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Hi everyone. I'm new to this site and am slowly getting back into reading and writing. I'm curious about what it looks like when you write. For me, to get the creativity flowing I need to know that I won't be bothered for a certain amount of time. I also have to listen to music (Korean music to be exact) in order to relax and start drifting away to my own world. Another thing I have to have is a pencil and paper, I can't draft things out on the computer. I physically have to edit on a sheet of paper. When I write I often end up editing at the same time because if I try to ignore a line I don't line I get hung up on it and can't stop thinking about it which disrupts my writing thoughts.Sometimes I draw ideas out as a map if I can't seem to stay organized. My draft has to be a hand written copy and the computer is my tool for my final draft.

Do you guys have similar methods? What kinds of things inspire you?

Thanks for reading~ ^_^

I write at the computer these days. I haven't used paper and pencil in a long time. I prefer the convenience of a backspace key to an eraser because I am constantly changing things and when I wrote with paper I found that before the story was finished I could hardly read it because of all the words and sentences crossed out with new stuff written above it, smudges from erasers, and notes crammed in the margins. Now, if I want to draw my attention to something like a note or a section that I think needs revision, I simply hi-lite it in another color. Also, the spell checker helps to keep "mispelled" words from slipping through. There is the added convenience of writing while I am online which gives me the ability to do immediate research. An example includes a story I wrote which takes place in 1874. In the story one of the characters has received the Victoria Cross (the equivalent of the American Medal Of Honor) and I wanted to make sure this medal was historically awarded at the time the story takes place. A quick trip to Wikipedia and I had my answer. When finished I can simply print the story out in pristine condition thus saving the work of typing it out. At the same time I save it to computer memory for archiving which saves filing and allows for easily making copies in the future.

Unlike some people I prefer no music or other distractions when I am writing. I tend to concentrate all my attention on the project at hand and I've found that background sounds tend to make my mind wander.

Since I primarily write short stories I tend to be obsessed to complete them once I start and have found myself sometimes writing far into the night to get one done. I don't know if this is the case with other writers but I feel that if I stop writing and come back to it on another day I have lost the "mood" (for want of a better word) that I was in which prompted the idea for the story in the first place. Thank God I don't write novels *LOL*

To answer your question regarding inspiration I can only say that sometimes ideas just pop into my mind. Almost all of my short stories contain twist endings and if an idea for a plot offers a good premise for a twist ending then I'm on it. Also, sometimes I am influenced by things in my personal life. After visiting a family member who resides in a nursing home and is afflicted with dementia it occurred to me that such people possibly see the world the way we experience dreams which led to my short story The Dreamer. I think amateur writers have a wealth of material to draw upon for ideas in their own, personal lives but for some reason they seem to always attempt to create fantastic plots which mimic stories they've read or seen on TV or movies.

Edited To Add - Since you are new I will just mention in the event you didn't already know that this website offers a place where members can submit their own short stories or poems. Check for the topics Creative Original Works: Short Stories and Creative Original Works: Poetry in the Writing section of the main forums page.

I write on the subway on the way to work in the morning. If I'm not busy with anything on my way home I also write then. On the train I put on a pair of earphones, but keep the music off and have fun creating my story. I use pen and paper since it's easier than opening up my laptop on the train. After a few weeks I type in what I wrote, which gives me a first level of editing.

I tried a lot of different methods before stumbling on an approach that worked for me. My schedule doesn't permit the setting aside of any real time to just focus on writing, so I decided I needed to start writing what I could when I could. That meant jotting down a few sentences while waiting for the coffee to brew, or a paragraph or two while waiting for something to print. I recently finished my first full-length novel (105,000 word), most of which was written via notepad on my iPhone. Now that Word has an iPhone app and cloud storage, it's even easier and less of a hassle now that I'm working on my next book.

To be honest, I'm guilty of not following the golden advice of writing something everyday.

I write only when I feel like it. And when I feel like it, I write as much as I can. Chapters and chapters. I save them up, and upload them according to a schedule, as if I have everything figured out like normal writers

I have a personal movie going on in my head when I'm penning down the scenes. Also, paper and pen always feel good, but for practical purposes, I write on the computer.

I write in moments of inspiration, no matter where I am.I.If I am in a public transportation, then I write into my mobile phone notes.Sometimes just a picture or a quote can inspire me to write about that the whole chapter. Later I put it together as a puzzle. So I write lead by my life experience and the moment of inspiration. For a serious writing job it is necessary to elaborate writing plan and skill.

Considering that I'm a creative writing student, I often have to write in the classroom and this includes when I'm not feeling particularly inspired. I have to push through my lack of ideas and just write the first thing that comes to mind -- even if it's just what I had for breakfast that morning. Anything to get my creativity flowing.

Other times I will just write because I have a line in my head. A sudden moment of inspiration. Sometimes I'll develop these and others I won't. They can work just as well as individual quotes.

Like Loverockers said, I don't write every single day either. I used to but it began to feel like a chore and the fun was taken out of the experience. Currently when I write it looks like someone hit the pause button on my everyday things. There is no more pomp and circumstance and conscience effort put into my setting. If the moment is inspiring, I write. I don't always use my computer, either. I rarely pull it out. I've always been more a pen and paper type of girl. I keep several small notebooks in my purse for such moment. But more often than not I end up scribbling my thoughts on the back of a napkin or a disposable coffee cup lol. It's not that i don't take writing seriously. It's just that I have a more go with the flow approach to my creativity.

I'm usually curled up in my leopard print arm chair. My hair is almost always a mess and in a top bun. Lately I've needed my glasses on as well which matches the yoga pants and my boyfriends t shirt nicely. I almost always write in a notebook and only use my laptop when I'm doing technical writing for work.

I wish I had the time to write every day, but my hectic schedule keeps me from doing so. I too enjoy music (mostly classic rock or even some metal). It helps put me in a more creative mood. I enjoy the occasional glass (or two, or three... ?) of wine. I write detailed bios for my characters and the basic beat of the story out on notebook paper. Then I get into fleshing it out on the old laptop.
I've recently been hitting up agents for representation on my first complete manuscript. No luck yet, but I'm going to keep at it and continue reading and writing. ?

I do that, too, with the bios. I feel like if the characters are complete on their own when they're placed in situations with other people, the choices they make are more realistic and true to who they are.

I agree, P_Hernandez. Only, sometimes I think I know what direction I want my characters to go in a story, and they sass me and tell me they'll be doing otherwise. ? Crazy, yes, I know. But when I start writing them, they tend to take on a life of their own.

You and me are exactly alike! I really dislike drafting on my computer because it's much easier to edit on there and because when I handwrite it I can look at it and feel like I accomplished something. However, as a final edit it is much easier to use my computer instead of writing it out. Also, I edit every sentence as I go along because it constantly irks me until I improve it!

It changes a lot for me... I try to force myself to write at least something every day, and for that I need some music and some brute force. When I have a really good idea, some really great inspiration, then I just sort of write and everything else disappears (and I sort of resurface a couple hours later with 2000 words, really needing to pee, and famished). I'm still trying to build good writing habits.

Does anyone use any writing apps to try and stay in the game? I tried a couple but they either ended up charging for everything or they became more of a trigger of anxiety for me than an inspiration lol.