Questions for the writers...
April 4, 2024 7:03 AM Subscribe
This is mainly for creative, non-professional, non-deadline writers, maybe? You decide!
1) What external triggers do you use, when you sit down to write, that help to signal to your brain 'you are in writer mode now.'
2) How do you balance/schedule/manage projects in different genres & tone?
Fleshing out the details for anyone who wants examples:
1) for External Triggers I mean anything from props to wearing That Sweater to mood music to sensory signals like scented candles to 'tidying up one's desk' in the same way that you'd prepare a room to have sex in or set up a romantic dinner....like 'close the gauzy curtains so the room looks pretty' or 'Cesaria Evora, crystal wine glasses, and candles'. The props tell you where you are and what you are doing. You aren't going to go clean the bathroom or start reviewing investment balances.
2) Different genres/tone: I am working on what I hope is a serious-but-fun long piece of fiction. I am working on a memoir of a painful but oddly funny few months of my life, I am working on short story series intended to be written and consumed like potato chips, and I am working on poetry. I don't know how if that gets it across, but they're very different, and a different part of my brain engages with each.
It's sort of like moving between entirely different cuisines, like managing both pad thai and lasagna.
To be clear: I like working like this. I like having a lot of projects going on. I like the abundance. I like the wanting.
Mostly, I don't work on them the same days, but I want to work on them -- this isn't something I have to talk myself into, it's just that sometimes I feel like I want to work on all of them at once and they are connected only by hand.
And I'm curious how other writers manage this or if they even need to, or if they avoid such situations like the plague, or if they don't worry about it, or if they force themselves to stick to one thing for x amount of time, and if so, how much time?
I also do freewrite nonsense stuff but that fits in anywhere.
Fleshing out the details for anyone who wants examples:
1) for External Triggers I mean anything from props to wearing That Sweater to mood music to sensory signals like scented candles to 'tidying up one's desk' in the same way that you'd prepare a room to have sex in or set up a romantic dinner....like 'close the gauzy curtains so the room looks pretty' or 'Cesaria Evora, crystal wine glasses, and candles'. The props tell you where you are and what you are doing. You aren't going to go clean the bathroom or start reviewing investment balances.
2) Different genres/tone: I am working on what I hope is a serious-but-fun long piece of fiction. I am working on a memoir of a painful but oddly funny few months of my life, I am working on short story series intended to be written and consumed like potato chips, and I am working on poetry. I don't know how if that gets it across, but they're very different, and a different part of my brain engages with each.
It's sort of like moving between entirely different cuisines, like managing both pad thai and lasagna.
To be clear: I like working like this. I like having a lot of projects going on. I like the abundance. I like the wanting.
Mostly, I don't work on them the same days, but I want to work on them -- this isn't something I have to talk myself into, it's just that sometimes I feel like I want to work on all of them at once and they are connected only by hand.
And I'm curious how other writers manage this or if they even need to, or if they avoid such situations like the plague, or if they don't worry about it, or if they force themselves to stick to one thing for x amount of time, and if so, how much time?
I also do freewrite nonsense stuff but that fits in anywhere.
I pick different soundtracks (movie soundtracks) for each work and play those when I’m having trouble getting into them. I sometimes light a candle. That’s it. :)
posted by warriorqueen at 7:15 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 7:15 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]
At home, I write fiction at times when no one else is awake, typically early in the morning, occasionally late at night. I use lighting to signal when it's writing time. The recessed overhead lights are dim, the warm-glow desk lamps are on, and the grow lamps and other white lights are off. I have a little pool of light in a dark room and I sit there and put down words.
Replacing all the recessed baffles and installing good-quality LED bulbs (like Feit) in my lamps was the least expensive but best home upgrade I ever did. I think if I had trouble signalling to myself that it was writing time I would probably designate one desk lamp as the Writing Lamp.
I also only write with my beverage of choice at hand. For me it's coffee. When I drink coffee, I write. When I write, I drink coffee. This holds whether I'm at home or at a coffee shop.
Finally, like warriorqueen, I use music, mostly without vocals. Jazz for crime fiction and electronic for science fiction with contemporary classical and ambient pulling all-genre duty.
posted by Handstand Devil at 7:41 AM on April 4 [1 favorite]
Replacing all the recessed baffles and installing good-quality LED bulbs (like Feit) in my lamps was the least expensive but best home upgrade I ever did. I think if I had trouble signalling to myself that it was writing time I would probably designate one desk lamp as the Writing Lamp.
I also only write with my beverage of choice at hand. For me it's coffee. When I drink coffee, I write. When I write, I drink coffee. This holds whether I'm at home or at a coffee shop.
Finally, like warriorqueen, I use music, mostly without vocals. Jazz for crime fiction and electronic for science fiction with contemporary classical and ambient pulling all-genre duty.
posted by Handstand Devil at 7:41 AM on April 4 [1 favorite]
I live alone so I don't have to worry about carving out my own time or space, luckily.
I write best when the weather is good and I could make my patio my sitting-down-to-write place. I have a lot of problems with distractability, but even if I'm not writing I can sit down on the patio and just enjoy the sun and the birds and the flowers - something I can do while I'm writing as well. The place that is set aside for the task of writing is also its own reward! Nice.
I have been thinking about what I want to do when the weather is less good. My house is small, but I think I might want to set up a cozy writing nook in a corner. It would require a bit of rearranging but if I could get the "this is a nice place to be" feeling it would help a lot.
I have writing playlists also, although I don't always use them. Different music to suit different genres. I basically avoid things with hard edges - it can be dramatic and moody but, like, I avoid singing in English or bombast or really abrupt tempo changes and the like. Some soundtracks are good for this, but also classical music, dark ambient, post-metal, etc.
As far as balancing my goals goes: I want to keep making progress but with no deadline I have flexibility. So I generally set a goal for the day like "X hours writing or X word count", which will be adjusted as needed. I might not have a word count if I'm editing, for example, or I might set a low necessary word count if I'm stuck on a section and my major goal is to get past it.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:01 AM on April 4
I write best when the weather is good and I could make my patio my sitting-down-to-write place. I have a lot of problems with distractability, but even if I'm not writing I can sit down on the patio and just enjoy the sun and the birds and the flowers - something I can do while I'm writing as well. The place that is set aside for the task of writing is also its own reward! Nice.
I have been thinking about what I want to do when the weather is less good. My house is small, but I think I might want to set up a cozy writing nook in a corner. It would require a bit of rearranging but if I could get the "this is a nice place to be" feeling it would help a lot.
I have writing playlists also, although I don't always use them. Different music to suit different genres. I basically avoid things with hard edges - it can be dramatic and moody but, like, I avoid singing in English or bombast or really abrupt tempo changes and the like. Some soundtracks are good for this, but also classical music, dark ambient, post-metal, etc.
As far as balancing my goals goes: I want to keep making progress but with no deadline I have flexibility. So I generally set a goal for the day like "X hours writing or X word count", which will be adjusted as needed. I might not have a word count if I'm editing, for example, or I might set a low necessary word count if I'm stuck on a section and my major goal is to get past it.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:01 AM on April 4
I have a writing playlist of ambient music (or rain /ocean sounds) that I listen to on my noise cancelling headphones. I usually eat some dark chocolate or drink cocoa. That teobromine helps me get in the zone.
I can't answer your second question because I work on one project at a time. Always intend to try doing more than one but I've never managed it.
posted by Zumbador at 12:46 PM on April 4
I can't answer your second question because I work on one project at a time. Always intend to try doing more than one but I've never managed it.
posted by Zumbador at 12:46 PM on April 4
My favourite external trigger was ginger Altoids. Very portable.
posted by alicat at 1:00 PM on April 4
posted by alicat at 1:00 PM on April 4
I'm working on a few screenplays of different genres/tones, plus starting a fiction novelette. One thing I do is dream-cast my movies and post the photos near my workspace (e.g. this is for a rom-com I'm writing). For all writing, I make sure my outline is nearby so I can hit flow writing, and not get caught up in where to go next. But I don't need a lot of external triggers. Time blocking works pretty well for me, and keeping a photo of the schedule as a background on my phone helps me get my butt in the seat. I guess I also 'treat' myself to a comfortable temperature in my writing room with heat or AC depending on the season.
As for which project to work on, I commit to the one that I'm most likely to finish, and then dabble on the others outside of pure writing time if I want to. Once I finish one, then another moves into pole position. However, if I get a burst of feeling that matches the tone of one project and not another, I usually write until that feeling dissipates, then move to the primary project.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:57 PM on April 4
As for which project to work on, I commit to the one that I'm most likely to finish, and then dabble on the others outside of pure writing time if I want to. Once I finish one, then another moves into pole position. However, if I get a burst of feeling that matches the tone of one project and not another, I usually write until that feeling dissipates, then move to the primary project.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:57 PM on April 4
1) I don't have a lot of external factors—I write in bed, next to my wife, in another room, downstairs on the couch, at the dinner table, or wherever.
2) My only significant mood-setter is music. I write SF, and I usually pick music that has some sort of relation to the mood I'm trying to write. If I'm writing something cyberpunk adjacent, I'll probably play some Synthwave or Metalcore (again, depending on the vibe). If I'm writing a more cozy-feelsie piece, maybe Swift's Folklore, etc.
posted by signal at 3:52 PM on April 4
2) My only significant mood-setter is music. I write SF, and I usually pick music that has some sort of relation to the mood I'm trying to write. If I'm writing something cyberpunk adjacent, I'll probably play some Synthwave or Metalcore (again, depending on the vibe). If I'm writing a more cozy-feelsie piece, maybe Swift's Folklore, etc.
posted by signal at 3:52 PM on April 4
I'm in the middle of a months-long revision cycle of an old novel manuscript, so not much drafting going on. But my most productive writing time is in a conference room at work or on Saturday on Sunday mornings. But also sometimes in the evening before the TV is turned on. It's not as much as trigger as an attitude. I have decided it's time to write (or revise, or edit) and I do a least a little.
I do enjoy having some music (usually classical or something like that), without lyrics, but it's not necessary.
posted by lhauser at 7:16 PM on April 4
I do enjoy having some music (usually classical or something like that), without lyrics, but it's not necessary.
posted by lhauser at 7:16 PM on April 4
Response by poster: Thanks everyone; these are great suggestions...please keep them coming if anyone else happens by.
I would love specific recommendations for music. No lyrics. Nothing that tracks too close to modern day because everything I'm writing is sort of out of time. But I'd like to hear of anything that functions as a set it and forget it. I think an ex had a medieval collection he listened to - the Lily and the Lamb. Will break that out but am also interested in slow vibe music or whatever else people find helpful.
I tried taiko drums, but it is too captivating on its own. I should try it for poetry though. That might be fun.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:07 AM on April 5
I would love specific recommendations for music. No lyrics. Nothing that tracks too close to modern day because everything I'm writing is sort of out of time. But I'd like to hear of anything that functions as a set it and forget it. I think an ex had a medieval collection he listened to - the Lily and the Lamb. Will break that out but am also interested in slow vibe music or whatever else people find helpful.
I tried taiko drums, but it is too captivating on its own. I should try it for poetry though. That might be fun.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:07 AM on April 5
Music is obviously going to be very much personal taste, but here is a selection of tracks from my writing playlist:
Circle 19 Foam and Sand
Elmshore (Justin Bell)
Heart of Nowhere (Kevin Macleod)
Time of the Fire (Inch-time)
M Path (Steven Hauschildt)
Vladivostok (Sonmi 451)
A ride on the Bosphorus (Peter Broderick)
Rainfall on Red Earth (Aunti Flo)
posted by Zumbador at 7:41 AM on April 5
Circle 19 Foam and Sand
Elmshore (Justin Bell)
Heart of Nowhere (Kevin Macleod)
Time of the Fire (Inch-time)
M Path (Steven Hauschildt)
Vladivostok (Sonmi 451)
A ride on the Bosphorus (Peter Broderick)
Rainfall on Red Earth (Aunti Flo)
posted by Zumbador at 7:41 AM on April 5
I +1 on all the people suggesting specific music or other ambient sounds; I always choose mine to match the tone/mood/genre of whatever I'm sitting down to work on.
Also, try to have a dedicated space if you can; attempting to have Creative Brain in the same space you have to have Work Brain doesn't really work, as there are constant reminders nearby that can pull you out of the writing space and into the work space (for me, anyway).
A thing I like to do, at least with larger projects, is to find and/or create ephemera and other "props" that put me in the place and time I'm writing about. If I'm writing a period piece, for example, I might surround myself with old books and papers and such, just to make it more immersive for me in the moment. Or if it's sci-fi, fill your space with beeping blinking things. I often make my own paper props as well, for additional effect; the crafting process alone can trigger the creative juices and will also give me story inspiration along the way.
Good luck!
posted by angry.polymath at 7:58 AM on April 5
Also, try to have a dedicated space if you can; attempting to have Creative Brain in the same space you have to have Work Brain doesn't really work, as there are constant reminders nearby that can pull you out of the writing space and into the work space (for me, anyway).
A thing I like to do, at least with larger projects, is to find and/or create ephemera and other "props" that put me in the place and time I'm writing about. If I'm writing a period piece, for example, I might surround myself with old books and papers and such, just to make it more immersive for me in the moment. Or if it's sci-fi, fill your space with beeping blinking things. I often make my own paper props as well, for additional effect; the crafting process alone can trigger the creative juices and will also give me story inspiration along the way.
Good luck!
posted by angry.polymath at 7:58 AM on April 5
For creative work, I always work longhand (i.e. not at the computer), and I have a small foldout desk a few feet away from my computer desk. So when I'm switching to creative mode, I pull out the foldout desk, get my stack of paper and my pen, and put my earplugs in. I cannot work to any kind of music, and the earplugs are the final signal to myself that I'm now doing that kind of concentrating.
posted by kelper at 2:16 PM on April 5
posted by kelper at 2:16 PM on April 5
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There's also a craft area for visual art that me and my daughter share.
So cognitively: it is both warm and inspiring and metaphorically noisy.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:08 AM on April 4 [1 favorite]