Now Jaws will tell me if something is misspelled, but not what is.
Mellissa wrote: "I have no way to print out in braille. I guess I could record my screen reader reading the manuscript, but that would only work for the verbal aspect of tthe work. Now Jaws will tell me if somethin..."Your best bet would be to find an editor, or someone you trust, to correct the mistakes or fix sentences for you directly in the manuscript when (or if) you approve of them.
My Mom is going to edit, but I feel I'll need to self-edit first.
oh yeah.. it's always better to have it as close as possible to publish beforehand. When you are entirely satisfied with the result, then you have it check by someone else. :) Good luck. I really applaud you for having the courage to do all this. People find it hard when they see. I can't even imagine doing it blind.
G.G. wrote: "oh yeah.. it's always better to have it as close as possible to publish beforehand. When you are entirely satisfied with the result, then you have it check by someone else. :) Good luck. I really a..."Thanks.
I try to edit a chapter at a time. I don't even think about adding this chapter to the full body of work until I am 100% happy. A chapter is usually 8-12 pages and in a day I can do 2-3 edits on each chapter. If I try to edit a whole manuscript, I get overwhelmed by the size of it.
Text-to-speech computer programs are a great help not just for spotting words you've missed out or doubled, but also to show up clunky sentences.
I guess it's all been said before, but I'd like to share my own helpful techniques. English is not my first language, so I always try to keep a dictionary with me at all times, as well as using the Word's auto-correct. When I'm finished I edit my work alone, and then give it to someone I trust with English knowledge (my sister in law is an English teacher), in order to correct mistakes I overlooked. In the end, I edit my book a second time. As for my characters and places, I always have a little notebook with me with all the required information (f.e. character's personality traits, maps of places e.t.c) so I won't forget the thing I'm writing about.
Also, try to be really relaxed before editing. I've tried going through my book after a hard hospital shift and ended up making more mistakes than before.
The first book I published, I co-wrote with my older brother and we didn't think it was good. We deleted it about halfway into the plot. Two days later I realized we might have had something and rushed to the computer to restore the document. My advice is to never delete any of your writing! You never know when you'll look back on it and realize you out-did yourself.
prowritingaid has been a big help. The free version is rather limited, but it has really helped me tighten up my writing. I always use it for the last pass through a book while line editing and checking for typos.
Mod
Please stop. This isn't what this group is about.
Spam has been blocked. Thanks for the heads up, Dwayne.
Mod
Old habits die hard.
*BOLTS INTO THREAD*Did someone mention Die Har– Oh...
*WALKS OUT TO SAD 'PEANUTS' MUSIC*
Gerry wrote: "Am I the odd one Out? Many of my ideas for inclusion in a book, appear to happen anywhere, except the place it should; the desk where I tap the keys. I have eureka moments at strange times, in weir..."Gerry wrote: "Am I the odd one Out? Many of my ideas for inclusion in a book, appear to happen anywhere, except the place it should; the desk where I tap the keys. I have eureka moments at strange times, in weir..."
That's great, Gerry! A storyteller is an observer and participant in life. Carry a small notepad and pen for your Eureka moments. But if that is to bothersome, don't worry. Your mind and heart will absorb the essence of the lightbulb moment and it will shine during the appropriate writing session. No thought is wasted, even if you think you have forgotten it.
Temple, that is exactly how my mind works too. At least, for the first two book. My last I had all mapped up, (or mostly all) and it was a PAIN to write.
The thing is I admit that it may work well for him but certainly not for everyone. From what I've read from him (sadly i can't remember which ones though) he is more of a plot driven story author and not much about the characters. Nothing wrong with that of course. It's just a different style yet I can easily see how it would be near to impossible to write a story like that without knowing the end before even starting it.
Yeah...I totally didn't know how my story would end until I was at least halfway into my rough draft. I could map out a lot of where it was going but I purposely waited until it revealed itself to me.And another thing, as I know a lot of us work on sequels. Has anyone had say...book #4 absolutely nagging you before book #2 can even be written??? That happened to me. Kept me up so many wee hours of the morning and I am like, "Cool the jets! I am not ready for you." LOL
So I guess my mind just goes anywhere it wants to. Because I have the final installment, including the ending in my head like a dang movie.
Mod
I don't really do the kind of series most do these days, nor do I do sequels, per se, but I do know what you're talking about. There's always other stories nagging me while I work on the project-of-the-moment.
While writing a new story, be sure to keep your cards close to your chest and not reveal everything about your story until it is published. That will reduce the risk of people stealing your idea. In addition, while writing a story, be sure to make keep a flash drive in order to make copies of your story in case something happens to the main copy.
Grady wrote: "While writing a new story, be sure to keep your cards close to your chest and not reveal everything about your story until it is published. That will reduce the risk of people stealing your idea. I..."Grady, Sound advice. I also send an attachment of the word document to my gmail address after each days writing. This way I have a backup that can be accessed wherever I am and I can also show the ongoing work in the event of a copy-write dispute.
Hey guys, if you go back to the beginning, we have about two whole pages of info on backups and saving. While it's great advice, it's been thoroughly covered.
Simon wrote: "Grady wrote: "While writing a new story, be sure to keep your cards close to your chest and not reveal everything about your story until it is published. That will reduce the risk of people stealin..."That is also good advice. I will keep the copyright part in mind. Thank you.
Mod
Never been a great concern of mine. If someone were to take my idea for a story and write their own version of it, I don't think I'd be that upset. They won't likely write the story the same way I do.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who took James Patterson's master class. It was great and I have incorporated some of his with my own jottings along with my character oriented writing. Regardless of how much I have had mapped out, my characters end up dictating where they are going to go. The rest is just a suggested route which is subject to change. What I liked about the class is it did give me the basis for how to set up the 18 scenes and 5 cave scenes for the novel(s) and then I write, including those in the appropriate places. I didn't find that he negated the indie writers as the class was all about writing and some marketing (which a few things were usable). What I am finding is that indie writers are seen as less professional. The comments I got were that the books were inferior due to editing, not the story. From experience, I know that sentences that are mashed up, incorrect word usage, spelling errors (or typos) and things like that will pull me out of the story. Personally, I hate being jerked back into the real world due to things that are correctable, so pay for that editor.
As to story ideas, as Dwayne said, they can steal the idea but they won't write it like you will. If you stop and think about it, there are very few original ideas hanging around out there, just reworking of old ones in new ways.
Mod
We all borrow ideas from books we've read, movies we've seen, and so on. The trick is to preen, poke, and package it into a new way, making the old ideas feel fresh and new.
As for the comments about indies and professionalism, yes, I've heard all that before. I read a lot of indie and traditional. I can't say that the "errors" are more abundant in a typical indie book than in a typical traditional book. When you have a group of one hundred thousand plus words, not to mention the rules of grammar and punctuation, there's bound to be a few errors. I don't let it bother me, unless it's in my own writing.
I always discover the story as I write it. I do a bit of loose plotting to have something to guide me, but beyond that, nothing. This did require some rewriting. But oddly enough, my May release didn't need any rewriting whatsoever. So I guess my writing is getting cleaner. I tried the plotting thing and I've had some success. But I've discovered that my muse thrives on mystery. If it's all figured out beforehand, it doesn't work as well. Something is lost. But I am always experimenting, so who knows?
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Volume 1 of 2 (other topics)The Silkworm (other topics)
The Cuckoo's Calling (other topics)
