Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Behind the Scenes Writing Tag


I know some of you may have been expecting a new Africa post right about now, but it might be a few weeks before I write another one. In the meantime, though, I still have a few tags to complete.

 
Opal technically tagged all her writer readers for this one, and I also decided I was going to steal this from Aimee if I had to anyway, so, I’m just going to nab this tag. And there’s nothing you can do about it.


Is there a certain snack you like to eat while writing?

Hmm, would you judge me if I said prunes? Probably I shouldn’t have admitted to that. Normally I don’t like to snack much while I’m writing, because I need both my hands to type, and I don’t enjoy getting random sticky stuff on the keyboard. I will go for chocolate though, or hard candy—anything that can keep my mouth busy without compromising my typing speed.
 

When do you normally write?

I seize any chance I can get. Or rather, I should say any chance I get when I have the energy. Sometimes I’m tired and I need a nap, or you know, a long therapy session with Facebook or something. But I do especially well from five in the morning till six thirty (still in the morning), and I also do well from three in the afternoon until eleven thirty at night. Unfortunately, I can’t take advantage of both these prime times every day.


Where do you write?

Often I’ll sit in my arm chair, because it has the best angle so it doesn’t make my back hurt, but I do also like to sit propped up in bed, or at my desk, or on the floor by my desk. When no one else is home, I’ll sometimes venture downstairs and write at the table or on the couch. I will also stick the computer on the windowsill and lie on my stomach while typing (just to clarify, our upstairs windows are just an inch or so above the floor—don’t ask, I don’t know why).


How often do you write a new novel?

Well, it varies. During NaNoWriMo, I’ll draft multiple novels, and sometimes I’ll partially write something during the year, but I try to keep my drafting efforts to November. The rest of the year I spend editing and accidentally calling my friends by my main characters’ made-up names.

 
Do you listen to music while you write?

For the most part, I do, although I will have to say I’m a little more distractible when I’m drafting, because I don’t like first drafts and I’d rather just listen to the pretty music. But I can’t edit at all without some sort of music. As for what I choose, it depends. If I have a migraine, I’ll tend toward dubstep. If I’m writing something sad, I’ll pick melancholy stuff, like Coldplay. Otherwise I go for bands like Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, and The Civil Wars.


What do you write on? Laptop or paper?

Laptop, hands down. *dies laughing at awful pun* The smell of pen/pencil makes my head hurt, and my wrists can’t take that kind of strain (wow, I am super whiney today *slaps self*). Not to mention, writing by hand really slows me down. No, I need to type stuff, or I just can’t write.
 

Is there a special ritual you have before/after you write?

I bathe in warm chocolate and dye my hair a popular primary color, then I sweeten my coffee with dragon’s blood and the tears of my readers before standing on my head for fifteen minutes (to get the blood flowing to my brain). After that, I sob for a little while and treat myself to a red velvet sheet cake with a glass of crushed dreams on the side before getting down to business.


What do you do to get into the mood to write?

I sit down at the laptop and start typing. Okay, so that’s the ideal. Often I get distracted and play a few games of chess or read someone’s blog or stare at the pretty books on my shelves. But I know that the mood will usually find me if I write for long enough. Anyway, I’ve learned that my mood doesn’t generally effect the quality of my writing. (Translation: I drink coffee.)

 
What is always near the place you write?

Coffee, water, coffee, the disembodied souls I keep in a row of jars to my left. Coffee.

 
Do you have a reward system for your word count?

No, unless you consider the finished product a reward. With me, it’s usually like, “Liz, if you write ten thousand more words tonight, you’ll have written ten thousand more words tonight. Now do it.” I find this to be a very effective system.


Is there anything about your writing process that others might not know about?

While I usually write the rough draft for a given novel in about a week, I take at least a year to edit. For my second draft, I rewrite my entire book line by line, word for word, cleaning up all the problems as I go (well, all the problems I know about). To be honest, though, I spend more time playing virtual chess and researching random, useless bits of information than I do anything else. When I’m drafting, I don’t tend to read much because I don’t like to take my mind out of my own story world, but I will compare the lengths of my works in progress with the other books on my shelves because I’m obsessive like that.


So there you have it, little coffee beans—all my eccentric and not-so-eccentric writing habits, wrapped up in a blog post you never knew you needed to read.

You’re welcome.

18 comments:

  1. Since I write for a job now, I write every weekday from about 8:30 for four to five hours, with breaks. I usually stay away from snacks. But I'm a big coffee drinker.

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    1. I don't know if I said it before, but congrats on getting a writing job. Your schedule sounds really great. Yeah, I like to stay away from snacks, for the reasons I listed above, and also because I don't want to get fat. Also, high five on coffee drinking.

      Thanks for commenting!

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  2. I also seize the little moments between other errands to write! Unfortunately necessary due to school. I'm writing two new drafts this year -- Camp NaNo and NaNo -- so I think the next couple years will just be editing, editing, editing. Hmm, that dragon's blood is worth trying -- thanks for the rec! XD

    PS, tagged you for this post: http://randommorbidinsanity.blogspot.hk/2015/10/secret-life-of-book-blogger-and-writer.html

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    1. *fist bump* I definitely wouldn't get as much done if I didn't seize the little moments. Good luck on your drafting and editing! I have a lot of novels that need editing, and I plan to write several more during NaNo, so I may have to take a long editing stint as well. And you should totally try out dragon's blood--just, as a warning, it might make you breathe fire if you drink too much.

      Thanks for tagging me, and thanks for commenting! :)

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  3. I love your musical tastes. :) Also, your ritual sounds fascinating. I'll have to try that.

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    1. Thank you. :) I love them too. You should totally try my ritual--I find it to be very effective. :P

      Thanks for commenting!

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  4. This is so cute! I love the humor in your writing here....like the "disembodied souls". I laughed out loud.

    And yes, all the coffee. Always, without a doubt, there must be coffee.

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    1. Aww, thank you! And I'm glad you like my sense of humor. I snickered to myself when I was writing the line about disembodied souls--I'm glad you thought it was funny too.

      Always coffee. There can be no writing, at least for me, without coffee. It just isn't done.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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  5. You're right about getting in the writing mood. The act of writing generates its own mood. I think that's why it's hard to motivate yourself to write without actually writing.

    WAIT, THAT'S WHY WRITING IS HARD!

    Sorry I had an epiphany. . .

    I prefer a laptop too. I used to handwrite everything until I realized that I was going to have to type it out anyways. So I just type it out now. Plus, with the light of the laptop, I can write in the dark. Which I love.

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    1. YES, I AGREE SO MUCH. And I couldn't have said it better myself. Chasing the mood is like hunting the elusive snipe.

      Yes, this is probably why writing is so difficult and enjoyable and all around paradoxical, because, in essence, it creates itself.

      No, it's okay, epiphanies are great.

      Yeah, I used to hand write a bunch too, but I've always been about being more efficient, so I decided to stop taking extra time with that. And I just haven't looked back. I'm glad someone else understands. Also, yes, writing in the dark--it's the best. And handwriting is just super slow compared to typing.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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  6. Ahhh I am the same with the ritual. *nods* Except why sweeten your coffee with the tears of your readers, when you can just entirely bake cakes with it? Dramatically sad cakes. Try it. I promise it helps. *nods again*

    AND I'M KINDA IN AWE OF YOU RIGHT NOW BECAUSE YOU WRITE WAY MORE THAN I DO AND WAY FASTER AND, OMG, I AM IN AWE, DID I MENTION THAT?!?? And I do the SAME thing with my second draft -- every single word gets rewritten. I mean, I might keep a few lines the same, but nearly EVERYTHING gets changed. And I take years to edit. -_- I hate editing. I'll write the book in one dang week, and then take 8 months to get through edits and then I hate the whole thing by the end. hAH I HAVE PROBLEMS *wails*

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    1. Yes, I've found it to be a very effective ritual. I'm glad you've discovered it yourself as well. And oh my goodness, I can't believe I never thought to make dramatically sad cakes from the tears of my readers. I knew I kept you around for something. Cait, you are a lifesaver. *hands you chocolate cake with reader tear frosting*

      *bows deeply* This might be why I have carpal tunnel issues, though. Ooh, we're editing twins! I don't find too many people who edit the way I do. I'm glad there's at least one other person like me. Although, I like editing, even though it takes way longer, so we are different there. I always hate my books from time to time when I'm done though, and I write my first drafts so quickly because I have to, like ripping a bandage off. I don't like first drafts much at all. *wails with you*

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  7. LOL, you are hilarious, Liz! I love this post so much <3 I especially love your pre-writing ritual. Sounds quite effective. ;)

    And I don't eat while writing either! My hands need to be free for creativity!

    Alexa
    thessalexa.blogspot.com
    verbositybookreviews.wordpress.com

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    1. Why thank you, Alexa. I try my best. And I'm glad you liked the post. You totally try the pre-writing ritual--I promise excellent results.

      Free hands!

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  8. Haha. I love your pre-writing ritual! I also rewrite my second draft completely line by line. I feel like it smooths out as I go. The first draft is always so clunky. XD And no shame in prunes! I like them too!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. Why thank you! I love it too. And aslkasdfk, you're only the second person ever I've come across who edits the same way I do. Like, I can't even tackle a single thing at a time--it's all or nothing. *prune lovers unite*

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  9. *squints* But prunes AND candy AND chocolate are ALL STICKY.

    Also, it's good you clarified that your windows are by the floor because I could already imagine you with your arms stretched way over your head as you were lying down and still being completely incapable of reaching the keyboard. XD

    Also, I loooooooove all your music choices because they just sound loverly. :D

    How long do dismembered souls keep when jarred?

    This has been fun (as always) but I am beginning to worry that my enjoyment of other people's writing lives is going to turn into my version of reality TV or something.

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    1. This is true, which is why they go in the mouth and stay in the mouth (that sounded weird), or why they don't get eaten at all.

      That. Mental. Image. I'm cracking up, and I need to try that now.

      I love them too, and I'm glad you do.

      Well, it depends on the person. The more innocent the soul, the longer they last. But generally they start to fade away after around a month, so I tend to switch them out every thirty days.

      I was thinking the same thing just the other day. But hey, I find writer's life stuff to be a notch more interesting than your average reality show.

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