Things I Do That Drive Other Writers to Distraction
We all have our methods. Mine just happen to be rather…uh…
We all have our different style not only of writing but of how we write. That includes the tools we use, the writing environment we prefer, and any peripheral items. For some reason, when I tell people in person or on social media of my particular preferences they react with horror and sometimes anger. No idea why.
See how you react to these:
Avoid Outlining
I just can’t. I often know my opening and my destination, but the route in-between is usually misty if not downright murky. And therein lies the creative process—figuring out that route and navigating its twists and turns—something that for me would be stifled by outlining.
Use Microsoft Word
People use phone apps, fancy writing programs, electric typewriters, manual typewriters, and even pad and pen/pencil. To each his own, but for some reason, they look at me askance when I say I use MS Word 2003. Note: Most publishers I have researched want your manuscript in this format, so I might as well type up my “masterpieces” in it, too.
Have Movies On
Several people have said I’m nuts to do this. They play music or have nothing on at all—too distracting, they say. For me, it’s the opposite. This comes from my school days when I had a TV on in my room while doing my homework (and was on the Honor Roll every semester). Somehow, having a movie (DVD) playing while I write, especially those with which I am very familiar such as The Heiress or All About Eve, block out distractions, even those within my own mind. They shut out worries about the laundry piling up, dust bunnies running rampant (not just under the bed), and the need to shop for food.
Sit in Front of Windows
Views outside are also seen by many as distracting. Having worked in places where I faced cubicle walls like in the movie Office Space, I rebelled when I became a freelancer in 2009 and now insist on having a view outside. I watch the birds and squirrels a little, but mostly I stare out as I’m thinking through an idea, a scene, a bit of dialogue.
Eat at My Desk
Not sure why some writers think it’s verboten to eat while writing, but they do. A distraction maybe? Or spillage and mess? So far, I haven’t knocked over my teacup onto the laptop keyboard. I have, however, gotten sticky stuff on that keyboard. But I’m more careful now. And munching on a Fig Newton helps me think. Honest! And we tea drinkers know that that lovely and varied beverage fuels the brain—honest!
Bottom Line (Final Note)
We all have our own methods. As long as they work for us, bravo!
What’s your ideal writing approach, tools, and environment? Happy to see your comments.
Hope you found this helpful and have been inspired to start and/or continue writing!
See my article: Publisher Agent Fiction Genres Defined, with downloadable PDF.
Please check out my author website. And thanks for reading.
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Thanks for reading. If you’ve been enjoying my flash fiction on here, please check out my first book of short stories (a couple are actually novelette length), newly published by Wordwooze Publishing. (I even designed the cover.)
Interesting. For the most part, the only one I don't do here is play movies in the background, usually because that just makes me want to watch the movie. I suppose the technicality of Word is thrown out the window, too, as I now use either Libre Office or Google Docs these days, depending whether or not I'm writing from home or work respectively, but MS Word 2003 was my chief tool up until a few years ago.
Otherwise? I'm pretty much right there with you in terms of how I approach my writing. I almost never outline unless it proves absolutely necessary, I eat at my desk all the time, and since I spend most of my time writing at my shop at work I'm constantly looking out the floor-to-ceilinf storefront windows into our parking lot. And if I'm not doing that, I'm looking out my office window at my street and my neighbors' yards.
Good afternoon, A.C. (I feel like sayimg D.C. here, but I won't). First I have a couple of things left over from your horny Thursday contribution.
1. Someone with the alias Black Knight complimented me on my comment on last Thursday's piece, which indicates to me that others see our particukar exchanges, but I don't see theirs so could you you please rectifiy that.
2. A limerick for you that requires the stress to fall on the second syllable of your surname:
There is an old scribbler in Seville
who likes chatting with A.C. Cargill
Her attitude’s gracious,
on occasions salacious
and her stories always give him a thrill.