I want to continue to get to know everyone better. Let's talk about our work habits. Do you write everyday? Do you have a special place for writing? Do you ever go somewhere else to write? How important are these things? Can you share anything that helps you?
On a personal note: I was #1 on the waiting list for that Highlights Whole Novel Workshop for Fantasy and this morning received an email telling me someone can't make it ... so, I'm going!! I can hardly believe it. I have to raise about $2,000 because I got a small grant, but I believe if God brought me this far, He'll help me get what I need. I can't wait to share everything I learn! The workshop is May 1st-8th.
Woooooooo!!!!
Don't Plant Trees!
10 years ago
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WHOOT! That's such great news!!
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I write whenever I'm not doing school or whenever my imaginations not burnt to a crisp :) I have my special blue chair where I write, and a glass of chocolate milk beside me :)
One thing that helps for me is to listen to instrumental music to help me get sucked into the world. Only problem is that it may result in me writing dramatically :D
Oh, that is so wonderful Pam!!! I am positively green with jealousy. I know God will provide the cost; He provided my laptop and I never dreamed I'd be able to afford it this soon. Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen/how do I write? For a while there, I was getting up at 5 a.m. every morning to work before my son got up. However, I found that I needed that extra sleep too badly, and also that it was really hard to tear myself away from the story, so I was always running late.
Now, I have no special schedule. I write when I find time or when I am avoiding housework. This past week I've had time off for Spring Break, so I've been staying up late every night, doing a lot of work on my book. But next week things will get hectic again, and I may not be able to do much on it until the end of the semester. I'm only teaching one summer course, so my goal is to have it ready to submit to agents by the end of August.
I think it makes a big difference having the laptop because now I can go to the library and hide from everyone. Being home, there is always something that needs doing, or someone who needs attention. Also the library on campus has no wi-fi in the quiet study area, so the temptation of the Internet isn't there.
I think it also makes a difference that I'm revising. First drafts and second drafts seem to require a lot more effort, and longer blocks of undistracted time.
Word verification: paysellf. Yes, I'm going to pay myself for all this effort by getting published!
I don't have a writing schedule, either. I write whenever I can. Life is very busy and since I have a special needs daughter, emergencies do come up. We were in the hospital 2 days last week and both days were writing days for me. :( But I find that I write all the time in my head, so when I do sit down at the computer, I'm able to get more done.
ReplyDeleteRight now, when the house is quiet and no one is home, I'll write at the family computer in the diningroom. But I'm almost done a small space in the bedroom upstairs and will put my laptop there and escape when needed.
Danielle, don't worry about writing too dramatically. We can always pull you back. But you have to have something to work with, so keep going!
Chris, one of my favorite things to do with meet with other writers and work! There's something about being together - iron sharpening iron - that gets my creativity going. I try to schedule a weekend away with my two writing friends about twice a year. I'll miss our weekend in May this time because of the workshop.
I think what helps me most is brainstorming with my writing partner, Joyce. We throw ideas back and forth and it gets crazy sometimes, but we always come up with something usable. And the funny thing is Joyce doesn't write fantasy! But we're able to help each other.
Amanda Bradburn said...
ReplyDeleteI never was able to put together a schedule to write. I am not organized enough outside of my book to sit down and actually do a schedule. :) I love writing longhand in one of my many notebooks. There's something about the paper and ink that a laptop can never recreate for me. I used to write best in the car on the way to church, or during one of my favorite movies. Now I take any chance I can get to sit down and scribble on a page. The large overhauling I need to do will have to wait for a chunk of maybe four hours, though.
My cousin also writes fantasy and she calls once a week for us to go over what we wrote, what is causing us problems, and where we wish our stories would take us.
Pam- I so very much wish that I could come to your workshop, but there is no possible way. Remember me! :)
Amanda, it's great you have someone you can brainstorm with.
ReplyDeleteFear not, I will be sharing everything I learn at the Highlights workshop when I get back! Five more weeks!!!!