When do you write?

[shunoshi]

I'm trying to work writing into my daily schedule and I'm finding it very difficult. When I initially decided to pick up writing again it was easy to find time to write because you always have that level of excitement that comes with starting something new. Now normal life activites have resumed at their normally scheduled times, leaving no room for writing.

Now comes the question, when do you make time to write? I know that I will have to sacrifice something to have time. Whether that be gaming or sleep, something will have to give. I've never been a morning person, but I'm starting to think that writing before work may be the way to go. It's quiet and my mind will be fresh (regardless of how zombified I feel). Now, I need to make a disclaimer here. I work at 9:30am, so it isn't like I'd be waking up at 4:30am to write...more like 7am. I also tend to stay up till about 1:30am, so that would have to change.

When do you write?

[KingGorilla]

I tend to write an hour or two before retiring for the night. Publish first thing in the morning 7 AM or so. You need to set time aside and stick to it. .

[Shadowstorm]

At night, when I listen to music.

If I listen to Velvet Acid Christ, I write stories about Big Brother, things in the sci-fi realm, psychological issues, and so forth. If it's something really soft and smooth, and well, emotional, like Clint Mansell's The Fountain OST, that reflects on what I write and how I write it as well.

I'm not always in the mood to just sit down (or lie down) and spill it all out. The times where I want to write always seems to produce results that I am more satisfied with. Those times do not occur enough.

[Troggles]

I saw an article the other day that suggested that a person's most creative time of day is at 10pm. If you have time then, they say that you will be most productive. I'll try to find that article.

[Doctor Setebos]

I only find time to write late at night. After I get my boys to bed, I have between 9:00pm and 11:30-midnight to write/surf/game/etc. I try to get at least 600-700 words in during that time, and spend the rest surfing or gaming.

Most times, I don't get to do much of anything else because I'm banging my head against the wall trying to get the words to come out properly. :rolleyes:

[KingGorilla]

Most times, I don't get to do much of anything else because I'm banging my head against the wall trying to get the words to come out properly. :rolleyes:

I call that time: Whelp, time for a Shack News, Ars Technica, Slashdow link dump.

[alienmastermind]

I write in the moments I'm not earning my keep at the local corp.

I also play games....but while I'm writing, I usually create a 'soundrack'...and loop it as I write. My last book (never published...still earning money to fire out a bunch of slush copies to different publishers) was written with a specific soundtrack in mind.

It's also pretty much a mess. But nothing is as satisfying as typing 'THE END'...even if an editor will just erase it. :)

[Xerxes]

Never... I just like the idea of writing.

[Slack3r78]

Drunkenly.

[digitalErich]

Drunkenly.
well spealk of the devil. And by devil I mean french wine.

[Spectre-7]

Drunkenly.

> 1 shot && < 3 sheets to the wind

[Dorkandproudofit]

I just write whenever I get the inspiration. In the case of a story, I usually just start with the most general idea of a plot and where it will go (although I make sure to detail the characters and where they come from), and simply let the story evolve as I write. My best work is often improvised and on the spot.

[Deunnero]

I usually write when I need to take a break at work; and during my MMO days, after long periods of play time.

If I had some sort of portable writing device, I would probably write on the bus, as I come up with a lot of ideas during the 45-minute long trips, both ways, every day.

[Doctor Setebos]

If I had some sort of portable writing device, I would probably write on the bus, as I come up with a lot of ideas during the 45-minute long trips, both ways, every day.I know a couple of successful writers that do all of their writing during train and/or bus commutes. But all they use is a moleskine and pen. Never forget that you don't need an electronic device to capture inspiration.

[Young Al Capone]

Whenever I am alone, usually in the early evenings or mornings.

Lately though, with my desperate search for a new job before I am laid off of this one I haven't had the motivation to write. I think it is all the damn forms you have to fill out. What the fuck did I go to college and make a resume for if you still want me to use your damn application and won't get back to me either way?

[Lithium Flower]

Never forget that you don't need an electronic device to capture inspiration.

Somehow I can only write my best when staring into a blank MS Word screen. I tried OpenOffice and it didn't have the same effect, heh. Just one of those quirks I guess.

[Deunnero]

I know a couple of successful writers that do all of their writing during train and/or bus commutes. But all they use is a moleskine and pen. Never forget that you don't need an electronic device to capture inspiration.

I know, but last time I carried around pen and paper, I got a nasty ink spill in my pocket! :(

Not to mention forgetting to remove said pen from shirt pocket before washing and subsequently drying. There is still a blue ring around both washer and dryer these many years later. And the clothes, oh the poor clothes.

That said, you've encouraged me to try it again, starting tonight! :D

[shunoshi]

I know, but last time I carried around pen and paper, I got a nasty ink spill in my pocket! :(

Not to mention forgetting to remove said pen from shirt pocket before washing and subsequently drying. There is still a blue ring around both washer and dryer these many years later. And the clothes, oh the poor clothes.

That said, you've encouraged me to try it again, starting tonight! :D

Mechanical pencils FTW.

[Thanasimos]

Late, late at night, blasting music. Pitch black, I cannot hear my fingers type, and the screen is as dark as I can make it and still read.

So I haven't gotten any writing in since I started college. So be it. There's always summers.

[Young Al Capone]

I know a couple of successful writers that do all of their writing during train and/or bus commutes. But all they use is a moleskine and pen. Never forget that you don't need an electronic device to capture inspiration.

I need to start trying out some analog writing in different environments. I also like it cause you can write stuff down, mull it over and then type it with some new ideas and edits.

[Spectre-7]

On second thought, I realized that I wrote an entire novel sober. How strange.

Somehow I can only write my best when staring into a blank MS Word screen. I tried OpenOffice and it didn't have the same effect, heh. Just one of those quirks I guess.

Really? I can't stand to write in full word processors anymore. There are just too many fiddly little bits, menus and other things that I'll inevitably screw around with instead of writing. I do all of my work in Notepad2 (http://www.flos-freeware.ch/notepad2.html) these days. All flat text, all the time.

Formatting and all that extraneous stuff can wait until I'm actually ready to submit.

[shunoshi]

I need to start trying out some analog writing in different environments. I also like it cause you can write stuff down, mull it over and then type it with some new ideas and edits.

This is what I love about doing initial drafts in a notebook. Typing it out gives you an automatic first edit/proofread. That and a Moleskine is far more portable than a laptop and doesn't require electricity.

[Generation ABXY]

I tried to set up a schedule for it, dedicating my entire weekend to writing. It turned out to be a spectacular failure, and I don't think I've had a weekend to myself since deciding that.

Instead, I usually get most of my writing done in bed at night, when I'll suddenly wake up at odd hours with an idea (in which case I use a simple legal pad and pen).

[Slack3r78]

I need to start trying out some analog writing in different environments. I also like it cause you can write stuff down, mull it over and then type it with some new ideas and edits.
One of my most productive periods of writing was last winter. I was in the habit of carrying a small notebook in my pocket at all times and I'd write whenever the mood hit me.

My favorite place to go write was this trendy bar in town.

I hated it there. I hated all the people there. It was a miserable place.

I was friends with the barback there, and one night he saw me sitting at a corner booth with nothing but a Jack and Coke to keep me company, pen and pad in hand, scribbling away.

He asked me, "How can you write in this place?"

I simply looked back at him and replied "How can you not?"

[Wasson_]

my desire to...has degraded greatly. As soon as I write something I think too much about "it". "It" has to much sense...and eventually "it" seems so stupid and shitty to me that I just don't care.

[astranoir]

I write either early in the morning before doing anything else, or late at night immediately before falling asleep. Of course, once I start getting into whatever I happen to be writing, I make sure to keep a small notebook or something with me so that if I have little ideas during the day, I can jot them down to work on them later.

[Crittias]

I have really only been writing during NaNo. But during NaNo, I write at all hours of the day or night. :-)

That said, I find I write best late at night, and then the following morning. If I write at night, it has a dramatic effect on my dreams, which then inform my next writing spell in the morning.

So, I bracket sleep with writing, and let sleep do my heavy-lifting on the creativity front.

[Generation ABXY]

So, I bracket sleep with writing, and let sleep do my heavy-lifting on the creativity front.

I find I'm the same way. In fact, I don't have a very active part in the creation of most of my ideas; they're usually dreams I happen to remember and write down. I flesh them out more when I start writing, of course, but if I encounter I tough problem, I tend to sleep on it and usually end up having the solution in the morning.

[Blue]

I can only really write under two conditions, both separate from one another. Any other time I sit down to finish a chapter I just end up starting at the screen for hours re-reading what I've already written. Don't know what it is or why but maybe my brain just functions a very specific way.

If it's around 11p.m. I can usually sit down and write for a few hours without even realizing where the time went. Equally if I leave my house and go somewhere exceptionally crowded and/or noisy, I'll get the same results. In one of our local malls there's a coffee shop that's usually slammed and for whatever reason I can just sit there and get a lot out whereas if I'm at home and it's quiet(ish), nothing.

[shunoshi]

Equally if I leave my house and go somewhere exceptionally crowded and/or noisy, I'll get the same results. In one of our local malls there's a coffee shop that's usually slammed and for whatever reason I can just sit there and get a lot out whereas if I'm at home and it's quiet(ish), nothing.

You know, I think I'm the same when it comes to this. I've noticed that I can get a lot of work done if I go to a coffee shop or restaurant that is busy. I'm sure writing would follow suit.

[Kielaran]

I write at work during lunch. Then the rest of the day I carry around a printed piece of what I wrote and add to it. by the time I get home, I seem to have around 500 words and a good idea of where I am going.

[shunoshi]

I write at work during lunch. Then the rest of the day I carry around a printed piece of what I wrote and add to it. by the time I get home, I seem to have around 500 words and a good idea of where I am going.

I need to start doing this myself. I've been writing in the mornings, but have been behind in daily word count consistently.

Your sig is made of win, btw. :D

[Karak]

From 8 to 11pm every night except for Sunday nights.
And then any other time I feel the need or when deadlines of course change that.
Right now I have a 60 pager that is screaming my name...sadly I am having some writers block and enjoying mixing music right now.

[Gwinny]

I write for a bit before I go to bed around two a.m. I generally do this without fail as it has become part of my nightly routine, and it helps me unwind and get ready for sleep. I don't yet have the discipline to sit and make myself write at other times. I'll never be successful. :(

[Spacetronaut]

I don't have a specific time that I write, but I do have a specific routine. I grab a notebook and a pen and head somewhere away from the internet and TV and video games. Usually I go to a book store or library or park and knock out 500 - 600 words before I get distracted and stop. If I need to write more than that I pack up and move to a new location and write another 500, continue as necessary. It sounds a little neurotic now that I write it down, but you have go with what works.

[Nuggsy]

A friend of mine, who is a published author, told me once that (paraphrasing) he never really "wrote" until it was his only means of income. So, maybe pretend that you're writing to sustain your lifestyle?

[tombofsoldier]

Whenever I feel like it, I find that trying to set a "time" to write doesn't work that well. Instead on the days I feel like it I go to a cafe with my laptop, sit down with a mocha, and write until I run out things to say that day.