When you write do you...?

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I decided to make this thread to see the different things people do when they write. Feel free to ask any questions you like, but I would prefer if it started with: When you write do you...

So here's my burning questions:
When you write do you...

know the whole story/poem before you start? Or do you just start and let it flow whatever way feels right?

chew on or pick at the eraser of your pencil? (I do! None of my erasers suvive a poem writing experince it seems.)

like music to be playing? Or do you prefer it to be quiet?

Well, there you go. Answer and ask away!

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I would compare my writing to a lump of clay that gradually takes form but must still be squeezed, poked, and prodded. It starts as a rough idea and then sharpens with much work.

Virtually all I do is on computer these days, so no erasers need fear for their lives with me (besides, when I make notes, I use ballpoint pen).

I don't just like background music or TV (usually the latter), but I need it; when I get into what I am doing, however, it's like it isn't even there.

(My small claim to fame is a piece in one of the Chicken Soup books - the last real writing I did many years ago, and I rewrote many, many times - for me, writing is rewriting!)

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Some of my stories, I know in advance where I want it to take me. Other times, I create a character in a situation to see where it will lead. Most poems I do blindly, which is why the quality is so eratic.

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Some of my stories, I know in advance where I want it to take me. Other times, I create a character in a situation to see where it will lead. Most poems I do blindly, which is why the quality is so eratic.

The same is true for me, except I try and take a saying, or a feeling, or an event; just start descibing it and see what turns out. If I get past the first 5 lines, I'll most likely finish and hopefully it'll be good.

I sometimes write a poem and, upon finishing, feel frustrated and feel like it's a bad poem. Then, I show someone and they say 'wow, that's pretty good'...I get so confused. Anyone else?

When you write do you ever get good comments for a poem/story you thought was crap?

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Many writers, including myself, are their own worst critic. I second guess myself again and again and don't always know to stop tinkering. One trick I use on my work is to give it a cooling off period. Leave it alone totally and then I can come back and read it from the perspective of one discovering a poem or story for the first time. It also helps to join writing groups, but not to let the groups dictate your style or choice of subject matter.

Some characters that I create take on a life of their own. I occasionally remove them from the story and invent new ones to take their place, because they can't take the story to my preconceived conclusion.

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Interesting, I've never done that. I just change the character to possess the certain neccessary traits to force them to do what I need. Your way would be much smoother for the reader.

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I write stories (though I did write my first poem in 4 years last week.) I pretty much always know what I want to write before I write it. Consequently, I am usually bored by my own stories, even stories that might actually be interesting to other people, and it can sometimes take a lot of effort for me to finish one. So I'm normally working on 3 or 4 at a time, switching between them.

I live my whole life surrounded by music; why should it be any different when I'm writing? I jot down little notes and things with pen in a notebook, then I do most of my actual story writing on my computer. As a result, my arms are getting pretty messed up. Yep.

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Writeing poetry for me is best described as if one were to try and smell their fart with a dixie cup, it's like keeping a small paper cup handy cause you never know when that puff of inspiration may happen. Sometimes you gotta grab for it real quick and try catch it before it's gone, some times you try cup your hand over the bottom of it to keep it from escapeing and sometimes it comes on so quick and strong your just best off wafteing in the air and enjoying the aroma. Now writeing beyond poetry i've found quite difficult, when i sit here and try so hard to turn a quick puff into something alot more is when I end up with a soiled spot in my shorts and deeming everything i've just produced worthy of nothing more then some TP

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That's a surprisingly good metaphor for writing. Very Happy

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Poetry and arguments just come to me. If I really want to write or answer then God just brings them in my mind. It didn't used to be like this before but it is now. In this sense I consider myself lucky. But my biggest drawback is that I find it difficult to write on paper if not impossible. I can only write on the web. Sometimes I feel that God won't let me write anywhere else but the web.

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I used to have a whole idea, and try and express it in a complete writing. Sometimes it worked, but I agree with whoever said that you are your own worst critic. I know that's true for just about any artist in any field; be it poetry, graphical, and especially dance. Myself, also being a ballet dancer, I know I'm always hardest on myself, and everyone I've ever danced with is exactly the same. Writing these days I now find myself starting with just one line, a short idea, and developing it as I write.

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When you write do you know, before you're finished, that you've hit something good?

Every once in a while, I feel it when I'm writing, and I don't even have to think; it just flows. I know, before I'm half-way through, that it's going to be a good one.

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Quote:

When you write do you...

know the whole story/poem before you start? Or do you just start and let it flow whatever way feels right?

Quote:

when i write poetry i never no what the hell it's about, i work it out half way through

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Quote:

When you write do you...

know the whole story/poem before you start? Or do you just start and let it flow whatever way feels right?

when i write poetry i never know what the hell it's about. i work it out half way through

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Quote:

chew on or pick at the eraser of your pencil? (I do! None of my erasers suvive a poem writing experince it seems.)

strange now i think of it. i pick just about anything to hand. but not that.

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Quote:

like music to be playing? Or do you prefer it to be quiet?

I don't like music playing when i'm writing if it has words. I'm always scared it will influence what i write.

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nick17 wrote:

Quote:
like music to be playing? Or do you prefer it to be quiet?

I don't like music playing when i'm writing if it has words. I'm always scared it will influence what i write.

I like the music to influence what I write. If it's a good song, then I'll take the mood, or the feeling it's trying to portray, and shape it into whatever I want onto my paper. I'd love to have a poem that gives off the kind of feeling that comes through in Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven, but it's a very hard song to do that with.
Now, if you mean you are afraid you'll plagarize some of the song's words unknowingly, while writing, well, you just have to watch out for that sort of thing.

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When I write, I have to be naked apart from my lucky bow tie, and old RAF flying helmet.
Wagner is played at full volume, and I have a party whizzer in my mouth, which I use to screech in time to the music.

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i write soley on a pc ...i don't like music to influence me ...but every so often i'll play abstract jazz real low ...and when im writing and someone interupts me ...it annoys the crap out of me ...

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thats very funny my Lord (a party whizzer
)

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When you write do you...?

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