Weird Things You Do Before You Write

I have a playlist of classical music, and whenever I need to concentrate on anything (reading, writing, homework, drawing, anything) I listen to that. And I don't suppose this is so weird, but my door has to closed so that I don't get distracted. My dog has to be sat by/on my feet for some reason.

Oh, and my nails have to be perfect as they're going to get before I write. I can't stand watching them type if they're not painted or they're jagged or something. It distracts me no end, and the creativity gets lost.
:XD

- Smoke a cigarette.
- Listen to music fitting to the theme/mood of the piece's tone.
- ... the "m" word.

I have to listen to music. It's also better if I have the television on, just for a spark of inspiration of some sort.
Then I make sure that I have a drink or a snack while I'm writing. Usually just looking around my room at objects helps to give me an idea.
When I leave the room to go to the bathroom or something, I speak the dialouge aloud to myself and act out scenes that I'd like to add.
:wait:

This is going to sound retarded but I have to think. Like properly think, with my eyes shut, although I generally stop in the middle to have a good think.

It's not the best thing for me thoug, because quite often my thinking results in sleeping and then I loose my motivation and can't be bothered to write whatever I was thinking about down. And it stayes that way for months.

I must have absolute silence. The TV cannot be on and I can't be listening to music, especially if the tone of the story does not fit the band I'm currently listening to.

During the day, when I'm away from my computer and by myself in the house, I will have out loud conversations as if I'm the characters from my story. I find it helps me out a lot.

I am also continuously thinking about the story, playing it out in my head like a movie, adding and taking parts away to get the feel of how I want it to end up or any makor events which I want to take place.

I tidy my room and desk space up, which isn’t that weird. But if I can’t move my arm without knocking a cup or something over, I get irritated and can’t write. So I always tidy up any clutter before I start. :cute:

I make sure I am like completely home alone. I just write better if my family isn't creepng over my shoulders and interrupting me.

I lock my door, turn the lights down, and sit down. Then, I close my eyes while sitting in my sqeeky chair, sit back, and focus on the scene, imagine things, try to get all five senses involved in my meditation timing. That sorta thing.

Adding on to what I said before about having conversations as my characters, I've always begun talking with the accent my character has.

Like in my new story The Astor Hotel, it's set in Louisiana so I talk with a southern accent as the character of Beth because she is from there. But I also talk with a British accent for Victoria because her family moved from England to Louisiana when she was a child.

I smoke a cigarette, Listen to music. But it's not like a playlist it's a few songs or just one that I listen to over and over with my eyes closed and paper at my feet. I actually sit on the floor in my bed room infront of the window to. My boyfriend thinks I'm weird cause I can sit there for hours with a single sentence on the paper starring out the window and then I just start writing like there's no tomorrow.

Not sleep. If I want to write my best stories, I get most creative when I've got insomnia. It makes me more creative.

I'm not sure why.

Normally take a shower, that clears my mind.

There has to be some sort of background noise, but nothing too distracting. I'm not ADD, but I might as well be. I think out the whole chapter in my head. Then I play with about five different dialogues, until I find the perfect one. And I have to be sitting up. I also write best when I 'm upset about something.

I normally do it when I'm on my bed, that way I find myself having dreams with my characters and possible outcomes for certain situations.

I must have noise. I can't write without music, or the tv, or just people chatting.

I can't have any distractions, and that means no talking while I write.

I always make sure I have something to eat or drink before I start writing.

Lately, I can't write with music or any other noises on (unless it's at night, my tv has to be on and the room dark), only natural noises - like my fan or like right now, someone mowing the lawns outside. And lately, I find that I like to/do write better when it's really late at night, like 11pm-2 or 3am. But anyways...

Usually it helps if I disconnect the internet... a lot, but there are definitely times wear I can control it. I like to get really into it - feel what my characters are feeling, get into whatever the mood is set in the scene. Often, I have to stop and really think/play the scene over in my head with my eyes closed and my head in my hands. I have to get it written down exactly, or the best I can, the way I have it in my head. I can't do that whole write-the-whole-chapter-then-go-back-and-do-major-editing thing that some authors can do. I'd rather have to delete and rewrite the whole paragraph instead of re-read and edit whole chunks. I like no disturbances, and I can't write with other people around or in the room.

Me? I'm not allowed to write when I want to. An idea has to hit me, and then I have to write it right then otherwise I either forget it or it doesn't turn out as well as it did when I first thought of it. If and when I get the idea down, I usually have to continue writing the story. Sometimes that doesn't work out!

If I have the patience and the will to actually write out a story from start to finish (not all at once of course), I lay on a hard surface where it's cool and think up the entire plot. Bassically, I daydream for about two hours and then I start the actual writing process. By then though I've wasted my patience and I stop writing after the first or second chapter.

That's why I suck at writing! xD Haha

:mrgreen:

Wandering around the house, or walking back and forth. It somehow fuels my imagination :XD

I shower.
:XD

I come up with the best ideas in the shower, so I always do that first to get the juices flowin'.

I watch music videos of my favorite bands. IDK why, it just helps me come up with great ideas.

I have to be warm and have comfy clothes on, I chew on my necklace and I put a song that fits the tone of the story on repeat, or a playlist. I have a playlist titled 'inspiration' for when I write, because they're the songs that get me thinking.
I mutter a lot as well, I don't talk out loud. I sit and pretend to be my character too. I also twirl my hair round my fingers a lot.