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Writing • Page 15

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by WordsfromaSong, Apr 7, 2016.

  1. CarpetElf

    douglas Prestigious

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  2. Garrett

    i tore a hole in the fabric of time Moderator

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  3. CarpetElf

    douglas Prestigious

    that's not wise of you
     
  4. personalmaps

    citrus & cinnamon Prestigious

    2 chapters down this week so far which is uhhhh embarrassingly better progress than I’ve had in the past few months but you know what I’ll take it!!
     
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  5. OotyPa

    fall away

    Getting a solid amount of writing done this week! Feels good to actually be making new material rather than revise over older stuff. It's always hardest getting new stuff down even if it's not fantastic at first.
     
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  6. That's what I'm struggling with right now! I'm just under a 1000 words, but I'm shooting to hit 10k once the weekend finishes. The getting going is so hard.
     
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  7. I Am Mick

    @gravebug Prestigious

  8. Raku

    Regular

    Putting my series on pause.

    I've decided I'm gonna try to put out an anthology book filled with short stories. Gonna try to finish everything before December 6th, that way I have enough time to publish the book before the end of the year. Exciting stuff because it's my first book ever, the only downside is that I have to self-publish do it indie. Especially if I want to get the book out by the end of the year.
     
  9. theagentcoma

    yeah good okay Prestigious

    I just wrote a blog post about a recent trip I took to the Oregon coast. Happy to share it with you all.

    Reclamation
     
  10. supernovagirl

    Poetic and noble land mermaid

    I didn't know this was a thread and it's really inspiring. I have been really wanting to turn my experiences into some kind of...something, I'm just not sure what yet. Poetry/novel/memoir/blogpost. Idk. I was writing throughout all of it, because I kind of deep down knew one day I would want to look back on it.
     
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  11. personalmaps

    citrus & cinnamon Prestigious

    Y’all, I decided to skip the coffee shop and do a happy hour glass of wine/appetizer at this restaurant near work while writing...and the bartender gave me a free glass of champagne. May you all be equally blessed in your writing endeavors.
     
  12. Mr. Serotonin

    I'm still staring down the sun Prestigious

    That's beautiful.
     
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  13. theagentcoma

    yeah good okay Prestigious

    Silly question, but what are the specific tools you guys use to write? A ball point pen? Word processor? A simple blank notebook? Any music you listen to? What kind of head space do you like to get into? Do you like to write at home or at a coffee shop or something? Looking for some inspiration and guidance.
     
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  14. Mr. Serotonin

    I'm still staring down the sun Prestigious

    Notes app or pen
     
  15. personalmaps

    citrus & cinnamon Prestigious

    I use the Pages app on my iPad, which I like well enough. It's easy to get a word count and I like using the touch screen to edit typos. Before I had my iPad, I used google docs for easy access on multiple devices.

    As for music, I specifically like to make mixes for my projects- I have one each for my two main characters and one for the plot as a whole for my current project. Piecing that together before I started writing really helped me understand the characters and work out the arc I wanted them them.

    Writing environment is entirely based on my mood- I have a small desk set up in my room with a little lamp, a plant, etc, just a clean, minimalist space to get work done. If I am feeling antsy or like I need to be out, I'll work at a coffee shop. Last week I did a bit of writing at a restaurant and that was nice. Tried and true best space for quiet, free work space is the library. If you live in a college town (like me!) see if your college's library has a science library. U of M has one and pretty much no one ever goes in it, even during finals time, so it's always dead quiet and easy to focus in there.
     
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  16. OotyPa

    fall away

    I write on Word on my computer and throw on ambient music. Usually something more intricate rather than droney, because I find it keeps my mind alert yet not distracted. I've got a playlist on Spotify I go to if I don't have any particular albums in mind, if anyone is interested in seeing it.

    Writing away from home helps me in terms of not getting up and doing something else. I go to a library every Monday night to write with a group (sometimes it's just me), and after an hour, we share if we'd like and comment on each others' work. When it's just me, I just write for 2+ hours straight and it's very productive though sometimes I admittedly fall into a loop of editing previously written stuff rather than writing new stuff. Lowkey, smoking marijuana helps my creative process when I'm stuck and I'll hit my pen before writing--but too much can hamper the flow.

    My best advice in terms of keeping yourself inspired at all times is to read a lot of fiction. Once you're finished with one book, start another by a different author. In my experience, my mind is at its creative peak when my subconscious is filled with beautiful language and a story I'm invested in.
     
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  17. theagentcoma

    yeah good okay Prestigious

    I think your last point is great. I think it always helps to be reading something. I haven't picked up my books in months and my desire to write is pretty low. I think the two are totally related.
     
  18. OotyPa

    fall away

    They are 100% related. I sometimes fall into slumps of time when I ignore the book I want to read, even though I really do want to read it! It's the strangest thing. And when I finally pick up the book, I usually start feeling creative again.

    Also if I don't like a book, I'm pretty casual about choosing something else pretty immediately. I know some people are weird about that and commit to books they've begun even if they don't like it, but I find that reading a book I actually enjoy all the way through is severely conducive to my creative state.
     
  19. supernovagirl

    Poetic and noble land mermaid

    I feel like I can’t write when I’m actively reading too much because I find myself accidentally being a little too inspired by what I’m reading hahah
     
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  20. CarpetElf

    douglas Prestigious

    my god i am the worst
     
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  21. Raku

    Regular

    Very interesting question, I guess it depends on what I'm writing, and how I'm writing it...

    What I mean by that is, when I write stories (whether they be short, or long) I always jot down ideas (maybe even a skeletal summery) down in notepad/wordpad (saving them as a .txt file). Then I usually use Open Office (Or Libre Office now) if I want to write the story on my computer/offline. If I'm doing it online/don't want it on my pc, then I use Zoho Docs.

    For poems, I always write/save them in .txt files. Occasionally (or rarely) I put them on zoho, or even use an office program. After I'm finished, I post them up on a poetry sharing website.

    I don't really have a certain rule when it comes to the listening of music while writing, or try to get into a certain headspace, but I guess it would be helpful? Never really tried, but @personalmaps point on making a playlist for getting characteristics down for certain characters seem interesting. Sometimes I write while listening to something, and sometimes I don't.

    Also, I generally write at home because it's much easier... Although, maybe I should find an office that isn't an area I play/relax in? Could help with my procrastination.

    Although, I do get inspired by many fields. Whether it be from playing a game, watching a movie/show, or even just thinking randomly. You'll find inspiration in something.

    Tell me about it...

    I was hoping to put out my first full book this year, then it was a collection of short stories, now I might put a book of (around) 20 poems, and possibly photographs =/
     
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  22. personalmaps

    citrus & cinnamon Prestigious

    it's super fun! the book i'm working on right now is YA and pretty specifically about two girls who are musicians, so that plays into it a bit. i'm using lyrics from the songs as chapter titles. but i also found that i was able to parse out a full outline a lot easier when i was searching for songs that i thought fit them. i don't think the plot will as closely match the full story playlist i made as much as i thought it would, but it was still a really helpful starting point. music is still what inspires me most, and i love trying to incorporate that into the writing.

    also, don't sneeze at putting anything out- 20 poems is amazing! the process is sometimes longer (feeling that a lot myself, but trying not to be too down.) you're putting your work into the world and that's awesome!
     
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  23. Raku

    Regular

    Like I said, I might give it a try.

    Could make for something interesting.

    Yeah, thankfully I have a huge backlog of (both) publish, and unpublished. I can look through, and see what ones are good. Also, I should have time to write some more. Problem is doing the photography because it's currently winter time, and some of the subject matter I wrote would be hard to take a picture of...

    Although this was my news year resolution for 2018, that I would put a book out by the end of this year. Even if I have to self-publish it onto Amazon, and other e-book shops.
     
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  24. theagentcoma

    yeah good okay Prestigious

    What is everyone working on? I've been writing the same story in my head for 5 years haha. Your typical high fantasy affair.
     
  25. OotyPa

    fall away

    I've put my whole heart into this thing, so I'm frankly psyched you asked haha.

    I've been working on this same fiction story for a long ass time--over 4 years now since I officially started. Though it began as a short story and developed into something much longer and very different now. It's a coming-of-age story about a teenage boy who lives in a small town and has serious family problems. He's not quite out of high school but is just about old enough to examine where he belongs in the world. It's Christmas time and there's a comet that sends supernatural energy down to the town, playing a role in the characters' emotional states, and things sorta spiral from there.

    The story's themes deal with parental inheritance and its impact on identity, depression in the face of grief / secondhand grief, the loss of innocence, and more. It's very lyrical and dripping with open-heart poetry so here's to my friends and family knowing every inch of my soul when I share this thing haha. If you forced me, I'd probably throw it under the genre of magical realism.

    It's got 89 pages thus far and counting.
     
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