I write early in the morning, before my critical faculties kick in and crush me with fears of ineptitude.
I no longer tell people what I am going to write, I find if I have 'talk out the plot' I am no longer excited by it and cannot motivate myself to tell it again.
What I do now is write a brief over view of the whole novel and carry a notebook with me to capture moments of inspiration. When I sit down to write I give myself a word count to achieve.
I don't believe I have a creative process. When I have time to write, I write and the words flow so ever easily. For this I am very Thankful.
I like writing about facts within a frame of secrets. I do an enormous amount of research before I start writing my articles.
Before I sit down to write I usually have an idea. My ideas are like movies in my head. So, I'll imagine the movie in my head and I'll see my characters run through the plot like a fast forward movie. I'll see conversations I want them to have, details of characters I want to make sure to describe, locations where it will take place and more. As soon as I'm happy with the imagine I get in my head I take out my Moleskine journal. I write down my plot by hand as well as characters, important conversations, drawings of locations and anything else to help me keep my ideas straight. For character names, I'll usually look online at baby name websites. For names of locations I usually try to make them up off the top of my head or I use a different language to name a place. It can take a few days or a week before I'm actually writing.
Concentric circles. I start with an idea and build from the center (vs. using outlines). I have my coffee.
Just sit and think, get a line or two and go from there. Not difficult.
I would love to give a detailed summary of how much dedication and effort goes into my writing process, but it's really a simple and disappointing answer.
I sit down at my computer and hope the internet does not distract me. Then I just keep typing until I get hungry or my eyes hurt. I let everything come to me and keep working and working until I either run dry for the day or simply can't type for a while.
In almost every case, as much procrastination as possible! Even after all these years, I still ask myself, "Do I really have to write this? How much time do I have? When is the absolute latest I can start it and get it done in time?" But, invariably, once I actually make myself sit down and get to work I become totally immersed in the process, rewriting myself as I go and questioning this word or that word. I have given up on trying to set time limits on myself — it just doesn't work. Once I have my ideas together — and can put aside the procrastination — I just launch myself into it and stop when I can no longer keep going.
I clear out my mind, write down the draft on paper after gathering the scene and then type it out on the lappie, editing as I go.
I find inspiration everywhere. I do a lot of school visits and the children inspire me with their silly ideas. I don't have a set time that I sit down and write every day, but I do like to write in the quiet of night when everyone else is asleep. There are no emails dinging, no phones ringing, and it's a good time to write uninterrupted. Creativity is an inherent part of who I am. If I didn't write, I don't know who I would be. Even when I worked for the corporate world, I put pen to paper, writing for pleasure, if not for publication. |
99690 interviews created
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS