Writing Process Meme
Feb. 13th, 2020 04:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deemoyzaFrom ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
getyourwordsout
Writing Process Questions
1. Do you write your first draft by hand, or digitally?
Digitally. My handwriting can't keep up with my thoughts, at least not legibly.
2. Do you have a writer’s notebook?
Yes; a sketchbook, in fact. Switching from regular notebooks to a sketchbook was the best creative decision I've made in a long time. Without the constraint of lines, I can completely fill a page with as many or as few words as I choose, separate and organize my ideas and notes, and engage in a bit of light doodling when words are being stubborn. :)
3. Planner, pantser, or planter?
Definitely a planner, though not to the extent of detailed notes and outlines. I do need to have a direction for my writing, or else I'll drift off into several different plotlines within a few sentences.
4. What is your favorite place to write?
At home. All of my resources are close at hand, as are any snacks I might want, and I can wear whatever I'm comfortable in (shaved legs or not ;) ).
5. What is your least favorite place to write?
In public. While I have jotted down notes and even worked on drafts on my phone at work (during breaks, I swear!), I feel very uncomfortable working on my computer in public. I have this irrational fear that someone will start reading over my shoulder and either make fun of me, or ask very loudly about a specific passage they happened to glimpse.
6. What is your favorite writer’s drink?
I don't really have a preference specifically for writing. It's usually whatever I'm drinking on a day-to-day basis at the time; at the moment, it's citrus green tea.
7. What do you like to eat when you’re writing?
Foods that don't require plates, utensils, or both hands to eat. Which usually means unhealthy foods like chips and cheese crackers and candy.
8. Do you like to write where it’s quiet, or with noise? If noise, what kind?
Preferably where it's quiet, but if it's too noisy around me (cars, other people's music, etc.), I like to listen to white noise/ambient sound, such as thunderstorms or ocean waves.
9. Do you have a favorite writing season? (eg. spring, summer, fall, winter)
Nope, though I am more sluggish in the summer, even with A/C.
10. Do you make imageboards or storyboards or playlists before you write a story? Do you do them during? After?
Not usually, but I did make some character imageboards after writing a few stories in a series. I plan to make more as the series continues.
11. How do you feel about worldbuilding?
I love it! I can't do it worth beans in an original work, but I seem to have an easier time of it in fanfic. Given certain parameters to work within, and clues to the world in which the characters live, my imagination just takes off, trying to explain the hows and the whys, and tie it into the characters' lives as well as I can. And when the story takes place outside of the canon timeframe, I can really let loose, expanding on lore and dreaming up consequences and developments stemming from canon events.
Did I happen to mention I love worldbuilding? XD
12. How many drafts does your work go through before you’re ready to show it to people or publish?
I'm a little bit strange in this regard, I think, in that I make editing passes, even sometimes printing out and marking up my stories, but I don't necessarily have separate drafts. I try to get as close as possible to my desired idea at the beginning, then whittle and sculpt that idea until I'm satisfied with it.
13. How do you feel about editors and editing?
I have a lot of respect for editors (particularly in regard to their patience); I could benefit from one, but I just don't feel comfortable with the idea, both in the sense of being confident in my work, and in foisting said work onto someone else to look over.
14. What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Completion! XD Seriously, though, this is a tough question. I really love brainstorming ideas, with all those little rushes and discoveries, but I also like getting all of those ideas in order and on the page/screen. And then there's that lovely thrill of writing a line or a description that is just so perfect, I couldn't replicate it anywhere else if I tried.
I guess I like a whole lot about it; it's hard to pick just one part.
15. What do you do when you have no inspiration, but have to put something on the page/get that story finished?
I just start writing. I find that usually, once I get an idea or a specific passage that I like, I can go from there.
16. What do you do when you have lots of inspiration, but no way to actually sit down and write?
Try to get as many of the ideas down as possible, with enough notes for them to (hopefully!) make sense when I come back to them.
17. Have you ever dreamed something that ended up in a story?
Not that I can recall.
18. How often do you hit save/back up your work?
Too often to count. XD Roughly after every few sentences, definitely after every long paragraph.
19. What is your favorite punctuation mark?
The semicolon! I abuse that poor thing.
20. Have you ever gone to school for writing? Would you?
No, and I wouldn't. My writing process would make an instructor tear their hair out, and the way I pick and choose from advice articles would drive them crazy. But I'm comfortable with my methods, and they've worked for me, so far.
21. How do you get better at writing? Do you read articles, blogs, or books about writing for tips and tricks? Watch videos? Make it up as you go along? Something else?
I just write, and sometimes experiment with different styles and genres, and try to find what feels and sounds good to me. When I was younger, I used to read books and articles devotedly, until I realized that everything I wrote broke at least half the rules laid out in them, and every time I followed said rules, I was bored out of my skull. Now, I read articles and pick and choose which tips and tricks work for me and disregard what doesn't. It might not make me publishable, but at least I'm enjoying the process.
22. What’s something you wish you learned earlier as a writer?
A few things:
1) Going back to 21, that everyone's style is unique, and advice should be taken as recommendation rather than a set of hard rules.
2) Despite what the often depressive, cynical, and nihilistic nature of most "acclaimed" short-form literary fiction suggests, abject suffering and self-destructive behaviors are not necessary to be an effective, mature writer.
3) Fanfiction is not inferior to original writing. (Seriously, this one, so much!). I used to believe that the only thing worth writing was what I came up with from scratch, but that just left me frustrated a lot of the time, and even discouraged me from writing anything for a while. Then I found out just how much creativity is necessary to write in someone else's world, and just how fun and fulfilling that can be, and it actually helped get me back into writing, and remember why I enjoyed it in the first place! :)
23. What is the first thing you remember writing?
"Flash the Fish," in kindergarten. Complete with illustrations! :)
24. What is the last thing you worked on?
I'm currently working on my treat for the Chocolate Box exchange. It's slow going, but I'm having fun with the prompt. :)
25. Your perfect writing day would be…
No commitments, no errands, no interruptions. Oh, and no daydreaming off-course, either! ;)
getyourwordsoutWriting Process Questions
1. Do you write your first draft by hand, or digitally?
Digitally. My handwriting can't keep up with my thoughts, at least not legibly.
2. Do you have a writer’s notebook?
Yes; a sketchbook, in fact. Switching from regular notebooks to a sketchbook was the best creative decision I've made in a long time. Without the constraint of lines, I can completely fill a page with as many or as few words as I choose, separate and organize my ideas and notes, and engage in a bit of light doodling when words are being stubborn. :)
3. Planner, pantser, or planter?
Definitely a planner, though not to the extent of detailed notes and outlines. I do need to have a direction for my writing, or else I'll drift off into several different plotlines within a few sentences.
4. What is your favorite place to write?
At home. All of my resources are close at hand, as are any snacks I might want, and I can wear whatever I'm comfortable in (shaved legs or not ;) ).
5. What is your least favorite place to write?
In public. While I have jotted down notes and even worked on drafts on my phone at work (during breaks, I swear!), I feel very uncomfortable working on my computer in public. I have this irrational fear that someone will start reading over my shoulder and either make fun of me, or ask very loudly about a specific passage they happened to glimpse.
6. What is your favorite writer’s drink?
I don't really have a preference specifically for writing. It's usually whatever I'm drinking on a day-to-day basis at the time; at the moment, it's citrus green tea.
7. What do you like to eat when you’re writing?
Foods that don't require plates, utensils, or both hands to eat. Which usually means unhealthy foods like chips and cheese crackers and candy.
8. Do you like to write where it’s quiet, or with noise? If noise, what kind?
Preferably where it's quiet, but if it's too noisy around me (cars, other people's music, etc.), I like to listen to white noise/ambient sound, such as thunderstorms or ocean waves.
9. Do you have a favorite writing season? (eg. spring, summer, fall, winter)
Nope, though I am more sluggish in the summer, even with A/C.
10. Do you make imageboards or storyboards or playlists before you write a story? Do you do them during? After?
Not usually, but I did make some character imageboards after writing a few stories in a series. I plan to make more as the series continues.
11. How do you feel about worldbuilding?
I love it! I can't do it worth beans in an original work, but I seem to have an easier time of it in fanfic. Given certain parameters to work within, and clues to the world in which the characters live, my imagination just takes off, trying to explain the hows and the whys, and tie it into the characters' lives as well as I can. And when the story takes place outside of the canon timeframe, I can really let loose, expanding on lore and dreaming up consequences and developments stemming from canon events.
Did I happen to mention I love worldbuilding? XD
12. How many drafts does your work go through before you’re ready to show it to people or publish?
I'm a little bit strange in this regard, I think, in that I make editing passes, even sometimes printing out and marking up my stories, but I don't necessarily have separate drafts. I try to get as close as possible to my desired idea at the beginning, then whittle and sculpt that idea until I'm satisfied with it.
13. How do you feel about editors and editing?
I have a lot of respect for editors (particularly in regard to their patience); I could benefit from one, but I just don't feel comfortable with the idea, both in the sense of being confident in my work, and in foisting said work onto someone else to look over.
14. What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Completion! XD Seriously, though, this is a tough question. I really love brainstorming ideas, with all those little rushes and discoveries, but I also like getting all of those ideas in order and on the page/screen. And then there's that lovely thrill of writing a line or a description that is just so perfect, I couldn't replicate it anywhere else if I tried.
I guess I like a whole lot about it; it's hard to pick just one part.
15. What do you do when you have no inspiration, but have to put something on the page/get that story finished?
I just start writing. I find that usually, once I get an idea or a specific passage that I like, I can go from there.
16. What do you do when you have lots of inspiration, but no way to actually sit down and write?
Try to get as many of the ideas down as possible, with enough notes for them to (hopefully!) make sense when I come back to them.
17. Have you ever dreamed something that ended up in a story?
Not that I can recall.
18. How often do you hit save/back up your work?
Too often to count. XD Roughly after every few sentences, definitely after every long paragraph.
19. What is your favorite punctuation mark?
The semicolon! I abuse that poor thing.
20. Have you ever gone to school for writing? Would you?
No, and I wouldn't. My writing process would make an instructor tear their hair out, and the way I pick and choose from advice articles would drive them crazy. But I'm comfortable with my methods, and they've worked for me, so far.
21. How do you get better at writing? Do you read articles, blogs, or books about writing for tips and tricks? Watch videos? Make it up as you go along? Something else?
I just write, and sometimes experiment with different styles and genres, and try to find what feels and sounds good to me. When I was younger, I used to read books and articles devotedly, until I realized that everything I wrote broke at least half the rules laid out in them, and every time I followed said rules, I was bored out of my skull. Now, I read articles and pick and choose which tips and tricks work for me and disregard what doesn't. It might not make me publishable, but at least I'm enjoying the process.
22. What’s something you wish you learned earlier as a writer?
A few things:
1) Going back to 21, that everyone's style is unique, and advice should be taken as recommendation rather than a set of hard rules.
2) Despite what the often depressive, cynical, and nihilistic nature of most "acclaimed" short-form literary fiction suggests, abject suffering and self-destructive behaviors are not necessary to be an effective, mature writer.
3) Fanfiction is not inferior to original writing. (Seriously, this one, so much!). I used to believe that the only thing worth writing was what I came up with from scratch, but that just left me frustrated a lot of the time, and even discouraged me from writing anything for a while. Then I found out just how much creativity is necessary to write in someone else's world, and just how fun and fulfilling that can be, and it actually helped get me back into writing, and remember why I enjoyed it in the first place! :)
23. What is the first thing you remember writing?
"Flash the Fish," in kindergarten. Complete with illustrations! :)
24. What is the last thing you worked on?
I'm currently working on my treat for the Chocolate Box exchange. It's slow going, but I'm having fun with the prompt. :)
25. Your perfect writing day would be…
No commitments, no errands, no interruptions. Oh, and no daydreaming off-course, either! ;)
no subject
Date: 2020-02-16 04:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-02-19 04:01 am (UTC)Regarding nosy strangers, I wish I could be that straightforward! :D And, as you mentioned writing with your back to the wall, perhaps finding a cozy corner in a quiet establishment might be a workable gateway to writing in public for me. It would be nice to get a change of scenery now and then. :)