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

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

I write mostly for myself and the group I game with. I find that I'm the most productive if I have headphones on and am listening to music I can 'zone out' to.
The best album for me is Floodland by Sisters of Mercy. Put it on repeat, and away I go. I've caught myself rocking back and forth in time to it when I'm writing. I guess I autotrance to it. Seems to work.

[stone-princess.livejournal.com]

I need noise too. My mom says it's been true since I was little that I can't concentrate unless I have something to block out.

[cleverthylacine]

Music helps. Something to drink that contains caffeine, usually iced tea or pepsi, but sometimes kalimoxto (pepsi and red wine lol).

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

I'm the opposite: no distractions if possible. I can work with noise around me, but not as well.

I also need to be in good shape. Nothing on my mind, not feeling sick or tired. I write crap when I'm not feeling good, so I've learned not to.

[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.

[psychoticdreams.livejournal.com]

I'm just write for myself, but I need music or the TV on. However when it comes to TV it can't be something I'm interested in watching otherwise it distracts me.

[collie13.livejournal.com]

As others have already mentioned, I need music on headphones to drown out the other distractions. It can't be too loud either, or have compelling lyrics, or I start paying attention to it instead of my writing. I also need to care about what I'm writing about, or it doesn't "flow" well, and I have to drive myself to write.

Also needed: a nice, cold drink; my lurid purple-&-green beanbag snake; and all the reference materials I may need close to hand. The snake is long enough that I can use it to hold several books open at once, if necessary, to type in quotes, etc.

Although I guess it goes without saying, I also need my computer. I've gotten so used to things like cut-&-paste that when I was stuck the other day with paper & pencil, I found myself trying to drag-&-drop a paragraph with my pencil! Needless to say, it did not work... ;)

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

Quiet or quiet music. TV, conversation, screaming kids, etc just blow my concentration.

[grimmwire.livejournal.com]

Music is good, but not if it has words; I'll just end up singing along instead of writing. So I made an iTunes playlist called "Instrumentality", into which I drop all the instrumental mp3s in my library.

Google and other search engines are rapidly becoming indispensable writing tools for me. For instance: while working on the last paragraph of a story, I suddenly needed to know what areas of the brain were the activation centers of romantic love. Within seconds I'd Googled up a a PDF of a research paper on just that topic (www.vislab.ucl.ac.uk/pdf/NeuralBasisOfLove.pdf).

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Project? What Project?

Do tell!

Try quiet instrumental music like cool jazz.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

I find that I need a deadline. Preferably with an NCO breathing down my neck, and a paper going to bed. *g*

Granted, I also have found that I do *not* need to lose what I'm working on three times before it gets saved on zip.

For me...

[seawasp]

... music -- mostly instrumental, or at least with vocals in japanese or another language that I don't understand, so that it's just music -- and a LOT of uninterrupted time, at least for serious writing. TV would be completely counterproductive. If the TV is on, I am watching it. Even if I hate what is on, my eyes will return to the moving lights...ooo... pretty.

I don't need munchies, though a cup of water is necessary.

[benkenobigal.livejournal.com]

I'm in my office in front of the computer. Strangely enough, I have to sit tailor fashion. The music is on behind me...or at least the TV in the other room. I hate silence. I try to keep the cats off me -- though they don't understand. Cold drink beside me. Then I'm all set for a major writing session.

[kengr]

I need something that, if it's not my PC(s) can export to my PC. Having to retype stuff I've already written drives me batshit. 25 years of computer text editors and word processors will do that to you.

Fortunately, as a "worst case", I've got my old Model 100(s). And if I fill one up, I can dump to cassette tape until my PCs are available again.