Anastasia
Genuinely Alien Visitor
Trying to write the way you think you should write, rather in the way that is right for you.
Things that DON'T motivate you to write
- Thread starter dustinzgirl
- Start date
Triceratops
ChrisStevenson
Don't know what it is but I can't wri`e on a full stomach or after a aeal. Tried a toke of pot once---thought it might inspire me. It really frigged me up and made me flubber-fingered. I used towrite on caffine pills. Not any more.
Tri
Tri
Patrick Mahon
Would-be author
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2006
- Messages
- 532
I really agree with you, Anastasia - every time I decide I need to write a "meaningful" short story, rather than one I'd enjoy reading, it rapidly turns into a dirge, and I lose interest! God only knows what anyone else would feel like after reading such a piece of mine ...
Anastasia
Genuinely Alien Visitor
Tell you one thing that is motivating me to write - I asked a friend of mine to critique my stuff, and she read the first chapter. She absolutely loved it, and asked if she could show it to another friend. Now the two of them are hassling me to find out what happens next! So I've got my work cut out - I have to get a couple of chapters done this weekend, or I'll have hell to pay
Dragonlady
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 4, 2007
- Messages
- 409
My current demotivator is builders outside my bedroom window. How can I concentrate when the walls are vibrating?
i agree....after reading SK's dark tower...it put me in a really bad mood......how the heck am I suppose to compete with that
then i thought....no use comparing myself to SK.......try and forget him.......
mine was Earth Abides by George Stewart
Triceratops
ChrisStevenson
I am so totally not motivated to write anything after reading a really good grammar book, or an article on how to not split infinitives, passive writing, ending with a preposition, fragments, clunky sentences, head-hopping, or generally about any rule that I'm currently breaking/abusing. Then I find articles on what is cliche in Fantasy and SF and I find some or most of me in there. Then I hear about all the rules, thou shalts and shalt nots.....
.........and before you know it, I'm defeated before I've even started.
Tri
.........and before you know it, I'm defeated before I've even started.
Tri
Susan Boulton
The storyteller
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2006
- Messages
- 2,039
Oh how I agree!! Anything to do with grammar, makes me run round like a headless chicken! I doubt averything I have written, and am trying to write.
Jennifer L. Carson
Well-Known Member
Hmm...old post, but one I'm interested in. I was inspired to respond to the comment immediately above. I'm going to try to do the add a quote thing, but never did it before sooooo...here's hoping:
I understand why worrying about grammar and writing tools and tropes could sabotage an effort. But here is what I've learned, at least about myself. My writing comes from my right brain. My editing from my left. The two don't work and play well together, they each want their individual time and space. I write and I make lots of errors. And my left brain won't be able to deal with them until it's had time to cool down from watching right brain get all the attention. What I mean by that is, I need time to distance myself from the writing so I need to wait a few days or a week before editing. Then I can go over it--fix all those things you talk about, the grammar, the clunky sentences, the head hopping, the failed or weak manipulation of tropes. My left brain can do the shalls and shall nots. When I'm done, my work is better. And it's not better because of the rote application of meaningless rules, its better because by the convention of those rules, you will be able to read and follow my writing better. Maybe that comma doesn't really matter to your comprehension, or that misspelling, but in total, a well edited document is more readable. A more readable document engages the reader better because it tosses them from the story less. And some of those things mentioned, like head hopping and addressing cliches can improve not only the readability and flow, but the core story.
The time you take to learn these things and then to apply them has another payoff. The more you do it, the more chance these skills will leak into your right brain and become become part of your creative process. Now I'm not saying that's going to happen for commas, but it likely will reduce head hopping and more intrinsic core writing skills.
So I agree that worrying about all those things when you actually sit down to type is distracting to the point of destructiveness, I still advocate making the time to research, learn, and apply them in the times when you and your muse are taking a coffee break.
I understand why worrying about grammar and writing tools and tropes could sabotage an effort. But here is what I've learned, at least about myself. My writing comes from my right brain. My editing from my left. The two don't work and play well together, they each want their individual time and space. I write and I make lots of errors. And my left brain won't be able to deal with them until it's had time to cool down from watching right brain get all the attention. What I mean by that is, I need time to distance myself from the writing so I need to wait a few days or a week before editing. Then I can go over it--fix all those things you talk about, the grammar, the clunky sentences, the head hopping, the failed or weak manipulation of tropes. My left brain can do the shalls and shall nots. When I'm done, my work is better. And it's not better because of the rote application of meaningless rules, its better because by the convention of those rules, you will be able to read and follow my writing better. Maybe that comma doesn't really matter to your comprehension, or that misspelling, but in total, a well edited document is more readable. A more readable document engages the reader better because it tosses them from the story less. And some of those things mentioned, like head hopping and addressing cliches can improve not only the readability and flow, but the core story.
The time you take to learn these things and then to apply them has another payoff. The more you do it, the more chance these skills will leak into your right brain and become become part of your creative process. Now I'm not saying that's going to happen for commas, but it likely will reduce head hopping and more intrinsic core writing skills.
So I agree that worrying about all those things when you actually sit down to type is distracting to the point of destructiveness, I still advocate making the time to research, learn, and apply them in the times when you and your muse are taking a coffee break.
Ray McCarthy
Sentient Marmite: The Truth may make you fret.
Worry about details after first draft, inc grammar, spelling, punctuation. When doing 1st brain to text transfer turn off all checking, do no formatting, except maybe _and_ for italics and *and* for bold. (all sensible WP can detect these later). Do not double space or double return at paragraphs. That's formatting. Your WP program can later produce differently formatted copies.
If a 16:9 screen, perhaps have edit window 1/2 width to lower eye strain.
Always have no toolbars at top (optionally at side) and edit window full height of screen. Increase view size so you are comfortable with text. Use a decent serif font so I l 0 O are all clear. (Garamond, Century Schoolbook, Times Roman, Georgia). I also actually use a non-proportional font and left justified (not fully justified) as it's more like typewriter. Do NOT use fully justified or the text distractingly reformats as you type!
Don't use the mouse / touch pad or menus (Ctrl S will save in most programs).
Separate files for each thing / resource / section / act / chapter with a master list of file names in one file. Later you can paste into one file and fix spelling /grammar (create then a custom dictionary with your names people/places/things so the spelling checker can check you are consistent).
Just Write.
(make sure any email or IM or apps don't create flashing alerts, turn them off, switch phone to "meeting" or "Flight" mode.).
If a 16:9 screen, perhaps have edit window 1/2 width to lower eye strain.
Always have no toolbars at top (optionally at side) and edit window full height of screen. Increase view size so you are comfortable with text. Use a decent serif font so I l 0 O are all clear. (Garamond, Century Schoolbook, Times Roman, Georgia). I also actually use a non-proportional font and left justified (not fully justified) as it's more like typewriter. Do NOT use fully justified or the text distractingly reformats as you type!
Don't use the mouse / touch pad or menus (Ctrl S will save in most programs).
Separate files for each thing / resource / section / act / chapter with a master list of file names in one file. Later you can paste into one file and fix spelling /grammar (create then a custom dictionary with your names people/places/things so the spelling checker can check you are consistent).
Just Write.
(make sure any email or IM or apps don't create flashing alerts, turn them off, switch phone to "meeting" or "Flight" mode.).
Last edited:
Jennifer L. Carson
Well-Known Member
Okay, now that I have a whole 6 messages under my belt, I figured out reply. Now I'm going after that misleading quote button that led me astray.
OH! that's how you get a partial quote. But I digress. I agree with you whole heartedly. Leave the editing and formatting details till later. But I have slightly different personal prefs:
RE: Serif Fonts. I like san serif fonts. Research has suggested that san serif font's are easier to read on sources that emit light and serif fonts are easier on surfaces that reflect light, so I like Ariel for the computer and a serif font for reading books and printouts. The ease of reading is more important to my less than perfect sight than the difference between those characters (though I concede you have a point). I happen to prefer it proportional, but yeah, leave justify off. All that distracting funny kerning.
RE: Separate Files. If you have trouble writing and being drawn off to go look up what you did two weeks ago in the last chapter, I agree you might benefit from having one file. Force yourself in the here and now. I wrote for most of my life that way, but more because of MS Words limitations on larger files. And first I tried and did use for a few years the master doc approach, but that Word feature is annoying and not likely to appeal to the average user. Now, Word (mostly) handles even very large files. I've converted to doing it all at once. It makes editing day much easier. Course you could write it in a single file and import the file, but that's just extra work. You know, two or three button clicks.
RE: Double Space or Double Return: Good advice, don't fiddle with line spacing. But on the how? I agree with one and disagree with the other. Don't set things up that you need to hit return more than once to get a new paragraph. Your word processor will handle this for you if you set it up to begin with on an previous nonwriting day. And I like 1.5 line spacing. Keeps my eyes tracking better as I type. I find it less distracting.
RE: Mice & Menues. I did find it excellent advise to not use mice or menus. Never would have thought about it that way, but it's good concrete advice.
I say, give yourself permission to turn off your inner editor and do whatever supports that . But Ray gave the best advice of all. Just write!
OH! that's how you get a partial quote. But I digress. I agree with you whole heartedly. Leave the editing and formatting details till later. But I have slightly different personal prefs:
RE: Serif Fonts. I like san serif fonts. Research has suggested that san serif font's are easier to read on sources that emit light and serif fonts are easier on surfaces that reflect light, so I like Ariel for the computer and a serif font for reading books and printouts. The ease of reading is more important to my less than perfect sight than the difference between those characters (though I concede you have a point). I happen to prefer it proportional, but yeah, leave justify off. All that distracting funny kerning.
RE: Separate Files. If you have trouble writing and being drawn off to go look up what you did two weeks ago in the last chapter, I agree you might benefit from having one file. Force yourself in the here and now. I wrote for most of my life that way, but more because of MS Words limitations on larger files. And first I tried and did use for a few years the master doc approach, but that Word feature is annoying and not likely to appeal to the average user. Now, Word (mostly) handles even very large files. I've converted to doing it all at once. It makes editing day much easier. Course you could write it in a single file and import the file, but that's just extra work. You know, two or three button clicks.
RE: Double Space or Double Return: Good advice, don't fiddle with line spacing. But on the how? I agree with one and disagree with the other. Don't set things up that you need to hit return more than once to get a new paragraph. Your word processor will handle this for you if you set it up to begin with on an previous nonwriting day. And I like 1.5 line spacing. Keeps my eyes tracking better as I type. I find it less distracting.
RE: Mice & Menues. I did find it excellent advise to not use mice or menus. Never would have thought about it that way, but it's good concrete advice.
I say, give yourself permission to turn off your inner editor and do whatever supports that . But Ray gave the best advice of all. Just write!
Mark Gelineau
The Rogue in Rogue and Book, Inc
Knowing i have only a limited window of time, like a hour or two. I know I should be able to make use of that time, and that bits and pieces can add up, but man. Knowing there is a hard and fast cut-off to the time makes me not want to bother in the first place.
Jennifer L. Carson
Well-Known Member
I agree Mark. I like to know I have the day, unrealistic, I know.
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