Sorry posts have been light this week. All my energy has been focused on getting the final Super Viagra strip ready for Friday. I’m currently at 108 panels, and I should be on schedule if I get to work a few solid hours on it tonight and tomorrow. I need to get it done because as you know, I’m taking the month of August off to work on my novel. (I struggled with the last two words of that sentence because calling it “my novel” sounds so pretentious. But it was either that, or “that assortment of words that are strung together in a slightly coherent fashion that I’ve been working on for the past two years that has been stuck at page 12 for a year” and I went with “my novel” for brevity’s sake. But now telling you all that completely canceled out all brevity I created. Oh geez, I’m fucked.)
Anyway, let’s make this post a discussion about good writing habits in order to get me prepared for August. My writing group said I should read No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, which I had all intention of doing, but I just never got around to it. One of the tips they said it gave was to wear something that you only wore when writing. At first I was thinking a hat, but I never wear hats and I still adhere to the old wives tale that wearing hats leads to baldness, so I nixed that idea. Now I’m thinking of wearing a wrist band, but haven’t settled on something yet. Any suggestions?
My biggest writing habit is to listen to classical music when I write. And by “classical music” I mean movie soundtracks like Children of Dune and Lord of the Rings, but writing classical music makes me sound so much more sophisticated. I’m thinking you guys should email me some music to listen to while I write. Anything to get my creative juices flowing. That would be much appreciated.
Anywho, how do you writers out there like to write? What tips can you give that will make those 50,000 words just flow right out those manly fingertips of mine? Other than “quite writing and about writing and just write already!” of course.
And if none of the above interests you, go read this post over at E-Mails from an Asshole. It’s a site written by a guy who replies to random Craigslist ads to see what kind of responses he can stir up from people. And the Horse Farm entry is by far my favorite.
Take my advice with a pinch of salt since I too have a novel waiting to be finished, but I do write for a living, so maybe give me a little kudos: get bored. Listen to music you know (new stuff is too distracting – in fact, often I write in silence), wear comfortable clothes, drink the same drinks and eat predictable snacks. I find that if everything else is plain and uninteresting then I have to use my imagination and make up the story. It works for me.
For the love of the gods, resist the urge to go back and re-write. That has been my undoing for years now. Just plow on through till the end and then go back and polish up. Oh, and expect the middle part to be the worst. The 30k – 60k mark sucks like a cheap whore and you will want to die. Man up and keep on trucking.
Good luck!
You are in good company when you listen to specific music when you are writing. James Cameron listened to Enya while he was writing Titanic and even wanted her to do the soundtrack.
I liked the music in HP6 a lot, a vast improvement over all the John Williams schmalz. I recommend you look into Jerry Goldsmith music, he wrote for several Star Trek movies, Basic Instinct and other good movies.
Well, when I was younger, I was writing this superhero story and it ended up filling 55 notebooks. I typically laid on stomach on my bed, a pillow or two under my chest, on my elbows with the notebook in front of that. I usually listened to the radio only…but that’s cause I didn’t have CD player or anything then (hey, it was the early 80′s!)
But what worked for a teenaged Polt, I don’t assume with automatically work for an Adult Craiggers.
HUGS…
A thong. Wear a thong.
For some honest-to-goodness classical music suggestions, why not some pieces that themselves were composed to tell a story, so-called “program music,” like the Peer Gynt suite by Edvard Grieg, Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky, the Grand Canyon suite by Ferde Grofe, or anything by Aaron Copeland.
I don’t write prose so I have no tips there. Good luck.
Well, I don’t write but I know a few authors on-line and my friend has interviewed many and there seems to be no formula unfortunately. Some adhere to the “must right 1000 words a day minimum no matter what” and others go with when the inspiration hits them. There is also the idea of always writing at the same time each day, but that doesn’t always work in real life if you have an EDJ. (evil day job) I asked a bunch of authors once how they come up with character names and same thing, some it just strikes from the blue and others scan extensive baby name lists on-line and others look at the etymology of names and choose names that represent their characters. So what works for one will not work for another. You have to find your own groove.
Not sure about what to wear. Perhaps a thong would be too distracting.
A lucky t-shirt? Slippers?
Good luck, hope your “compilation of many words that tells a story” is successful.
A thong would certainly be distracting to anyone watching him write. Perhaps Craiggers could wear the red Canada T-Shirt!
HUGS…
I like to write in bed when I wake up. My head is clear(er) and not filled up with the day’s junk. Speaking of junk, I like the thong idea, but you’d probably be more comfy in boxers (and then take a picture for Polt, for heaven’s sake) or in my favorite – pajamas!
Music inspires me when I’m brainstorming, but I can’t listen to it when I’m actually writing, because then I’ll just sing along. And maybe pretend I’m a rock/pop star. And that is not productive. Anywayzle, Svens’ advice on not rewriting till you finish is spot on. Oh yeah, and outline. Deadlines work for me. It’s how I completed two crappy screenplays. Now if I could just finish my crappy novel.
Oh, and it’s your novel, own it Craig : ).
Hi Craig! Sorry I’ve been such a lurker. I wanted to say good luck on the Month of Writing. I like the thong idea but it seems a little distracting, depending of course of what kind of novel you are writing. heh. I was thinking socks. Argyle socks, naturally. It seems to “you” and also comfortable.
haha well as a published, award winning author…….I can tell you that I usually write free form, train of thought. Just let your mind wander and write down everything that happens. I find that doing at least one shot of jager or something to loosen you up helps…..seriously.
then you leave it alone for a couple days, come back and weed through everything you wrote. I always found some of the most entertaining stuff doing that.
The one person I know well who writes for a living writes in the morning, first thing. I know for myself, for things that are hard to do, early morning is about the only time I can get them done [before I'm awake enough to realize how much I don't want to exercise/weed the garden/whatever]. But you’re already getting up pre-dawn to go to work, right? So that might be hard, unless you got to bed a lot earlier. So maybe right after work is the best time for you, or later in the evening if you know you’ll need to wind down after work. Or the commute home.
First, grats on the undertaking, I too would like to jump back into my writing mindset, but its fickle and sorta only comes when it does and I have to utilize it for the most potential when it does.
When I wrote my two novels (I have 3 dancing in my head atm) there were a few things I did. First, outlines are key, makes life so much easier. If you wanna indulge further, write up a character analysis sheet so you can use it as a quick reference. I used the character analysis for my first book, by the time the second one came round though, it was a bit more personal so I didn’t need it.
I write first thing when I get up, best time to do it because there isn’t crap bogging down your brain from the day. I’m so-so when it comes to music or any kind of noise or distractions. I usually turn off AIM/Facebook, etc, anything that can invoke a conversation and keep me from writing. Music for me is for mood setting, depending on if I’m writing something that I need to invoke some form of emotion or passion. My musical taste is all over the place (I have 500+ cds, about 1000 songs on my comp, so it all depends on the day, etc.)
Most important thing I can offer is write 3 pages a day, every day, regardless. Even if it sucks, you can go back and fix it later but try to write every day, and always 3 pages, it works wonders. Took me about 4 months for each book but they were also 300 pages and filled with craziness and twists, etc.
I’m stuck in the “find an agent” mindset atm, but I’m also trying to break free from stressing over that to actually write one of the two novels screaming in my head, begging to be written.
No music! Well, personally I think you should have no distractions while writing. You need to move to a cabin in the woods and not see another human for a long time.
Cabin fever = great novel.
Enrico: Cabin Fever = shit movie /nod
Thongs and alcohol. Are we trying to make Craig into a Go-Go Boy?
First, I suggest you stick to music that has no lyrics, otherwise you will find yourself singing along and get distracted when you reach a pause in your writing.
B, resist the urge to edit, refine, or change anything; pretend your delete key doesn’t even exist, you will have plenty of time for that later you want to get the skeleton of the story on (virtual) paper now.
Fourth, get comfy; wear sweats or pajamas or other loose fitting clothes. And don’t drink too many liquids, bathroom breaks are for sissies!
Nextly, if (when) you get stuck writing I have found that if I take a 5-10 minute mental side track and write (in a separate document of course) on a completely random topic (what would happen if a moose went shoe shopping? What does my dog really think of me?) it really helps to jump start the creative juices again.
Great advice everyone! Well, maybe except the thong bit. Sorry Polt!
Sven: I really like your point about boring snacks. If I were to try something new, I could totally picture myself being distracted (“Mmmm, this is really good guacamole, I should eat guacamole more often, how do you make guacamole?) instead of writing.
Bernd: I love Jerry Goldsmith. I especially love his Star Trek: First Contact score.
Dr. Para: 3 pages a day sounds tough, but I think I can manage!
Ryan: Yeah, soon they’ll tell me I need to wax my entire body to get my novel done!
M Nico: LOL @ “What does my dog really think of me?” That’s a great bit of advice though.
I’ve never written anything nearly as long or ambitious as you but I agree with a lot of the advice already given especially try to avoid re-writing as you go, just plow ahead and then go back. Fumbling around for a good adjective or new phrase is something that always slows me down.
I love John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith & James Horner scores. Patrick Doyle who did Henry V, Much Ado, Dead Again among others is also one of the best.
Yeah, never edit until it’s all done, that is a must. For my first book, I hated how a character developed her “gift,” so after I wrote it, I went back and scrapped like 4 chapters and redid them as necessary.
Advice from a writing teacher:
One of the things I discuss every semester with my students is that every writer’s process is different, and the trick to writing well is not to follow a certain set of rules, but to discover what works best for you and stick to it. For example:
–When to write. Everybody has a different time of day when they are most effective. When is that time for you? That is when you should write. The important thing is that you get into the habit of writing EVERY day. Set a schedule if you need to. Published writers don’t have the luxury of sitting around until inspiration strikes. If you are having a particularly uninspired day, use your writing time to edit or do research or something.
–To revise or not to revise. All writers tend to fall into two categories: bleeders and speeders. Bleeders tend to compose very slowly because they revise as they go. There is no way around it…NOT revising causes us (I fall into this category) to get blocked up because we cannot stand a messy draft any more than we can stand a messy room or a messy work space. Speeders need to get their words on paper RIGHT NOW. These people can churn out dozens of pages a day; revising only causes them to slow down and get blocked up. Bleeders produce more slowly, but their drafts are more polished. Speeders produce more quickly, but they have to put a lot of time and work into revision/editing.
–Regardless of how you write, you need to get ideas down on paper IMMEDIATELY. Ideas are like dreams–you think you won’t forget them, but you do. Quickly. Get in the habit (if you aren’t already) of carrying a notebook or a voice recorder. When you have several ideas to work on, your writing time becomes much more productive.
Hmm. I’m rambling. Can you tell it’s summertime? Maybe I’m ready to get back to school!
Thanks Tracy! I think I’m a speeder at heart. I just need to get my engines revved. Oh, look at me using a butch analogy!
Question: Which is the best way to work on a piece of work on multiple computers? Thumb drive, or online database? Unfortunately Google docs is blocked at work (not that I would EVER work on something at work, but still). Any suggestions?
Or do I just do everything on the same computer to maintain a routine?
Craig: I would go with a thumb drive.
I’m a newspaper reporter, like a novelist, so my opinion may be a bit skewed.
I always have tons of water on hand, and candy. In my mind the health benefits/risks balance those two out.
As for your attire, maybe a cape would be in order?
Craig: I agree with Cupcake, I would use a flash drive.
Tracy: Great point with carrying a pad of paper or voice recorder. I cannot tell you how many times I had a great idea while commuting only to have forgotten it by the time I got home.
I see David and I had the same thought. Or since you seem to be anti-thong, how about a jock strap?
I think you need to decide whether you’re going to be Hemingway or Proust. Or, you know, Harlequin Romance.
The soundtrack for Army of Darkness
Ooo, I like Bradford’s idea of a cape! I think it would be so appropriate!
HUGS…
I am the last person that could give anyone serious writting advice.
However I have leared a lot from reading the comments on this post I would also recomend the flash drive. Regardless of where you choose to write, it is important to have a good backup.
Baroque music is supposedly a mental stimulus. If you’re blocked, don’t just sit there banging your head against the desk-top; get up and do something different: run around the block, climb a tree, do the washing-up, laundry, something to break the routine a bit. I work better when I turn off the spell-check, if not I find myself constantly going back to correct, which slows up or halts the production process.
Although the mental image of you writing in a cape or a jockstrap (let’s hope the chair isn’t leather or gasp, vinyl) is provocative, I think a little beenie with a propeller is more appropriate for the truly serious author of children’s books.
Craig, my only advice is to check out Funny Farm, only thing I can tell you about it is Chevy Chase with writers block.
Guille: Love the beenie with a propeller idea!
rhoddy01: I love that movie.
Woo Hoo! Just one more day until SV & VG! Oh, and the mental image of Craiggers sitting at a keyboard wearing only a thong, cape, and beanie with a propeller has had me chuckling all morning.
Hopefully! I still have a bit more to do. I worry this one won’t go over too well, but I thought that about the last one too. Fingers crossed!
Finding this – out of the blue, looking for better writing habits. On music: PHILIP GLASS!!! Classical, yet so repetitive that it basically puts you in a groove. I also like Bach’s cello concertos – highly listenable at first, but then fall into a familiar theme.