A question for my fellow writers.

[gridlore]

As I take a break from the tedious task of converting Classic Traveller UWPs to GURPS Traveller info strings for the project I'm working on, this occurred to me.

I can't write without noise. I need music, the TV, something around me or I can't write a word. I also need munchies and a Coke.

So how do you other writers work? What environment do you require?

Comments

[isomeme.livejournal.com]

You could probably write a program to do UWP to GURPS info string conversion.

When I write technical stuff I like some music playing, though generally rather quietly compared to my usual floor-rattling level. When I'm writing fiction I need enough white noise to drown out distracting background sounds, and nothing else.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

You could write such a program, i still believe the writing code is performed by wizards. I really don't understand it.

I do have a spreadsheet that does a lot of the work, but it's tedious.

1. Check the UPP, look for outrageous combinations (Earthlike world orbiting a M8 D, 1,000-mile diameter world with 80 billion people, etc.) Make necessary changes.

2a. Plug world information in spreadsheet to get ornital distance,gravity, a good read on the atmosphere, and climate. This requires fiddling with the numbers.

2b. If the main star is anything off the Main Sequence, do the numbers for orbit and climate by hand.

3. Convert the social data.

4. Figure the World Trade Number.

5. Repeat for next world.

Alpha Crucis has close to 450 worlds. This is going to take a while.