Can I write as frequently as my friends draw?

I have a few friends that draw all the time. They draw in class when no one is looking and after school, too. They do it all the time!
Is it possible for me to write as frequent as they do. It's probably not as easy with writing on paper, though. I don't have a computer, so the only time I write is when I have my dad's computer (which is rare). I like writing in notebooks, but it bothers me that I can't add anything to a paragraph I have already written. For example, if k come up with something for my character to say in the first paragraph but I'm already on the third paragraph, I can't include it! That's why I prefer writing on a computer, but I don't have one.

However, is it possible for me to write as frequently as my friends draw? They probably don't obsesses over everything being perfect, but that's because they've been drawing for YEARS. Thoughts?

I'm constantly writing o whatever paper there is around me. Usually there are things I want to add in, so I write it off to the side and then when I have time to type it out I put it all together

Yes, but it'll be easier if you worry less about perfection. It won't be perfect the first time no matter how you write it.

Try to always have a notebook around so you can write if you have the time and inclination. I always have a small notebook with me, though I admit I don't use it as much for creative stuff. For longer prose, write double spaced so you can note what you want to change later.

If you're crunched for time and space, actually writing might not make sense. However you can still do things like plot the next chapter, write down a good piece of dialogue that comes to mind, think about a character description, etc. You could also write something completely unrelated to your main project.

If you have a smartphone, I've been known to jot down things in my notes app.

As for your drawing friends, I doubt they expect every sketch to be perfect. Maybe they think the eyes look weird or they want to add color but they only have pencil. Or maybe it's just a doodle they don't plan to show off. Whatever the case, they have some starting material on the page.

You can write nearly anywhere, any time. This is why I came up with #15in15, to encourage a daily writing habit, even if it's not always brilliant.

It's easier to write a lot then it is to draw a lot. Or at least for me.

I write and draw. Honestly, I think I have a balance between the two. I think that yes, you can write as much as your friends draw, but because they are well experienced they can draw quicker and faster with fewer mistakes. Sure, practice in writing means you can do the same, but I think it takes more time to write because you have to go back and fix mistakes. But yes, I do think it is possible.

Frankly, I think it is possible. It all depends on how you make use of your time, as someone who draws and writes a lot. I can tell you that writing takes a lot less time than drawing (if you've been at the art for a while). So it's not impossible. You say that you like the write on your computer, I prefer writing on paper and I don't see any disadvantage apart from having to type it up. Writing on paper has plenty of advantages as well, take what you're describing above. You can add it in as a side note, or write it on the side and just indicate that it was meant to be in the first paragraph. A lot more versatile than a computer.

Another technique I used when I was writing my nano on paper was that I carried a stack of loose lines papers snapped together by a click. That one I can combine both planning (so that's dialogue, character planning, plot development) and writing the novel in one place. Whereas on the computer, I'd have to make two separate files. If you are not used to hand writing your story out, it may seem a little tedious at first but the progress speeds itself up.

Another note is, you mentioned that your friends draw in class when no one is looking. I've been guilty with both drawing and writing and I don't recommend doing it. Believe it or not, what you learn in class will actually be useful and if you don't pay enough attention to your classes. Your study scores with drop like a dead fly falling down a cliff. Hear this from someone who's been there, if you want to write, great. Do it outside of class time.

I also noticed that you're comparing yourself with how much your friends draw to how much you can write. I don't know why you're doing that and I don't understand it. Writing is a solitary sport, everyone moves at their own pace. It's not a horse race when you aim to get to the finish line first, it isn't a comparative sport unless you're out there in the field. Just food to chew on.

All the best.

Two things with this question:

1- Can I do [blank]?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: To be perfectly blunt, you do this a lot. You are asking if this is something you can do. If you're allowed to do it. The answer will always be yes.

There are no rules for writing. There is nothing stopping you from doing what you want to do. If you have an idea for something, go do it.

There is literally no one stopping you from doing it except yourself. Get out of your own way and give yourself permission to follow your ideas.

2- " They probably don't obsesses over everything being perfect, but that's because they've been drawing for YEARS"

This runs on the assumption obsessing over perfection goes away with enough time and/or skill. It can also run on the assumption that obsessing over perfection means they're not using those sketches to improve.

The desire to be perfect does not go away. It simply becomes managed. Perfectionism, deep down, is a defence mechanism. It's a thought that tells us "if you get it right, you won't get hurt." Or, as this article put it:

Wherever perfectionism is driving, shame is riding shotgun. Perfectionism is not about healthy striving, which you see all the time in successful leaders, it's not about trying to set goals and being the best we can be, perfectionism is basically a cognitive behavioral process that says if I look perfect, work perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid shame, ridicule, and criticism. It's a defense mechanism.

When I interview leaders, artists, coaches, or athletes who are very successful, they never talk about perfectionism as being a vehicle for success. What they talk about is that perfectionism is a huge trigger, one they have to be aware of all the time, because it gets in the way of getting work done.

Not falling into perfectionism is a constant process. It's not something you ever "get over". You have to shove it aside all the time in order to succeed. You have to work on what you're trying to protect yourself from, and realize the critiques you'll get because it's not perfect aren't so bad. They're not the end of the world.

Perfection isn't the goal. Improving, however, is the goal. It's a long, drawn out, complicated process that sometimes will be forward progress, and sometimes will be backwards progress.

Perfectionism is something you're using to protect part of who you are. Until you stabilize that part of who you are so you don't need perfectionism to protect it, the perfectionism will stay very strong.

You have a lot of 'yeses', and I'm not about to say no because when you're talking about possibilities... nothing, when you think about it, is impossible.

I used to write everything in notebooks before I typed them out on the computer, because I felt more creative when I was staring at paper, then at a screen. But then it takes a long time to transfer your writing from your notepad to your computer... unless you're a super quick typist, which in my case, I'm not. So eventually I switched to the computer, but that was partly that I got a laptop of my own, so I could type anytime that I wished.

In your case, seeing that you have a limited computer time- I'd say that notebooks would be a great idea! But you might not want to start a novel in your notebook, only because if you're not so good at typing, it might be a tad discouraging to have to type the whole flipping thing out into a computer! Though you never know. Like I said, impossible is a seemingly impossible word.

Could you write as much as your friends draw though? Of course! You don't have to write stories down, you don't have to write poetry or lyrics or anything that other people would read. But, it is called a 'note' book, isn't it? You can be plotting out said stories and poems every moment that you get, so that when you do get a chance at the computer, you'll know what you want to do.

You can still write prose and all that fun stuff via notebook. When I used to write all my stuff in notebooks, I did it in pencil.

Pros of using a pencil: They erase. So you want to add something, or you don't like something? It might take some time, but you can erase it and then write it back in.

Cons of using a pencil: They erase. Say you have an annoying little brother, or you're just plan paranoid that your hard work will suddenly be torn off the face of the earth... well, that can happen. The good news is, you have a semi copy in your brain. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about that happening though... but if it does, you have a cool story to write about.

So yeah, why not? Worst comes to worse, you'll get lots of practice at writing!

Of course! You can write any time as long as you aren't in a classroom or social setting. It is up to you how much you write!

r4p17 wrote:Of course! You can write any time as long as you aren't in a classroom or social setting. It is up to you how much you write!

...Weeeeeeeeeell, let's just say that I've done a lot of that when I shouldn't have been



See, the great thing about writing in class is that you can get away with it much more because it looks more like work until the teacher comes around and realises that you've done virtually nothing all lesson. xD

Pitching in with a 'I have been here' comment: it is possible to write whenever you want to write provided that you have a writing utensil, a piece of paper/your hand, a phone ,or if you're writing by memory. Honestly, though, it depends on /what/ you're writing. Sometimes I scribble random ideas or dialogue on my hand, other times I keep a notebook on hand to write with under my desk. Where poetry is concerned, I'm one of those 'write first; rewrite later' folks, but for novels (where people usually require a particular setting/need to be comfortable before the actual prose flows), it depends. Then again, you can always write out a draft on a piece of paper, perhaps try worldbuilding or write a practice scene.

I guess the real solution to writing is, in fact, to write.

So get your head around the 'Should I or should I not's and get to work!

You can literally write as much or as little as you want. There is absolutely nothing stopping you from writing random bits of consciousness in a note book and working on your projects on your computer. Seriously.