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McAnally's (The Community Pub) => Author Craft => Topic started by: blgarver on December 18, 2006, 03:40:32 PM
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We all have our own little tricks that we do to get ourselves in the "zone," so to speak. I listen to movie music and orchestra while I write. If I'm not particlularly in the mood, but know I need to pump out some pages, I watch a few choice adrenaline-stirring scenes from movies like The Matrix, Braveheart, Gladiator, etc... Occassionally I'll put in some music that I think would be the soundtrack for a particular scene. I try to imbue every sense with the mood of the scene. And reading always gets me primed for writing, so I usually read for a half hour to an hour before I start.
Well, in addition to all this, I have to be in a particular place in order to have the right state of mind. After much questing, my three writing places are, in order from most preferred to least: Perkins, Borders Book Store, Starbucks.
I can't explain why these places work. Maybe because in all three of these places creative people hang out a lot, so maybe there's just an energy that gathers around them. Anyhow, does anyone have a preferred spot they like to write?
I wonder where Mr. Butcher goes to create... ???
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At the risk of being branded "World's Worst Employee"... My best place to write is at work, when I'm supposed to be doing something else. Put my headphones on with whatever music strikes my fancy (currently, Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the Christmas season), and just go to town, pausing to flip to other windows and actually DO some work in between paragraphs.
I used to be able to write anywhere, with pen and paper, but I have discovered in recent months that I am now addicted to the instant editing ability that writing on the computer affords. Maybe if I have a laptop someday, I can expand my territory.
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I wonder where Mr. Butcher goes to create... ???
http://www.paigecuccaro.com/html/the_cave2.html
'bout halfway down the page, under the the Fred Flinstone cartoon. Jim at work.
Thanks to Shannon for snapping the pic. ;)
There are four pages of other author cave photos...er, office/ writing spaces.
Just sayin' ;D
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Holy crap that's awesome!
Anyone know what laptop Jim has?? In the pic it looks like a Toshiba Satellite, which is the same one I have.
At the risk of being branded "World's Worst Employee"... My best place to write is at work, when I'm supposed to be doing something else. Put my headphones on with whatever music strikes my fancy (currently, Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the Christmas season), and just go to town, pausing to flip to other windows and actually DO some work in between paragraphs.
I used to be able to write anywhere, with pen and paper, but I have discovered in recent months that I am now addicted to the instant editing ability that writing on the computer affords. Maybe if I have a laptop someday, I can expand my territory.
I always get the vibe at work too, but I'm usually too busy to do anything about it. Occassionally, if I just can't take it anymore, I bust out my laptop and type a page or so, just to satisfy the urge.
And yes, having a laptop is awesome for writing. And you can get one that will work marvelously for writing for cheap, too! I play one or two games on mine, also, but I do my best to keep it clear of stuff. The games are mainly for when I'm at Perkins and need a break from writing.
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Currently my writing spot is on the couch with the laptop either on the table or propped on a book in my lap. Apartment is pretty small so not many places to move around to and this is the best one to sit at...also here, World of Warcraft doesn't lag so much.
I've got a whole list of music I've been listening to lately when I write (new Evanecence, some anime music, random stuff gotten off soundtrack put together for a book, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, few songs from LotR soundtracks, etc). But the music varies depending on how long its been listened to usually.
Usually I just sit on the couch and brood on one of my worlds or story ideas until my brain finally gets that I want to get some work done and kicks into gear.
And I agree, laptops are great for writing. I had laptop and desktop before I got married and had most of the stuff I was working majorly on on the laptop. Now, of course, everything's on the laptop plus a handful of older games 'cause my three year old laptop just can't run new games. Hence why the hubbin's shiny new desktop is great to have. ^^
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I'm a bit of an odd one here. I don't have a set place to be inspired. My bedroom is also a place I work so inspiration drizzle out when I glance my real-world paperwork. I guess it depends on what I feel at the moment. Usually, when I'm reaching a deadline for a project, my brain also kicks up my inspiration. After a healthy jog in the afternoon and a evening's rest, I find myself refeshed and inspired the next morning to the point of distraction.
I don't usually listen to music since I could get distracted by sound. I'm better at visual stimuli, so I surf for CG pictures. There's just something about other people's 3D artwork that gets my inspiration working. Savinoff's (http://www.savinoff.com), Kagaya's (http://www.kagayastudio.com), Lacoste's (http://www.raphael-lacoste.com/) or in galleries like TerraEscape (http://www.homestead.com/terraescape/main.html) and CG Society (http://www.cgsociety.org/). Often I download them, print and laminate, in case of a blackout and I can't access the PC... :)
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I forget about this question about someone asks it. But it's one of my favorites. :D
I write in my room. My parents got me a writing desk with a few drawers a long time ago and I have pretty much everything around on it. I use the laptop more like a desktop when I'm writing. But on one side, there's the Gobstoppers, CDs and the headphones; on the other side, there's the dictionary, the thesaurus and the flash drive.
The music's usually instrumental, whether classical or techno.
Of all of the stuff, though, it's the swivel chair that really gets me in the mood. I need to roll it around the floor to rejuvenate my thinking. :D
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I play one or two games on mine, also, but I do my best to keep it clear of stuff. The games are mainly for when I'm at Perkins and need a break from writing.
I have a few games on mine for LAN parties. But other than them, it's only for writing. :D
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I don't usually listen to music since I could get distracted by sound. I'm better at visual stimuli, so I surf for CG pictures. There's just something about other people's 3D artwork that gets my inspiration working. Savinoff's (http://www.savinoff.com), Kagaya's (http://www.kagayastudio.com), Lacoste's (http://www.raphael-lacoste.com/) or in galleries like TerraEscape (http://www.homestead.com/terraescape/main.html) and CG Society (http://www.cgsociety.org/). Often I download them, print and laminate, in case of a blackout and I can't access the PC... :)
My background picture usually connects to the novel that I'm working on...
I'll give you a link, as I'm subscribing to this thread as those 3D sites look great. :)
Urban exploring websites - http://www.infiltration.org/ (http://www.infiltration.org/) have a lot of abandoned places pictures. I think the color ones look cooler than the black and white ones, but they're all pretty useful.
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'bout halfway down the page, under the the Fred Flinstone cartoon. Jim at work.
Thanks to Shannon for snapping the pic. ;)
There are four pages of other author cave photos...er, office/ writing spaces.
V-Dub! ... Er, the Beetle! :D
(4 pages? Ooooh.)
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I have two "writer's spots."
One, the preferred one, is sitting on my bed, leaning against a heap of pillows, with my laptop where its name implies, happily tapping away.
The other one in whatever classroom is holding the most boring lecture out of my class schedule.
I'll be resorting to that second one in a few weeks, sadly.
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also here, World of Warcraft doesn't lag so much
*raises hand* Hi, I'm Tas, and I'm an addict too. ;)
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As of this summer's exciting adventure in home-buying, I finally have a study of my own to write in, with a nice big double bed in which to sprawl with my laptop and notes spread out around me. At the risk of sounding fourteen, one of the things I like best about it is that the walls are all dark red.
Unfortunately, my writing habits of working from after work Friday into the small hours of Saturday morning and then sleeping late on Saturday are kind of impaired by the people upstairs having small children sleeping in the room above my study, who get out of bed at 6 am and have discovered that jumping off the bed onto the floor really hard and loud is Fun. But with luck they will grow out of it.
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I don't usually listen to music since I could get distracted by sound. I'm better at visual stimuli, so I surf for CG pictures. There's just something about other people's 3D artwork that gets my inspiration working. Savinoff's (http://www.savinoff.com), Kagaya's (http://www.kagayastudio.com), Lacoste's (http://www.raphael-lacoste.com/) or in galleries like TerraEscape (http://www.homestead.com/terraescape/main.html) and CG Society (http://www.cgsociety.org/). Often I download them, print and laminate, in case of a blackout and I can't access the PC... :)
My background picture usually connects to the novel that I'm working on...
I'll give you a link, as I'm subscribing to this thread as those 3D sites look great. :)
Urban exploring websites - http://www.infiltration.org/ (http://www.infiltration.org/) have a lot of abandoned places pictures. I think the color ones look cooler than the black and white ones, but they're all pretty useful.
Oh hey, thank you very much! These are really good. I've been looking for something more 21st century-ish and the Canadian factory and Toronto Subway looks perfect. :)
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Oh hey, thank you very much! These are really good. I've been looking for something more 21st century-ish and the Canadian factory and Toronto Subway looks perfect. :)
Groovy! You're welcome. There's more from the links there, too. :)
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I don't usually listen to music since I could get distracted by sound.
I can listen to music while writing if it's a) something where I know the lyrics very well indeed, b) something with lyrics in a language I do not know, or c) something without lyrics; that way it does not engage with the bit of brain that's doing the words.
It has to be the right thing for the mood, though. The extreme example of this is the tape of dance remixes of "My Heart Will Go On" that was a birthday present from someone who was pretty much stalking me at the time; I'm far enough away from the incident now that the tape doesn't freak me out, but it's very good indeed for writing someone in an extremely uncomfortable situation.
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I don't have a laptop, so I am not really mobile in my choice of places unless I'm in the mood to take a notebook and then type it in all manually later on.
So I usually write at home, without music. However, I "plan" stories to music...in the "thinking" phase, I love to take a long bike ride with headphones on, and my characters are sort of in a musical, hee. But when I actually write, the music interferes with the writing because I listen to it as I would to someone talking to me - even if it's totally instrumental (my early years taking violin, I think). The rare time I write to music is now, b/c I'm living with a family member and I can't tell them to turn the friggin' TV off when its their day off from work. So I drown it out with music, b/c music is less distracting then TV.
Anyway, when I have a notebook (and I assume a laptop in the future), my favorite place is mall food courts. I don't feel as if they are going to kick me out if I'm not eating something, because the chairs and tables aren't owned by any one particular eatery, and I can watch the people around me. It helps me get a handle on character types that are more removed from my own personality type, because I have real life examples to write from. :D
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I don't have a laptop, so I am not really mobile in my choice of places unless I'm in the mood to take a notebook and then type it in all manually later on.
So I usually write at home, without music. However, I "plan" stories to music...in the "thinking" phase, I love to take a long bike ride with headphones on, and my characters are sort of in a musical, hee. But when I actually write, the music interferes with the writing because I listen to it as I would to someone talking to me - even if it's totally instrumental (my early years taking violin, I think). The rare time I write to music is now, b/c I'm living with a family member and I can't tell them to turn the friggin' TV off when its their day off from work. So I drown it out with music, b/c music is less distracting then TV.
Anyway, when I have a notebook (and I assume a laptop in the future), my favorite place is mall food courts. I don't feel as if they are going to kick me out if I'm not eating something, because the chairs and tables aren't owned by any one particular eatery, and I can watch the people around me. It helps me get a handle on character types that are more removed from my own personality type, because I have real life examples to write from. :D
This is interesting. Music is usually what fuels my initial concept for a scene/character/plot/situation and I have to have it going while I'm writing. I like the bike ride idea, I think i might try it.
But food courts? That's bizarre to me. I need a closed in space to help focus my energy (much like Harry needs his blasting rod). If I'm in an open area, I feel like my energy is flying all over the place, as well as everyone elses energy interfering with mine. But I do like to *go* someplace to write. I can't really write at home, because home is my sanctuary, my get away from everything. It's where I relax. So I have to specifically go someplace to write. My main place is booth 71 in the local Perkins restaurant. It's busy there a lot of the time, but the booth is in a corner and set off by a little section of wall from the rest of the dining room. It's my little nook.
And it's pretty aweosme because I go there every day, and all the hostesses/hosts know exactly where to sit me without even asking. It's cool being a regular.
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I usually write outlines at work, at a coffee shop/restaurant, or otherwise out somewhere away from the house. I scribble down whatever ideas come to mind, map out the plot, and do all that sort of stuff. At home in front of the computer with the music blaring and a nice cup of coffee or glass of beer nearby is where I put them all together.
The Abstruse One
Darryl Mott Jr.
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When I'm working on novels, I'm generally sitting at my dining room table, slaving over a hot laptop. ^_^ For general plotting, snippets and fanfics, I could be anywhere. At work, in bed, on the couch in the lounge. I have notebooks for all occasions and a handy stash of Parker pens, so I'm prepared for sudden inspiration. Music is optional, but if I'm listening to it then it has to be right for the scene. For example, if I need to write angst, I'll listen to R.E.M.
Of course, this doesn't help when inspiration strikes while I'm in the bath, which happens quite a lot. I wind up juggling a couple of pages worth of dialogue in my head until I get out, get dried and dressed and grab a notebook. I figure lying back in the water has to be good for letting the imagination fly free, or something like that. Same with going for walks.
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Of course, this doesn't help when inspiration strikes while I'm in the bath, which happens quite a lot. I wind up juggling a couple of pages worth of dialogue in my head until I get out, get dried and dressed and grab a notebook. I figure lying back in the water has to be good for letting the imagination fly free, or something like that. Same with going for walks.
I think most effectively in the shower. Something about the running water. I usually end up falling asleep in the bath.
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I think most effectively in the shower. Something about the running water. I usually end up falling asleep in the bath.
I would, but when I'm in the shower I spend entirely too much time trying to get the water temperature right to let my mind wander. :D
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lol @ bec
Nothing like the perfect temp, I guess. I have that problem with the bath. Our house a huge, airy old thing. It's a beeeatch to heat, because it's two story, the attic, and the basement. Everywhere but the first floor is just icy in the winter. And it's still cold enough to wear hoodies and sweats around on the first floor. Naturally, the bath is on the second floor, so I'll run the water, then choke down a scream of agony as my freezing feet hit the hot water. And then after it fills, the water goes cold in about ten minutes just because the bathroom is so cold.
It's actually colder inside than out. Stupid nature.
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I write in my room on my computer and I lock the door so I'm not ever disturbed. Usually I flick on some hard rock or metal to get me "in the zone", and that works. But yeah, I write away from people in a very isolated enviroment.