First, I wanted to take a minute to thank Christie Wright Wild over at Write Wild for awarding me a "Lovely Blog Award". Thank you, Christie! Her blog is quite lovely and really helpful, so please pop on over there if you don't know her already!
Second, thank you for all the solidarity on yesterday's post. I think we'll have to get a few more couches in the room of self-doubt. But the nice thing about our community here, is all the words of encouragement to combat that doubt. Write on, everybody!
Now to today's topic: Where to write?
If you write, where do you write? Do you have to be at your computer? Do you write things out by hand first? Do you have to get away from your house? Do need to be somewhere to be inspired?
I find that I do my best brainstorming away from my house. There is just too much to distract me here. Even if I am here all alone, I find that I read blogs or do dishes or sneak off to watch Project Runway. No, if I want to make my brain calm down enough to have original thoughts, I need the library or some other quiet place.
Now if I'm writing, I can be anywhere. I think I'm engaging my neurons enough when I'm actually writing that I don't get as distracted. Or, when I am distracted, I'm anxious to get back to what I was doing and I can pick it back up again quickly.
This does not bode well for PiBoIdMo! I need to be able to get my brain to focus on idea formation anywhere. I hope that PiBoIdMo helps me tackle this wandering-brain problem!
I tend to write where ever. I have multiple notebooks I care around with me where ever I go. Most of the time, lately, it seems as though I get random thoughts I need to write down WHILE I'M DRIVING! Ugh!
ReplyDeleteHowever, when I actually sit down to write a story, I seem to do better typing rather than writing. My sloppy handwriting seems to distract me and discourage me. When I can see the neat, clear words forming on the nice white page of the screen, it seems to flow faster. However, I AM tempted to open my browser and start "surfin' the 'net" So, I can go no where that does not distract me.
I would like to try the PiBoIdMo. It sounds like fun and if I am correct, all I need is 30 "ideas" not a complete story? And those 30 ideas can be for the same story, or part of the story, and then have others for other stories?
I think PiBoIdMo would be a great thing for you to do Lady! I'm not real clear on all the details myself, since this will be my first year too. However, it sounds like we get to flex our creative minds, but also we'll get lots of opportunities to learn and be inspired as well. I know you are only trying to do one idea (not book) a day. I think they can be ideas you could meld into any number of books. Click on my PiBoIdMo badge in the upper right hand corner and it will take you to the blog about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had an episode of self doubt but I imagine it's par for the course with us writers. Good luck with it anyway.
ReplyDeleteI write all over the place. At home it's mostly in my office where I want quiet but sometimes I need company - but among strangers - and then I go out - usually to Starbucks.
It feels like I write everywhere because I think about it so much, but mostly I write at home. I'm starting to "get out more" to coffee shops and the like, but I'm handicapped by the fact that I prefer to write in silence. I know, right? Hardly ever happens, which is why I am trying to "train" myself otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWell, there are so many stages of writing, that it's hard to break it up. If I'm in the middle of a rough draft, I write it all out by hand first, in a notebook. So, I can take that with anywhere. If I'm revising, I have to be at my computer. Mostly I prefer to be at my computer, but I do try to have at least one rough draft going on at a time.
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