Getting in the mood...

[thalaw2]

What do you use to get yourself in the mood to write?  I have been doing a lot of writing lately...unfortunately nothing i would post here since ain't even fiction related.  But, I have found recently that I like writing to classical music.   Before i used to play jazz or blues and come up with all kinds of strange stuff, but the classical stuff kind of mellows me out more.  I've also made the switch from being a night person to a morning person....am i getting old?   I don't even drink when I write anymore.

[Tawodi Osdi]

I try different tricks when trying to write.  I do write to classical but just about any music that I can't sing along with helps.  I have used techno, opera, native American drum music, and Celtic as well, and trying to find tunes that match the tempo of your work is good.  Something soft and melodic for reflective moods and something pounding and rhythmic for more action oriented activities.

Also, sometimes, I will try to watch movies, study art, and read books related to my topic, and I am big fan of doing research.

[BlueBard]

I've heard it said that the best, most prolific, most published writers have established writing as a habit.  They write something every day and they have times and places set aside for it.

Mike Shepherd has a goal of writing a Kris Longknife novel every year, I think, so that they can be published every November.  Patrick McManus has said that he had committed to writing for a certain length of time every day and filled up that entire time even if he had to write nonsense to do it (which for a humorist isn't necessarily a bad thing).  Alan Dean Foster churns out novels like crazy... which means that he has to have a lot of discipline about his writing practices.

Not that I've gotten to that place myself.  But it does help me to have both a goal and a deadline, like a fiction challenge or a writing exercise. 

Oh, and an idea.  Ideas are very helpful.

[thalaw2]

Interesting.  One of my friends who has written several books says that he works with word count goals.  His publisher will give him a word count, for example 30,000 words.  Then he will write about 20,000 inside a month then use the rest of the time to make additions to touch up the story....he also has the uncanny ability to ignore typos while he is writing.  That's something I can't do so well.  I read excerpts of his first fiction novel and it's filled with typos that would tick me off so much that i would never get anything finished.

[Previsionary]

Yeah, you REALLY have to ignore typos when you're writing on a time limit and have a deadline. That used to be a big problem for me as well, but I gradually learned to ignore them until later (I take intense mental notes though). Writing with a word count in mind is a very good idea, especially if you're freelancing or have a job that focuses on that. When I used to do those weekly Marvel Comic reviews, there was a conscious decision on my part to reach a particular word count every week (at the time, it was 15000 words).

Anyway, for me, I found writing to be a lot easier when you're basically by yourself. When I'm really into writing, I go into the quietest room in my house, turn everything off but my MP3 player, and go at it. Typically though, I only keep certain items around me when putting words on paper. Outside of my notebook/notepad, clipboard, a pen, and a pencil, I rarely use anything technology based. I found out a long time ago that it was a lot easier for me to stay focused when I was actually "writing" with a pen rather than typing it out on a computer. When I'm near my laptop (affectionately called "Lappy") or my PC, I'm much more likely to get distracted by all the cool little icons and sounds. Just recently I wrote a 20+ page script in 3 days in comparison to the week worth of time it'd usually take me on a PC. Not to mention that it's infinitely easier to ignore a typo on paper than it is to ignore it on a PC without the grammar check options turned off; there's no squiggly lines to detract from what you're doing. ^^. And I can't stress enough the importance of doing some writing exercises throughout the week to keep you active and in practice. Whether it be steam-of-consciousness writing, poetry, blog/board postings, or what have you, you should attempt to find time everyday to write something. Try everything in your power to make it a habit and part of your daily activities. Tis much harder to succumb to "Writer's block" when it is.

[Tawodi Osdi]

As a general rule, correcting typos and such should be done towards the last of the revision phase.  Punctuation and grammar are only the mortar that holds a story together they aren't the bricks.  The bricks are theme, plot, characterization, and so on.

[Reepicheep]

I always talk outloud in my best Christopher Lee voice as I type. Actually hearing the sentences aloud helps a lot for me. Also, my girlfriend thinks its hilarious.

Depending on the mood in the story, my choice of music ranges from Classic, Flamenco, Jazz, Muse and the Eagles - all quite quiet so I can hear myself talk and think.

I have a bad habit of correcting typos as I write. Maybe I should try and get out of that one to speed things up. I also have difficulty reading in general - gives me a headache and after a few pages I start seeing double, even on paper. That can be a real blow for proof-reading, so I need someone to help me there. Its always good to get a second opinion anyway.

If its night time, I turn off ceiling lights and have one desk lamp facing the wall, just enough to see the keys on my keyboard without straining my eyes.

Most important of all for me, I mime. I love miming. I stand up and mime out the next scene of the story. Thats always great fun. Actually get up and pretend to be the character, visualize the area. Stand on a box, sit like you're in a conference, punch a pillow in the face... Its great fun. It can lead to some deviation, however, if you get into it too much.

[BlueBard]

I edit on the fly.  On a computer it doesn't take that long to make corrections and changes.  I can see where hand-written copy would force you to ignore typos on the first draft, though.

If you work with paper, using a pen would help you avoid the temptation to make corrections on the spot.  At worst, you'd strikethrough and keep going.

[Xenolith]

I use the snowflake method, which is esesentially writing the big parts first and then shaping around them as you need.  That way I'm always motivated to write about something, and don't relaly need to set up any deadlines or anything like that.