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hiddencait asked about my favourite places to write and if I had any pre-writing rituals.
Honestly, my favourite place to write, as in, I get the most writing done, has generally been at the office, in a library, or at the dinner table: essentially somewhere with a proper desk. I have a laptop, but I find I can’t quite sit properly with it on my lap and typing is quite difficult.
Basically anywhere with a solid table, a fairly comfy chair, and a cuppa nearby – that’s my favourite place to write. I finished my dissertation in a café in the late, lamented Borders bookshop. (Oh, Borders, how I miss thee!)*
If I’m just jotting down notes or thoughts as they come? ANYWHERE WILL DO. Last week I was standing on the train platform, in the fog, juggling my rail pass, my Kindle, a pen, and my notebook as the train rolled up. I didn’t drop anything! Score!
Pre-writing rituals, hmmm. Cleaning the house from top to bottom because I’m a bad, bad, bad procrastinator?
Actually, my biggest pre-writing ritual that seems to have worked rather well is writing out things by hand. Not all the details, but pretty much most of the dialogue and the actions. It’s great! Six pages of A5 paper handwritten notes usually translates into quite a large section of typing. It also cuts out any extraneous stuff that I realise won’t work as I’m writing. My thoughts slow down some when I’m handwriting things. If I’m looking to just throw words on a page and see what happens though, I type it out.
I also make little soundtracks on my iPod and I love photo collages. PicMonkey is very useful for this if you just want to throw some images into a square and see what you get.
*I’m fairly sure I’ve raised this point before but… Britain. What is your aversion to late night cafes and diners? Why don’t you have someplace other than the bloody pub or restaurant to go to in order to have a cup of coffee/tea/warm or cool beverage of your choosing? Why is MCDONALDS the only place that even remotely resembles a diner? Why, Britain, whyyyyyy? I just want a cup of tea and a slice of pie and relative peace to have a conversation or read that isn’t my one room flat.
hiddencait asked about my favourite places to write and if I had any pre-writing rituals.Honestly, my favourite place to write, as in, I get the most writing done, has generally been at the office, in a library, or at the dinner table: essentially somewhere with a proper desk. I have a laptop, but I find I can’t quite sit properly with it on my lap and typing is quite difficult.
Basically anywhere with a solid table, a fairly comfy chair, and a cuppa nearby – that’s my favourite place to write. I finished my dissertation in a café in the late, lamented Borders bookshop. (Oh, Borders, how I miss thee!)*
If I’m just jotting down notes or thoughts as they come? ANYWHERE WILL DO. Last week I was standing on the train platform, in the fog, juggling my rail pass, my Kindle, a pen, and my notebook as the train rolled up. I didn’t drop anything! Score!
Pre-writing rituals, hmmm. Cleaning the house from top to bottom because I’m a bad, bad, bad procrastinator?
Actually, my biggest pre-writing ritual that seems to have worked rather well is writing out things by hand. Not all the details, but pretty much most of the dialogue and the actions. It’s great! Six pages of A5 paper handwritten notes usually translates into quite a large section of typing. It also cuts out any extraneous stuff that I realise won’t work as I’m writing. My thoughts slow down some when I’m handwriting things. If I’m looking to just throw words on a page and see what happens though, I type it out.
I also make little soundtracks on my iPod and I love photo collages. PicMonkey is very useful for this if you just want to throw some images into a square and see what you get.
*I’m fairly sure I’ve raised this point before but… Britain. What is your aversion to late night cafes and diners? Why don’t you have someplace other than the bloody pub or restaurant to go to in order to have a cup of coffee/tea/warm or cool beverage of your choosing? Why is MCDONALDS the only place that even remotely resembles a diner? Why, Britain, whyyyyyy? I just want a cup of tea and a slice of pie and relative peace to have a conversation or read that isn’t my one room flat.
