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May 25 07 10:54 PM

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Now that it is glorious summer time, I have the unbearable urge to write!! And because
It's the end of the school year I find that I have more and more time on my hands.

What about you? Do you find that you ave more time on your hands now that summer is approaching?

The one an only

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iaceu

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#1 [url]

May 26 07 2:04 AM

Less. Definitely.

We spend much more time outside in the summer, which is less time in front of the computer. The winter is much better in New England. very cold temperatures, and about 9 hours of daylight make for an amazing amount of writing time.

iaceu

Stranded in Thought

"Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master." - Demosthenes

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#2 [url]

May 26 07 6:01 AM

Summer? Summer? Tis winter be commeth round these parts. fictionfactor/cold.gif

Actually, I can write/find time to write, all year round as I live in a sub-tropical climate with no real daylight fluctuation. Hehe. I find holidays (summer, mostly, around Xmas) are when I don't write/edit/rewrite/edit/go into zombie mode as that's when I spend time with my family.

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#3 [url]

May 26 07 5:59 PM

Ah, summer. The time of going to the beach, having picnics, and cramming myself into my room to play Xbox 360. Nothing could be better (except Paolini being convicted for being a plagarist).

Yeah, I'm gonna write, it's on my bootiful calendar, right here.

user posted image

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#4 [url]

May 27 07 12:28 AM

The only problem for me is getting in the mood for writing, and I hardly know how to get in the "zone" for this. It's okay, I have a whole summer ahead of me to find out how. Any suggestions? What's your favorite way to get in the "zone"?

The one an only

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iaceu

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#5 [url]

May 27 07 1:12 AM

The only way for me to "get into the zone" is to know what I am going to write, basically, before I sit down to write.

Until I reach that point, it is generally useless to write, unless I am curious to see what comes out of my head.

iaceu

Stranded in Thought

"Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master." - Demosthenes

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#7 [url]

May 28 07 1:47 AM

If there's 24 hours in each summer day, lets set 8 aside for sleeping.

16 left.

It takes 2 hours a day to eat and prepare food, and clean dishes, etc. I can eat while I write, so thats only one for cleaning and stuff.

15 left.

Outside stuff, during the daylight when I'm not sleeping. Lets say, 11 am to about 8 pm. Thats 9 hours of possible outside time about half I'll be outide. So...

10.5 left.

Other playtime, such as parties, videogames, reading, excess outdoor time, naps, etc.

5.5 left.

And then I write for ten hours straight, ignoring everything that I listed.



On work days I just don't sleep.



Shade the Avenger: yes, you're right. I am jealous of Paolini's success, but his writing is poor and flowery, and his plot is Star Wars with a dragon in it. Plus other problems, but lets not go into that.

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#9 [url]

May 28 07 3:56 AM

Hey Shade the Avenger- I think I've heard you trash talk Paolini's book in every forum available! fictionfactor/action-smiley-035.gif

But yeah, if he helps you get in the zone, then I guess that isn't too bad.


I am so impressed with the people who put so much time and effort into their writing. They are the ones who truly deserve book deals.

The one an only

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#10 [url]

May 28 07 5:20 PM

QUOTE
But yeah, if he helps you get in the zone, then I guess that isn't too bad.


I found that if I think out how much his bricks have disgraced us young writers, it help me write more and more.

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#12 [url]

May 29 07 7:05 PM

Burping Beauty, I don't know if this is unique (I suspect it isn't), but, I have been "in the zone" for years. I just never wrote until lately.

For years and years, one of my methods of dealing with being in boring situations, or of dealing with being unable to fall asleep at night has been to tell myself stories, to entertain myself. But all my stories were in my head, developed there, stayed there. Now, since I've started writing, I just write them down.

As far as coming up with inspiration to write, my problem right now is trying to find the inspiration to stop. Sometimes, now that I've found the outlet of writing my stories down, they come too fast and there's too many of them. So many little things can trigger another story. Add to that the process of editing and rewriting and polishing -- well, it keeps my mind 'way too centered on writing.

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#13 [url]

Jun 11 07 4:53 AM

I find myself doing that a lot. I'll be in the car and I'll completely space out about my latest project. I'll play the scene in my head but my problem is that i don't write this down.

The one an only

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iaceu

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#15 [url]

Jun 11 07 11:52 AM

I have had the same problem before. The best routine you can get into, considering what you've described, is write down what you are thinking. Get a small notepad and pen, and keep it on you at all times.

When you get an idea, write it down. It need only be a couple of sentences, but it can be more detailed than that. Once you do this, you will find that you can plan an entire scene around this framework, and you can later re-read the notes (though for me, it isn't necessary; once I've written them down, they are committed to memory) and write the entire scene in great detail.

The act of writing down the notes vividly cements the scene in your mind. It's very effective.

The other routine you could use (as I find it useful, though I'm not currently using it, and hence not writing actively fictionfactor/bleh.gif) is to plan to write for one hour per day, at a particular time, or something like that. Depending on your writing speed, in one hour you can write several hundred words. If you know what you want to write, you will write a chapter or two each week. Of course, you have to know the scenes, and at least generally where the story is going. Otherwise, you blank out, or talk yourself out of writing altogether.

At least, this works for me.

iaceu

Stranded in Thought

"Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master." - Demosthenes

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fiction

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#16 [url]

Jun 12 07 3:26 AM

Hmmm... ways to get into the 'zone'? I have two phases. Pure creative time and hard editing time. Both are scheduled into what little spare time I have. Both involve me thinking and planning what I will write the moment I have time so I know in advance what's going to come out and when. This saves time when your mind is already prepared for what you need to do when the time comes.


Pure Creative Time

I wait until the house is asleep and my work phones have stopped annoying me. No TV. No internet. No office for serious fiction time.

I find the 'right' music to set the scene and play it very loudly on repeat through headphones (need the house to stay asleep). I dim the lights and switch on the dim lamp beside my chair. I set up my laptop, position myself on the recliner with coffee.

Then I open a Word document and re-set the background colour to something that reflects what I'm writing (black for horror, pale mottled green for fantasy, silver/blue for sci-fi, yellow for non-fiction). I change the font to also reflect what I'm writing (bright red, fat letters for gothic, yellow font for supernatural, green papyrus font for fantasy etc etc).

All of the above gets the zone started and closes out the "outside world" for as long as I'm there.

Then I type hard and fast until I can't keep my eyes open. No editing, no deliberating over the perfect turn of phrase. Just write. Fill in any ambiguous bits with "blah blah...." and figure I'll edit those into proper prose during the edit. Just get the story out and down to The End.

Pass out. Sleep heavily. Go to work the next day with bleary eyes and a sore neck...


Hard Editing Time

Copy the raw creative effort onto a data-stick. Get it onto the mainframe. Sit up in the office at the mainframe computer, change weird backgrounds and fonts to regular white with black Arial font. Edit every word until it's just right.

Close file, leave to simmer for two days. Re-open and re-edit. Find a suitable market. Submit. Enter submission details into tracking spreadsheet.

Start again at step one.




I need more spare time

Lee

=====================
Fiction Factor - http://www.fictionfactor.com
The online magazine for fiction writers
=====================

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#17 [url]

Jun 12 07 11:34 PM

Thanks for the advice, guys. I found it very helpful.

Hey Fiction, you know when you were saying that you change your background for different types of writing? That made me think of my sister, who has a different pencil or pen to write different types of things.

The one an only

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#18 [url]

Jun 13 07 12:59 PM

QUOTE
(black for horror, pale mottled green for fantasy, silver/blue for sci-fi, yellow for non-fiction


I can't help wondering, were does the pale mottled green for fantasy come from? The others are pretty clear to me, but fantasy doesn't have a green connection for me. (I'm just being nosy...)

Rod

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fiction

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#19 [url]

Jun 15 07 12:43 AM

QUOTE
I can't help wondering, were does the pale mottled green for fantasy come from? The others are pretty clear to me, but fantasy doesn't have a green connection for me. (I'm just being nosy...)


I think mostly because I tend to associate my own fantasy with characters traipsing around forests and nature and getting back to basics. The background I use is actually the same as the one for Fantasy Factor http://fantasy.fictionfactor.com The Papyrus font gives me the same associations. I don't know why. It just works to get me into Fantasy Mode - something I don't do well or easily - so every little bit helps.

(i prefer horror or sci-fi - no problems getting into those zones!)

Lee

=====================
Fiction Factor - http://www.fictionfactor.com
The online magazine for fiction writers
=====================

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fiction

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#20 [url]

Jun 15 07 12:45 AM

QUOTE (BurpingBeauty @ June 13, 2007 09:04 am)
Hey Fiction, you know when you were saying that you change your background for different types of writing? That made me think of my sister, who has a different pencil or pen to write different types of things.

LOL in the days before computers, so did I!!


Lee

=====================
Fiction Factor - http://www.fictionfactor.com
The online magazine for fiction writers
=====================

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