Writing Poll :)

[Chinese Pistache]

I'm just curious about all my MDC writing friends

What are you writing these days (genres)?

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

[Chinese Pistache]

What are you writing these days (genres)?

I'm writing a mystery (cozy variety, chick-lit), but I enjoy Young Adult lit, too.

How much planning do you do before actually writing? (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

I struggle with this! I really need a plan. I'm not a spontaneous writer and I'm a compulsive RE-writer (which is not always a good thing). But, I have a hard time creating my "plan" because I can't make up my mind. With my current novel, I know the basics of the plot, but I'm working out the details as I write (at least, that's the goal).

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

Lately, I've been writing for 1 hour after the kids go to bed. I had to tell dh to make me do this! It's been working out.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

On the couch on my laptop. But I'm decluttering and unpacking my office. I'm planning to make it nice and green and natural and botanical and all that. I'm going to do some sewing--curtains, a chair cover (for the ugly, blue office chair), matching storage boxes for sewing junk, office clutter, etc. I'm really quite excited. I think "organization" and "cleanliness" will be my best muses

[Chinese Pistache]

Anyone? Or all you all busily writing your novels???

[Roo_Online]

I typed a reply, but it disappeared. I'll try to re-create it and hope it stays put:

What are you writing these days (genres)?
I'm working on childen's non-fiction. This will be my first time writing for children. It's not easy.

How much planning do you do before actually writing? (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)
This project requires a lot of planning and research. I don't have an outline for the story now. I did have one, but my research proved my outline idea to be inaccurate. Darn research.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?
I have been researching and writing for an hour every morning. My kids are old enough now that I can work while they are awake. Most of the time.

I work late at night, too, when I feel pulled into it. My sleep is often sandwiched between my research/writing sessions.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?
I can write anywhere. The place doesn't matter to me. I don't even need a computer if I'm feeling that compulsion to write. I'm comfortable doing preliminary work with pen and paper.

If I'm feeling stuck, listening to music, watching dance or a well-made movie, looking at art, listening to artists talk (such as on some NPR shows featuring artists) will spark my creative energy. Other writers sometimes inspire me to work, but other types of artists rev me up more than writers generally do. Oddly enough, grocery shopping makes me feel creative, too (when I shop without the kids. If I shop with the kids, I just feel tired.)

[ishyfishie]

What are you writing these days (genres)?

My current one is a spy/suspense novel--I like the "chick-lit" classification! I'm a big trashy romance novel fan (lord knows why) so it's borderline that, lol. With plot. This is actually the only contemporary story I've ever wanted to write; though it's the first novel I'm actually writing, all the other stories in my head are historical.

How much planning do you do before actually writing? (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

I'm very bad at planning. Very, very bad. For me, I sit down and the story writes itself. Only very rarely do I know what's going to happen. People always express surprise at my method of writing, since I can sit down at the beginning and get 30 pages right off the bat without having any idea what the actual plot is going to be. I have a tendency to include things I know will be "key points" that will have to be touched on later in the story, but I never know just how it will come to play.

I knew the main characters before I ever started writing, but at one point, I did make myself do a bit of a character study to determine the motivations for the "bad guys." I hate outlines! Luckily for me, my husband is excellent at determining where my plot is going when I haven't the slightest idea, so when I get stuck, he gets called in!

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

My daily goal is a page a day, generally not counting weekends. I did this for several months at the beginning of last year but took a break for quite a while, so I'm just getting back into the habit. I'm due in September so I want to get the whole thing finished before then. I'm currently at about 46k words. I've found that I can't write in the evenings, so mornings before work are my writing time right now. Once the baby comes, who knows?

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

I sit at my desk usually to write at the laptop, but I've always wished I had a good outside spot to write. Or a tray across my bathtub, man would I love to write in the tub! We're moving into our new house in March and there's a deck in the backyard, so I'm hoping that once the nice weather comes around, I'll be writing out there. And hey, maybe we can install some kind of tray for the bathtub. Sometimes I play music but generally I just write in silence, and I write best if I'm alone in the house (except when I need plot ideas, in which case I write enough to get the basic plan into my head while hubby's home, then finish later on by myself). Sometimes reading my favorite authors helps inspire me to write, but sometimes it ends up making me procrastinate because I feel more like reading than writing. Now that I have a goal of finishing before the baby, I've found that I'm much more dedicated, even on days when I really don't feel like writing at all--because hey, you never know! Maybe I'll get it done even sooner and have it published (or at least "sold") before the baby comes! Doesn't hurt to dream!

[Unagidon]

What are you writing these days (genres)?

I'm writing a satire on the War on Terror.

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

I take a general idea and write an episode that includes some of the main characters. If I think the characters are working, I will move forward and backwards in time from that episode and write a few more episodes in effect to see where the characters go and where they came from. If that works, then I write a rough outline of the plot. (The outline usually consists of a "table of contents" for the book.)

I don't know all of my characters beforehand, and sometimes a minor character will become a major character. In the thing I am working on right now, a minor character who I introduced (in earlier scenes) to underscore something about one of the major characters actually ended up getting involved with one of the other major characters and becoming a major character herself. This also caused me to significantly rework the person she fell in love with, because I had not written about that person before in such a way as to include qualities that he would have to have to fall in love in this story.

As for plot, by the way, I don't think it is all that important. I thnk that some people get hung up on the idea that they have to come up with plots that are intrinsically interesting in themselves. But much great literature really has no plot. Crime and Punishment is about a guy who hits an old woman on the head and takes her money. Pride and Prejudice is about a woman who falls in love with someone who seems like a jerk. The essence of any interesting book is simply the contrast between what people think they are doing and what they are actually doing. The writer is the person who sits outside and can see both of these at the same time.

New characters introduce themselves as you write. Sometimes you introduce them to solve a problem or to create a new situation. I have seen a number of writers who claim that characters take on a life of their own, as though they create themselves. I have known people who were intimidated by this description since it makes writing seem somehow metaphysical. What is actually going on is that as the writer puts his characters more deeply into a situation, she is forced to develop more aspects of the character's character. Sometimes something suggests itself to the writer that won't fit into the character of the characters at hand, and an easy thing to do is to simply invent a new character to carry the load. A writer, in the end is actually just writing about herself. And the development of "plot" and character is more akin to what happens when someone starts reminiscing about the past and this act causes them to remember more and more things that they thought they had forgotten.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

No. I just write as much as I can, when I can. I also blog and write stuff for my own entertainment.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

I have a train ride to work that is more than an hour in each direction. I can write about 1,000 words on each leg of the trip. I believe that I could probably write much more if my train ride were longer. I write everything out in longhand. At home, I do my typing and editing.

[Roo_Online]

[QUOTE=Unagidon;7133560

I take a general idea and write an episode that includes some of the main characters. If I think the characters are working, I will move forward and backwards in time from that episode and write a few more episodes in effect to see where the characters go and where they came from. ...[/QUOTE]


This is excellent! Thank you.

Also, I used to have a train commute like you have now, and boy do I miss that writing time! I'm a SAHM now, and the morning commute is walking from my bed to the kitchen...but sometimes I still manage write during that trip, but it's not quite the same.

Great post. Thanks.

[ipfree]

What are you writing these days (genres)?
Fiction based on a real life drama that I am seeing unfold.

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)
I sketch out the characters & surroundings with oil pastels. This helps me when I am stuck or blocked in my writing. Usually if I try to express something by drawing it, when I try again to write it seems so much easier.
I like to allow my stories to develop in an organic way, naturally unfolding. I do start with core characters usually 4-5

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?
I usually write, draw or paint daily. I have no set goal, other than I know it helps me to be creative, and have an outlet for my thoughts. To me these things are like therapy.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?
I am not a stickler for where I am when I write. It is more important that my mind is in the right space ... not so much my location.

[solareyna]

I haven't posted here before but I'm motivated to get going again...so this will help
What are you writing these days (genres)? romance, urban fantasy

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?) I usually write a storyline as I go and keep notes on all my characters so I don't change eye color halfway through my book but that's about it. If I try to plan the whole story out, it always changes.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they? My goal at the moment is small, usually four pages a week.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write? On my laptop in the office after ds has gone to sleep at night. Sometimes I am just too tired but it is the only time I have found where I have time to myself.

[folkypoet]

I haven't posted here before, either, but I keep meaning to. This seems like a good thread for an introduction. So, hi!

What are you writing these days (genres)?

Poetry, articles and blog posts.

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

Really, for all of them, I just start with a general idea and go. I usually find that the pieces settle themselves into a well organized form by the time I've finished the first draft.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

I try to blog every few days, at least. The article writing is on an as-needed basis, really, and I'm always under deadline with them. The poems, on the other hand, are my creative outlet. I write them when the mood strikes.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

Well, most of my writing is comprised of blog posts and articles, so those I write here at my computer with Kenzie running around, and the dogs playing, and the cats jumping into my lap.... It works out okay, but sometimes I think better at night, so I wait until then to sit down and really crank stuff out.

The poems I can't write here. Not at all. I have to go a coffeehouse. As far back as I can remember, I've only been able to write poetry in three places - coffeehouses, buses and class. And, since I'm not in school anymore, and I'm nowhere near a bus line, that leaves coffeehouses. I don't know what it is about them, but the atmosphere just seems to lend itself to creativity.

[Wolfcat]

What are you writing these days (genres)?
articles (non-fiction) and rewrites/editing

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?) No, I usually have a barest idea and work to get it all down, which is why I must have drafts... must, must, must

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?
I'm working on doing that this year. Mostly it's about queries and articles, etc.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?
In my office. I can lay DS down in the next room and hear him if he wakes up. And all my books are there - very inspirational.
I also like to work at resteraunts; lots of people/activity, but I'm outside of it.

[HelloKitty]

What are you writing these days (genres)?

I have a mix - I do some on going writing for the enterprise tech industry so I always have that going. I'm also working on a vegetarian / vegan resource book and a fiction novel.

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

I outline everything I do. For the novel the outline may change as I go along but I still like to have one - I do not outline individual chapters for fiction books but I do for non-fiction. For fiction novels I write descriptions of all my characters beforehand, although I get to know them better as I go along.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

Yes, for the tech writing I have specific deadlines so I have to work in those. I have a weekly piece due every Friday, a four page piece due on the 15th of each month and a 12-16 page quarterly report that is due every three months on the 22nd. Plus sparadic other pieces that come up with their own deadlines - for example I have three two page case studies due in March that I need to do interviews for and then write. For the non-fiction book I have weekly goals seperated by towns (it's area specific). For the fiction book I make myself write at least 500 words a day, even if the next day I decide I hate them and throw it all out

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

I'm all over the place. The beauty of a laptop. For the fiction stuff I do need to have some quiet time so I like to work on that in my home office.

[mrskennedy]

What are you writing these days (genres)?

Magazine/web articles, and poetry.

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

I outline key points for articles and have a theme for a poem before I start writing. Sometimes I have a poetic form in mind, but not always.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

Ha ha! I hav them, but I'm due soon and would often rather sleep than write! But I INTEND to write 5 articles daily and whatever poem yeeks itself onto the page, which, lately, is blank .

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

I write in my room, where the PC is. Music helps me write sometimes, and reading what helps others write sometimes also gets me motivated. Other times, it's a nice long, and I mean long, nap!

Basically, I'm a slacker right now, just barely making enough to pay the bills. Writing is my only income, but I do have savings. But gees! Now I feel guilty for not writing . . . So off I go!

Oh, and thanks for the kick in the pants!

[Slackermom]

What are you writing these days (genres)?
I'm working on a chick-lit novel, and have a non-fiction book being published next month.

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)
I scribble. I have a notebook filled with random thoughts, character sketches, ideas for scenes, insights, etc. But I'm not good at piecing all that together into a coherent outline. I like to know about 2/3 of what I'm writing, and have the other 1/3 as a surprise.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?
I'm pretty lenient with myself these days, as I'm working full time and have two babes under the age of three. Any day I manage to write just a wee bit is a good day, indeed.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?
I'm afraid I do rather a lot of it at my paid employment. At home, early morning works best, but really, it's whenever inspiration and opportunity combine.

[ladyleigh]

What are you writing these days (genres)?
I'm working on a historical romance, which I don't consider trashy ;-)

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)
I just started writing this novel. I had no idea what I was doing at first. In the last year I have charted everything out. Characters, plot, Goal, Motivation, Conflict, etc.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?
When I was in the writing stage I wrote 1000 words a day. Now I am revising and my CP (critique partner) and I just swapped 2 chapters a week for a while. I'm trying to revise those right now, but feel a little burned out. 400 pages is a loooooot of writing.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?
At home in my office during the day, between teaching yoga classes and massage clients. I probably should be writing right now ;-)

[mamabeca]

Working on a historical novel

I do have a storyboard, it was fun to do. I dont' stick to it religiously though. I have tended to simplify from it, rather than complicate from it.

I don't write every day - or even every week. Sometimes it's a struggle to write every MONTH! I'm a sahm, and all time off gets split between friends, chill out time, knitting, blogging, photography, exercise (poor loser ) and writing. I DO try to get something down if I feel 'inspired'. My family has gotten better about giving me a bit of space when the muse strikes (it's not that often lol).

I bought a laptop so that I could be more mobile. I've recently been doing some good writing down at the local cafe. I'm re-cleaning out the 'office'/spare bedroom and hopefully I'll be able to write there a bit more.

Thanks for starting this thread. It's nice to hear how other women are dealing w/the same kind of struggles I have.

[wordmommy]

What are you writing these days (genres)?
I'm in the planning stages for a juvenile fantasy, a magical realism novel set in the South, and a nonfiction book about Asperger's. (Whew!) I've also set a goal to write every day on my blog and I'm doing some writing/editing for my business.

How much planning do you do before actually writing (Do you make an outline? Storyboard? Do you know all of your characters beforehand, etc.?)

I didn't when I wrote my first (unpublished) novel, but when I went back and edited, I saw how important planning was for me because I had to struggle with timelines and character histories. For the ones I'm working on now, I have timelines and research in a notebook. It's helped me keep everything on track. Of course, my stories have a tendency to jump offtrack and my characters do things that baffle me all the time, but I can always go back to my notes and correct them.

Do you have daily or weekly writing goals? What are they?

Right now, I'm focusing on keeping up with the blog and the business every day. I'm working to get my house organized and running smoothly to the point that I can give myself an hour a day for my book projects. By next week, I want to be able to do that.

Where do you do most of your writing? What, in your environment, helps you to write?

I do all of my writing in my office. However, a lot of my planning and thinking and dreaming takes place in my garden or in the car. I do quite a bit of talking to myself!!

[Chinese Pistache]

You all are so inspiring! Off to write!