Weird Things You Do Before You Write

As in weird things, they could be normal if you like it to be. I actually act out a scene to make sure it flows. I also listen to music to help.

I've heard of people drawing out scenes or watching something in order to think.

What do you do before writing?

If I'm planning on sitting down and doing some serious writing, I make sure I've got hot chocolate and a muffin first.

For one story, I draw out the scene first, but that's only because the story is based on a comic book I'm drawing.

Also, I usually stick a highlighter up one of my nostrils - cap on.

I make sure I have everything I need so I don't have to leave my room and interrupt what I'm doing. I like to snack a bit while I write, so I'll have some chips or some fruit, and something to drink. The television has to be on, as well. I can't do much of anything, including sleeping, without some sort of background noise. Sometimes I play music, but since my current story is mostly about a band of my own design, I don't want to be unintentionally influenced by other, real-life bands and I avoid music unless I'm writing for something else. If it's night, the little light on my nightstand has to be on, and the light in the ceiling fan has to be off. It also helps if I have my kitty nearby so I can have snuggles now and then (yes, I have a sensitive side; now shut it) but it's not a requirement.

If I'm doing serious writing, I have to go downstairs and disable the wireless router. The Internet is a huge distraction for me...

I have a lot of conversations out loud as my characters.

I take a shower. :shifty
It's weird, I get the best ideas when I'm wet. :XD But not that way, no thanks. :hand:

I make sure I'm not eating, drinking, hungry or thirsty, and it's crucial I have silence. :XD

I actually have acted out scenes with a friend of mine. Sometimes I'll say what they're saying out loud to see if it sounds right.

And like everyone else said, I do like to have a good snack by. Maybe some India Spice Chai and meringue cookies. Oh, man, that sounds good... Like Tom FLetcher said, I need silence. Not necessarily total silence, but I remember once I was trying to write a story for a context in my photography class (which is really loud) and I couldn't even hear myself think. It was very killer.

The things that I do if I'm stumped go as follows. During writer's block, I might watch The Breakfast Club, draw pictures of the characters, play Sims with said characters (it works more than you would think!), or IM my friend Liz to play Character Development.

druscilla; with you.:

I have a lot of conversations out loud as my characters.

Same. It helps the dialogue flow nicely and makes the situation real in my head.

I sit so I'm lying with my knees up and the laptop on them,
so it like, makes sure I can't see certain things in my room that'll distract me.

I need my tv on, mute or not,
and I usually have music playing through earphones if I do listen to it.

And I can't be sitting upright, writing on the desk or anything. I have to be sitting crosslegged on my bed or the sofa, or lying down with like a support on my back/head.

I usually eat some pasta like I'm about to run a marathon, change into my pajamas, and curl up on my bed with my laptop and dog. :tehe:

So I don't have ridiculously awkward habits, but I have to have music playing. I can't think straight when encompassed by the awkward silence that ensues in my house without music playing. And if I'm home alone, it's usually loud. I have to be in the zone, because then the writing I pull out of my <insert rear body part here> is the best my mind can come up with. And while I'm writing, I like to picture the people in my head, always trying to see their actions from the other person's point of view, making sure that the way I imagine the way they move or smile or shift their weight as they speak flows well with what comes out in Word.

Isometimes imagine my story taking place in my head, then write it, it tends to help.

Well, oddly, before I write I do a number of things.

1- I have to sit down in a comfortable chair- there is a particular one I like the best.

2- I have to find just the right song to listen to as I write. It helps me think.

3- I don't know why, but sometimes it helps if I twirl my bracelet around three times in thought. After I do that I start typing like a maniac. It's weird.

It's hardly weird but I listen to music. When I write i find it hard to focus if it's silent.
Though I cannot write if there are people around, talking. :XD
Oh, and it has to be dark. I have trouble writing when it's not dark.
And I think that's about it. :think:

I talk to myself. Sometimes monologs, sometimes dialog. But yeah, I take walks and talk to myself and it just...comes out. And then I go write it down somewhere. That's how I write a lot of poetry, too, or narrative scenes.

Especially for narrations, I picture what I want in my head and describe it.

I listen to one song on repeat. Or I'll watch a movie.

But, I always have to have a window open to write.
XD

I always have a bottle or somehting - usually cordial, milk or water -, something to nibble on and comfy clothes. In winter, I'll have a blanket. Sometimes I need msuic on, others I have to turn it off. But once I start writing I'm usually in the zone and nothing can distract me, so I tend to say things/thoughts aloud.

:tehe:

I pick at random parts of my body. Probably not the best thing for the holes in my skin, but whatever. Also, I run my necklace over my bottom lip repeatedly and bite large bits of skin off of my lips. I guess I just hurt myself when I write. It doesn't boter me too badly, though, so it's fine.

I have to have my tv on, but on mute. If it's talking to me, I get distracted easily. I usually like to write a paragraph or two, get up for five minutes and do something, then come back and write, then repeat. It allows me time to think, and picture what I want to happen next without the pressure of the pen in my hand.
I like to have conversations with my characters out loud as well. ^.^

I turn the T.V off and let only my music and thoughts interrupt me, try and isolate myself and occasionaly I might do a mindmap and build on a word to form a story line. Some times I'll also get myself into a different state of mind and just try to focus and think within that state.