Hey - I was just here to ask one question. Do you guys wait a few days between writing? I always feel I need to wait a few days before continuing another chapter / section of a story to relax and recover.... Do you guys? or do you dive straight in and keep going?
For me it all depends on my situations each day. I try to write everyday. Some days are just to busy to even sit at the computer for ten minutes, though that is rare. When I am working on a story I just keep writing so long as the story is coming from my head. If I get stuck, I leave it for a day or two until the stewing process has finished in my mind and I am unstuck. If I am really stuck, and after a week nothing has come, or I am just sick of the story or don't like where it is going...I save the storyline, the characters and everything I have written and start something new. At least until the other story decides to surface again.
I tend to write in spurts so, by nature, there is time between each little section. Personally it lets me reflect a little before my next dive.
Heyho, This is a very subjective one. Personally, I go through 'stale' periods where I feel I can't write, so if I'm on a roll I try to keep pushing onwards - that way, if I hit another difficult week, I'll at least have more stuff to edit and tweak! Bottom line? I guess you just have to write when the juices are flowing. That said, if I always waited to be 'in the right mood', weeks could go by. For me, it's all about striking a balance between the compulsion to write, and the dedication to sticking it out through the tougher times. Maroon.
hmm-mm... seems a question for only the hookers among us... ;-) seriously, i not only do not wait, i always have several things going at all times, so there's always something else to keep me working non-stop and/or to switch over to, if the one i'm working on stalls, or loses my interest temporarily...
Like Maia, I seldom have six balls in the air at any given time, so if I do need to break it's just on to another project. The only time it usually happens though is after a particularly emotionally intense scene.
Lol...having a 'recuperation' period makes writing sound like a disease you have to recover from... And because it reminds me of that, I feel a little bit weird trying to find an adequate answer for this question. So I'm just going to leave it at that. ~Lynn
Usually writing takes a lot out of me and I can't do it for long periods. I have lots of little story beginnings written down because I took a break and found it hard to jump back in after. I'm hoping that energy for writing is akin to physical stamina, ie you train through the discomfort and eventually you can last longer.
Apparently, you have never had 'the muse' crash into your head (figuratively speaking), grab you by the throat and scream in your face, "This is a good idea. Write this down, NOW! What are you waiting for?" Several hours later, your hand looks like the talon of some weird bird, your mouth is dry, and you might not know your own name. But the writing is usually pretty good. *le sigh* I love it when that happens.
After writing on one "project" for a while I tend to get a little bored with it. A couple of time I have tried to keep writing but what comes out... bleh... and I wonder when I even bother. Anyways I find I always have a couple of ideas bouncing around in my head at any one time so I often start on one of them -which is always fun, there's nothing like the joy of starting a new piece of writing- promising myself I'll finish the other one off later. Ending it now that's another matter entirely. I have half a dozen short stories sitting around on my hard drive waiting for me to come and finish them off.
At the moment, I'm only writing as a hobby (and because if I don't get it all out, I'm in danger of exploding). So I write sporadically, when I have a rush of inspiration. I've listened to authors tell me that you need to be disciplined and set aside time each day to write something down, but I find that when I do that, I only pump out crap. So until I'm a published author with a book contract, I will continue to write when I feel like it
Lol >.> By recupuration I dont mean it negatively - just time to recover from the effort of writing a lot and thinking a lot.
I've actually found that staying the course is often beneficial. If you have the ideas, get them down because they will evaporate and you'll struggle to remember them. I've actually spent a couple of hours progressing the story with weak writing, then when you come back to it, you can revise the whole section, but at least it's there to revise/amend rather than the same blank page. Besides, when I have taken a break, I find myself stewing in my own head anyway wondering why I couldn't write any more and trying to break the block I have, which is even more frustrating. Right now I have a headache but I want to start a new short story. I'm just waiting for the aspirin to kick in. It's all individual tastes though.
Lol...I don't think I need to 'recover' from that experience however. I do get flashes of time where I have to write, or I can't focus on anything. However, when those times pass, I still have to write, just not as much. Personally, I feel like I spend all my time needing to write, so needing to more strongly at certain times feels normal. But recuperating, to me, means that you 'burn' out and 'recover.' So, I never burn out...therefore, no recovery necessary. Except sleep. Sleep is vital. ~Lynn
...since that's not 'like' me, i'm guessing you left out 'fewer than' or meant to write 'often' instead of 'seldom'...
If I sit there at my computer and write nonstop for 6+ hours, which I have done before, and more than once, than yeah. or if the scene is just way intense
I find that as I get deeper into a story I'm writing, it starts to take up my mind all the time. Of course, this is good when I'm writing, but after I stop writing, I will still be thinking about the plot, obsessing over things, wondering whether this way or that way is better. I find it hard to just step back and focus wholly on something else when I'm that into a project. I'm just interested to see what others' experiences with this are. Can you write and then switch off until you next sit in front of the keyboard? Or do you find the story constantly filling your mind, refusing or making it hard for you to focus on other things?
For me, it's not hard to focus on other things, but it is hard to find myself fully satisfied. There is only one piece I wouldn't change a thing about. But everytime I finish writing, even though I'm usually happy with it right away, I find myself thinking if I should've used a different figure of speech, or described something differently, or explained something better. But when I am writing, I do get the same feeling as you. The more I write, the more I get into the story... when I'm really into what I'm writting, I get the weirdest feeling. Ironically, it's hard to put into words, but it's like I don't know if I'm more in the real world or the fiction I'm creating. Don't you get a rollercoaster kind of rush when you get to the ending?
haha yeah I can't wait for that rush - unfortunately I'm at 30 000 words and my plot is just getting more and more complicated
When I am writing a piece of work I find it hard to escape the drama. My characters are constantly popping into my head with dialogue and I am always considering where I am going to take them. It's funny, I can be shopping for groceries and right there in the snack isle a potential conversation will flood my mind. I love it.
Haha I'm the same way, Chimmy. I have a hard time paying attention in classes sometimes because I'll be so engrossed in a mental dialogue or scenes that play like movies in my head. I've never tried to stop it; it gets me some really good, creative stuff sometimes.
As the story I'm working on evolves I find myself more and more immersed in it, harder to yank myself out of the world I've created, even when I'm not writing it. And while I don't consciously seek inspiration, at random times throughout the day, I get ideas, sentences, dialogue, usually products of my surroundings, things I've heard or seen, that I have to write down. I think this is proof that I can't separate myself from a story once I've started. Sometimes it's tiring, always having it linger in the back of your mind. But for the sake of the writing, it's probably a good thing.
It feels like ever since I've become a writer I've been constantly immersed in the writing world. It doesn't matter what I'm doing writing tends to pop in from time to time or moreoften, for that matter. I can't shut it off, though I can put it to the back of my mind. In a way that's a good thing since it means I'm constantly improving and detailing my characters and worlds; on the other, it makes concentration in general difficult, and is frustrating when I can't actually put to paper what comes to mind because I'm in the middle of something else. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
I try to stay fully present in the moment I'm having, however this only applies to activities that involve others. If I'm standing at the sink washing dishes, or folding laundry, or doing some menial task at work, I allow my mind to wonder to the story I am currently working on, or to any type of thoughts that might run through my mind. I try not to allow my mind to wonder while I am having conversations, driving, or, well, any other activity that involves another person. If I find I am, I bring my focus back to the task, or person at hand. Being aware of this and learning to focus my attention was something I picked up in acting class. It is a very handy little skill to have, learning how to stay in character, that applies to many places in life. So, I never really get taken over by a story. I imagine it is much like falling in love. All the same emotions and all the same risks.
