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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

When Do You Write?

When you write can make a difference to the quality of writing. I'm learning this the hard way. You may have to try several plans before you find the right fit. However, the important part is that you write.
 
You have to make the time to write. If you don’t, the writing won’t happen.
  • No one is going to come to you and say, “Let me clean your house today and do your grocery shopping so you can write.”
  • If you don’t say, “This is my writing time” and turn off the phone and internet, and lock yourself away from your family, TV, whatever it is that distracts you—you will continue to be interrupted and the writing will suffer.
  • Fifteen to twenty minutes here and there is better than nothing, but if you’re like me, you need at least that long to remember where you left off and where you’re heading. For this reason, I prefer to get at least an hour block, but two is my goal.
  • Be willing to sacrifice for your writing. Get up an hour earlier, skip that sitcom or crime show and write at night, whatever it takes.
Here are my questions for you today...

When do YOU write? What kind of environment do you prefer for writing? Music? Chocolate? Peace and Quiet?

11 comments:

fdfgdafgdfsagdfs said...

Thanks for this post. Finding the time to write is one of the biggest issues I face. Glad to know I have good company!

mshatch said...

the television used to be my biggest time waster. I think back now and can only imagine how much writing I could've gotten done had I not parked my butt ont he couch to watch repeats of Law & Order...

Crystal Collier said...

Yeah, we don't watch TV. That makes a big difference. I find that you grain your brain into the "time" of the day you write too. If you regularly write at 2 p.m. every day, your brain will be primed to go at 2. Habit is a powerful enforcer.

Huntress said...

What about the lonely spouse who continually interrupts?

"hey come look at this," he says about a sitcom that I've seen fifty times.

"Where's the ?"

When I'm writing, distractions really kill the buzz.

Charity Bradford said...

@Robin, definitely not alone in the time wasting category.

@Marcy, if you start writing crime novels you can call that research. :)

@Crystal, that's wise advice. Let's train our brains!

@Huntress, that's why I can't write at night.

Stephen Tremp said...

I write whenever I can. Sometimes its for a few hours, other times its ten minutes here, twenty minutes there.

And I can work in silence or heavy metal blasting from my neighbors garage or the kids fighting and the dog barking. Its all good.

blankenship.louise said...

I write at night, with the doors shut, my music on, and the internet firmly put aside.

Liz A. said...

Depends. I may write just after eating breakfast. I might have stuff to do and write after. Or the day might totally get away from me.

I hole myself up in my room when I write, and I have nothing on in there except for the computer, but noises from the outside don't bother me.

Jai said...

I was always a morning writer until last month for whatever reason this story wants to be written when I get home from work.

farawayeyes said...

Mostly when the 'spirit moves me'. I know that sounds like an excuse, but really it's not. I do a lot of late night and early morning writing. It seems that's the best time for me to 'put the day away' and let the story out. I like music when I write, but I generally use headphones, that way it's me and the tunes and everything else is blocked out.

Charity Bradford said...

I love how different we all are. I also love that we teach ourselves to write whenever we can.