I'm inspired by seeing or talking to others who have led or are currently leading meaningul lives.
For me, the creative process starts with having the right materials dressed the right way.
It's completely dependent on whether or not I can find my notebook, my pen and my pencils. I always use a composition notebook, Ticonderoga pencils and a Pilot Precise V pen for novels.
The composition notebook I'm writing in is always kept in a Rolodex or other leather notebook holder. My mystery novel is currently dressed in red and my other novel is dressed in pink--it's about the individual personalities of the novels themselves.
My poetry is kept in smaller, permanently bound books that are more journal style. And I always use a ZIG, acid-free archival pen in brown for all of my poetry. I've been doing that since I was 15 and it's not a trend that's going to stop anytime soon.
I have a specific chair I sit in to write--my Papason chair is tucked into a corner of my living room where I can get the sun through the window and where I am surrounded by foliage.
Before I sit down to write, I always walk out onto the porch, breathe in the world and just let everything go.
I always put on a specific pair of sweat pants and a loose sweatshirt, open up the sliding door, and snuggle up into the chair with my legs crossed. It's a meditative pose for me--that's what helps me to write.   | | |
I don't have a writing routine, I write when I "need to".
So the sitting down to write happens in many ways.
Sometimes I have to write what is rattling around in my head so I can make sense of it.
Other times it gestates without my noticing and comes out when poem/essay is ready to be born.
I go through what I'm to write in my mind. Occasionnaly I make notes especially, with regard to a germ of an idea or if I need to correct something already drafted. I almost never sit down without having gone through a long mental approach.
Like many writers, my writing process is an odd mix of desire and procrastination. I usually rise in the morning, fix myself a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee or tea. Then I'll wander into the library to turn on the laptop, recall that I should rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher, perhaps decide to throw in a load of laundry, check a few emails... then when I realize how much time I've lost, I'll sit at my desk and stare out the window for a few minutes. Once the actual document is open, and I begin typing out the words, I let my fingers lead me... free writing about whatever is filling up my head. Sometimes that's just a few paragraphs, though I'm working up to three pages, unfiltered. I've heard that's a good number. As for the ideas and inspiration, I find that usually the free writing will uncover something that's been bubbling just below the surface--some snippet of a song I heard in the car, a news story, even a phrase I keep turning over and over in my head. When I find three separate ideas or subjects that really spark my interest, I usually have the makings of a nice short story ready to roll off my pen. I've been known to write poetry after taking a walk with my camera and snapping shots of whatever catches my eyes. Other times, I pull a prompt from Robert Brewer's Poetic Asides blog, and just start playing. It's not what I'd call a disciplined approach, but it seems to work for me. | | |
That's a really hard question to answer. The creative process is as fickle as it is elusive. I have no set routine. I tend to get an idea, or even a first line, then hopefully that will get me started or not.
I work very strangely I can be in the mood for writing then I have a writer's block or I end up getting carried away and I write too much because my mind over flows. Sometimes I don't know when to start and stop. My mind works so fast when I have something to say I end up worrying in case I bor my reader or it does not make sense well both.
I do a lot of pre-writing in my mind, always have. Before I sit down to write a scene, I have almost always worked it out in my mind, kind of a mental movie version of how I want the scene to be.
I always have a full outline before I begin a novel or screenplay. So the whole story is in my head.
As for the actual writing, sometimes I just sit down and write for that hour I'm jotting a page down. Or wait a little while before before I can focus on the page. Nevertheless, I always have an idea regarding the scene's purpose in the story.
If I have been inspired or just want to write about my day and feelings, then I just write. If I have not been inspired or do not want to write about my day, I enjoy listening to music, reading, playing word games, walking around Los Angeles or New York City, and talking to my friends. All of the above will spark something in me to write. Sometimes I will have a thesaurus on hand, many times I do not.
I often have the first verse come into my head a few hours before I sit down to write.
I may be driving or on vacation with my family when something hits me. I may just looking out a window. I get the idea then I start writing it down. I may revise it several times before I am happy with it.
Close consultation with my client, information gathering, online research and conducting interviews with key players, such as subject matter experts, to get a solid sense of what strategic messages I need to convey and the intended audience.
My creative process varies from project to project. Sometimes stories come out completely finished on paper before I type them into the computer or I will flesh out an entire piece of flash fiction in a blog dashboard. It always just starts with an inspiration that comes from something in my life, something that resonates meaning in me and I will jot something down about it in a notebook, anything stemming from the impetus phrase that started it all. Nowadays I've started carrying these little memo pads that I carry in my pocket so I can put something down when I think of it. My job allows a lot of time where I can do that, when a student is busy working and I am just sitting beside him waiting for him to finish. I seem to have the most fun writing when I really shouldn't be, like in inappropriate places like work or in the middle of Mass or something. Usually I like to free associate my ideas on paper and accumulate pages and pages of notes that I go through with a highlighter to get the best lines and ideas. Then I will type it all on computer and tighten it up there. That's not always the way it happens, but that's what normal for me. | | |
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