Weird Writing Habits

Hi all!

Recently I was in a library, trying to write, and found it ridiculously difficult. I couldn't focus, and, even when I did manage to figure out what needed to happen, my words ended up flat and dry- and I had to rewrite the entire section when I got home.

That experience made me wonder what was so different between there and my home. I know there are obvious differences, like, you know, the general public that was milling around- but my house has far more distractions than a quiet library.

That led to examine just what it is that I do when I'm writing, and I've found a few things:

1) I've got to have a background noise, in order to write. People's voices, if I know the people well enough to be able to easily block them out, will work, as will television- though what I've found works the best is music playing, softly.

I tend to listen to country, soft rock, pop, and select Christian music when I write, usually only the songs that I know- because new songs tend to draw my attention to themselves, rather than merely draw my attention away from other things, which is bad. Rap, screamo, heavy metal, and other generally distasteful genres (in my opinion) are also avoided, for the same reason.

AND

2) I've got to have something to munch on when I'm writing. That's not to say that I've got to have a double layer triple chocolate fudge cake- or even that I've got to have alot to eat (I don't gain weight because I write:)) just something.

A grape, a Reese's mini cup, a strawberry- just something small that I can chew on every few minutes helps me think.

So what's your strange writing habits? Do you find that something helps you focus more than other things? Does something distract you? What are your thoughts on the matter?

~Shady

I write better during the night (Like, 10 ^^) ^^ And usually only in my room ^u^

I usually have to have fitting music playing too ^^ I have to repeat the same song, over and over ^^ (I never get tired of it! X3)

Writing Stuff +/- efficiency

Sweet chilli crisps +40
Regae Regae peanuts +50
Sour Sweets +30
Normal Sweets +5
Chocolate -10
Water + 20
Milk - 20

Pre-mealtime hunger +40
Full belly -50
Full Bladder +70 (not sustainable)

Open window +10
Cold breeze/ fresh air +50
Hot day + 20
Sunlight +20
Mild Weather -30

Rock / softrock +40
Classical +20
Dance / pop -40
Country +5
Blues -10
Background voices -30

Food smells +20
Incense +20
Stale air - 40
City pollution -5

Hmm... I write during class... a lot. And early morning, late night. As for music habits, I write best with electronic or soundtrack music playing (xmillsa for anyone that's interested in the electronic, or xximmortalmagexx for soundtracks. Youtube them up if you're interested)

Oh and I also handwrite everything before typing it up. I don't know why, but I think it's faster for me to formulate new ideas

My room or outdoors, almost always late at night(midnight or later) music is a must, usually Johnny Cash for writing but not always. And tobacco(chewing or cigars) is also a necessity.

I can't write anything decent before 10 or so at night. I can only write on a computer. If I try to handwrite it, I just end up crumpling up a bunch of papers and rewriting the same paragraphs again and again. It's much less frustrating just to be able to backspace a a bad paragraph on the computer. And I have to have music on. For my current novel I've been on a OneRepublic and The Fray kick (even though the music doesn't even fit the novel at all...).

Oddly enough, I seem to be at my best when I'm writing in pen--strange, because I started writing in pen only quite recently. Music helps, too, although my taste is all over the place, so I have no way of telling what's going to work on any given day.

I don't know why, but I always seem to write the best, especially descriptive parts of a story, during dusk. There is a flight of stone stairs to the side of my house, and I also seem to write better when I sit there on chilly evenings.

I either need to be completely alone when I write or only surrounded by other people who are writing. And I like to write in the dark too but that's not necessary!

So what's your strange writing habits? Do you find that something helps you focus more than other things? Does something distract you? What are your thoughts on the matter?

I have to write the first draft by hand with pen and paper. My handwriting is horrible, but typing rather than hand writing really affects my writing. Pen and paper just feels so much better, so much more natural.

I seem to be writing everywhere... during physiology lectures, calculus lectures, car rides, walks around campus, inter-city journeys, in parties and in dreams (while asleep).

But I'm most satisfied with what I get to write after the family's gone to bed, 'round 2 am to 4 am, and I'm alone and there's epic silence....like the clock ticks are audible.

Yup, that.

I have a lot of notebooks. And my work is scattered willy-nilly among them, which is frustrating to my autistic mind.

I write the best in the most inopportune times, it seems. Otherwise, I write good in my den with my laptop and resource books handy.

I can't write in silence. Only when I have decently loud music going can I focus.

Okay. I need it to be at least eleven o'clock at night, have the t.v. running, and having y music on low. It has to be semi-dark and in my room. It has to be on the computer, and I have a phobia of deleting things on the computer so I end up having 10+ versions of the same unfinished thing on my harddrive. I also work best when chewing gum.