Seems everyone wants to write a book these days, but what
separates the talkers from the authors? One thing I know -stop talking, and
start writing. Sounds simple enough, yeah? You do need a plan, though, and the
development of some consistent, productive writing habits or rituals.
First of all, I'm driven. If I'm not moving forward,
accomplishing something, my characters haunt me. They yell during the day,
refuse to let me sleep, and when they lose the battle of keeping me awake, they
come to me in my dreams. There's no escape without writing habits that work for
me to keep them at bay
.
So for a few minutes, I'll tell you about some of my writing rituals - some new, some old, and perhaps one or two uniquely me:-) One new habit
that's working for me is writing my outline first. I realize this is nothing
new for most writers, but I've been a die-hard pantser for years. Writing the
outline helps me focus, and gives me a clear sense of moving towards a goal. I
jot the outline down on my kindle fire so I can change it easily and keep it
beside my laptop as I work. Also helps with editing since I know where specific
plot points and action scenes are located.
A few months ago, I purchased Scrivener. A bit of a learning curve to make the most of
the program, but well worth it. I input my outline sketch, chapter by chapter,
add character sketches and world building thoughts, and everything for a novel
or series is right there at my fingertips. Great writing tool to help with
organization. Even has a name choosing feature, and of course you can export it
to word, PDF, or wherever you need it
when you're ready to publish.
As far as schedules go, I've learned to adjust. I set a
weekly goal, say three or four chapters, according to life-demands that particular
week, and try to write everyday. Some days I get quite a bit done, other days
not so much. I'm a musician with latent dreams of composing movie sountracks,
so I can only listen to certain songs when I write. The song has to fit the
mood of the story, and has to be background music - not something that will
distract me by demanding full attention. I also set it to repeat, and listen to
the same track over and over. Might be odd to some, but it helps me
concentrate and lose myself in my characters' world.
Just a note about editing. I can't help editing some as I
go, but I'm developing the ability to forge ahead and complete the entire first
draft, leaving major edits for later. This is hard for me, but constant editing
stifles my creativity. Speaking of edits, I've joined two writer critique groups
and started a beta-reading group. I read their ideas and suggestions, then file
them for my editing and rewriting stages.
I can't end this without giving honor to another set of
basic writing tools. My handy paperback thesaurus and dictionary are always
beside my laptop. That way I don't have quite as many stagnant or just plain
old wrong words to fix after the first draft. Now, enough about me. What about
you? Do you listen to music? Follow a set schedule? Use a writing program? Tell
me. What are some of your writing rituals?
Comments
For my alien series, I opened a file and as I discovered through writing who these aliens were, I added each discovery there.
Janice~
And I always have an outline. It keeps me focused on what to write. Plus, I like marking things off when I finish a scene/chapter on the outline, so I can see my progress in the story.
For me personally, I seem to have my ideas at the oddest times or right as I'm headed to bed. So, I have my phone with me to get that quick thought down.