Confessions of This Writer
So that bon-bon eating, dressed in silk robe and slippers image has been shattered for good when it comes to the daily life of this writer. Yes, then came DEADLINES! LOL! I never really thought that my writing career would be lilke that, but it amazes me that others think so. Sometimes, I feel like pulling them aside and say, "Honey, please! If only you knew..."
Writing is a wonderful escape from the full-time job, family that still doesn't understand the meaning of "MY" time and the normal insane demands of life! I lean on it, take my frustrations out on it and my characters end up doing some things the shy part of me would never do, but that's half the fun!
What's my routine? Prayering to avoid King Procrastination and Queen Blank Page. Yep. I'm not one of those writers that outlines. I believe every writer has a definite route of how they go about creating exciting tales of intrigue, desire and SEX! I'd say about 40% percent of my plotting is done in my head - explains all those migraines. LOL. And the other 60% is character controlled.
I'm interested to know...what's everyone's routine?
Anisa
Writing is a wonderful escape from the full-time job, family that still doesn't understand the meaning of "MY" time and the normal insane demands of life! I lean on it, take my frustrations out on it and my characters end up doing some things the shy part of me would never do, but that's half the fun!
What's my routine? Prayering to avoid King Procrastination and Queen Blank Page. Yep. I'm not one of those writers that outlines. I believe every writer has a definite route of how they go about creating exciting tales of intrigue, desire and SEX! I'd say about 40% percent of my plotting is done in my head - explains all those migraines. LOL. And the other 60% is character controlled.
I'm interested to know...what's everyone's routine?
Anisa
SExed by Anonymous at 1:04 PM
7 Comments:
I am mostly a pantser, but I am finding I do better with a more solid outline of what should happen when (i.e., chapter-wise) and an absolute understanding of my characters motivations. Otherwise I tend to end up with heroines TSTL. :)
My routine right now is to write as much as possible. I was able to take time off of having a job outside the house and can concentrate on writing full-time. That will end when I need to start thinking about affordable benefits again (when my COBRA coverage runs out). So, for now, it's full-steam ahead. Get up, write, each lunch, write, have some dinner, write some more. And in between there try not to keep clicking on my email every 10 minutes and keep blogging to a minimum.
b/c I've made mistakes in the past. And yep, it was nipple color! *snicker*
LOL. I've done that too. Most of the time I mixed up hair and I color. I start out giving them blue and they end up with green...:)
And sherrill. You check your email every ten minutes too?? Glad to know I'm not the only one...:)
As for routine, I'm a pantser. I write what they tell me to and whenever I can. Sometimes it's early morning, sometimes it's late at night. Sometimes it's all day long...:) I love to write. If I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. Hmmm, wonder if I need a twelve step program??
Trista
We're supposed to have a routine?!
Oh man. I'm sooooo hooped.
Good topic! I wish I could tell you my regular writing schedule and routine. I just don't have one!
I've found that I approach each project on an individual basis. Some are loosely plotted in my head and tend to write themselves. This is what happened with both Love Lessons and Heart of a Soldier. Those are the books that are the most fun to write.
Others are carefully outlined and plotted ahead of time. Then when the writing begins, the characters take me off on wild tangents that wind up making the stories better yet longer to finish.
Sometimes I write steadily day by day, sometimes I write in spurts then suffer a writing drought. (I call that feast or famine writing) Again, it depends on how inspired I am with the story, how close I am to deadline **GG**, or what else is going on in life to interfere with writing time.
Nessie
I write within a specific universe and rules, which frees me to run all over the place and use many worlds and cultures. I world-built an entire history, worlds, languages... you name it. So yeah, I'm a plotter. BUT -- I'm also a pantser.
I write a long synopsis [10-15 pages] so I can keep the overall story straight. Sort of an outline, only not. Then I cut it down to 2-3 pages for the proposal.
I think of the long one as an almanac - a world view. That's where the plotter half of me rules. The pantser half gets to reroute the traffic on all the side streets.
One of my characters that readers comment on constantly wasn't planned for or considered. However, the empress needed an assistant, and it quickly became apparent that he was going to need a name other than "her assistant".
Once he got a name, it's like he sprang to life. Alitus Vivaldi became this absolutely classy guy who is loyal to the boner. Uh, make that bone. [Although the previous certainly fits him around the empress. LOL] He went from a walk-on part to a major character in the second book and eventually will have a book of his own.
So, uh... I guess that makes me a plotser. =^_^=
I write on my Tungsten T-5 handheld and foldable keyboard on my lunch hour and while sitting in the car waiting for my daughter to get finished with this or that or drama or volleyball or whatever. I write tidbits as they crop in my mind sitting at my desk surrounded by middle schoolers (I'm a school secretary). I email myself thoughts and phrases.
After I do a very few minor things around the house upon my return home from work, I write. I write 2-3 hours per night.
My husband handles the bulk of the household chores and my daughter (almost 14) is a writer, too--so she "gets it."
Okay, I get the first scene in my head, then I name the characters, and then I create plot points -- those things that have to happen to take the characters from point A to Point Z. After that, it's totally a gift from somewhere in the beyond, because later I'm not sure where any of what I have written has come from.
Honestly, I can sit down some days and really do not have a clue what my characters are gonna say or do -- they just say and do it. I am thankful every time I sit down that they just take over.
I can be away from my current opus for weeks -- and when I sit down and reread what I've already written, it just comes back to me.
Rae Morgan
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