Writing Quirks

[author_by_night]

Writers are quirky, no doubt about it.

If you write, tell me some of your quirks. We all have quirky writing habits - whether it's how we write, how we get ideas, etc.

Anonymous commenting is allowed.

Go forth, but don't multiply, because writing and mathematics don't mix.

(... I'm weird, okay?)

Comments

[jdbracknell.livejournal.com]

You're not weird. I ♥ you.

I think I write in quite an odd way, in that I always expect to rewrite everything. I'm a compulsive tweaker and I always keep multiple copies of everything in case I change my mind - I'm never, ever happy with a first, or even second or third or fourth, draft. I think my record is 24.

I have to listen to appropriate music really loud, or nothing at all when I write. I can't just listen to whatever iTunes or Last.FM spits out - it has to fit the mood, and I either have to listen to stuff I know all the words to so I don't hear them, or instrumental stuff - classical or electro.

I also find I'm really faddy with words - I'll go through months of liking a specific word and using that a lot and then move on. I find you can trace where they come from to a particular conversation, song, film or book I happened to encounter while I was writing. In some ways, it's like whatever I write is a little timecapsule of the moment in time when I wrote it.

I can't write in blue ink.

Now who's weird? ;)

[(Anonymous)]

I act out storylines from time to time - I have done this less as I've gotten older. When I was little I did it all the time; it's harder to do it now that I'm a grown woman unable to get away with it. I know to others it would look like something is wrong with me... and maybe they'd be right. But it's an effective tool.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm sorry - that wasn't supposed to be a reply to you, it was supposed to be a normal reply.

[arianablack.livejournal.com]

I do that too. It helps so much to get the mannerisms and actions right. Even just having an entire conversation out loud. Luckily, everyone who knows me already knows I'm crazy, so they think nothing of this anymore, lol.

[amberdulen.livejournal.com]

I do that too. I call it "blocking scenes" and it's so handy for seeing, like, where people are in relation to each other, which hand they're using, how far apart they are, that kind of thing.

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

I'm a compulsive rewriter too. I rewrite after I post even to communities. I always see things I wish were different. So you'll find differences in most things of mine you find on the internet.

[jdbracknell.livejournal.com]

I take a couple of passes at a comment sometimes too. I love the new edit feature, lol.