How do you write?

[Suchende558]

I cannot bring myself to sit down and write a chapter for my story i quite literally do the "it came to me in a dream" method of just Dreaming it and frantically get my phone and write a 500 word chapter

also i thought the title Would be Funny tbh

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

 

[TheUnsuspicious]

mine was so bad that despite knowing what to write in the word doc, i couldn't even write more than a sentence.

but just like the one above me. the direct simple solution is to 'just do it'.

like we get it. its hard. every author will experience it at some point in time. but theres no easy fix for this. we can only do some weird rituals to focus ourselves. or maybe programmed our brain to start writing after doing a specific task. but at the end of the day. it all just came down to 'just do it'...

 

[TheEldritchGod]

don't let your memes remain dreams.

 

[Ilikewaterkusa]

I cannot bring myself to sit down and write a chapter for my story i quite literally do the "it came to me in a dream" method of just Dreaming it and frantically get my phone and write a 500 word chapter

also i thought the title Would be Funny tbh

This is if you want to become serious old sport

 

[CupcakeNinja]

mine was so bad that despite knowing what to write in the word doc, i couldn't even write more than a sentence.

but just like the one above me. the direct simple solution is to 'just do it'.

like we get it. its hard. every author will experience it at some point in time. but theres no easy fix for this. we can only do some weird rituals to focus ourselves. or maybe programmed our brain to start writing after doing a specific task. but at the end of the day. it all just came down to 'just do it'...

I just get drunk or high

 

[Corty]

Do it with your eyes closed. Then it will be like if you are dreaming that you are writing.

Or use the dictation feature in your phone.

 

[Simple_Russian_Boi]

I write as soon as my brain allows me to. Sometimes I can write every day for a month, and sometimes I can't even squeeze out a hundred words for a chapter. Strangely enough, I write best when I am very sleep deprived. Deprieved? Dep Whatever.
It is especially difficult for me to write a good opening for a novel and I usually have to rewrite it several times. After that, I write whatever comes to my mind, sticking to an almost non-existent plot line in my head.
I once tried to write a concrete plot for my chapters before actually writing the chapters themselves, it didn't go well.

 

[Alfir]

How do I write? With a pencil, duh?
Just kidding. I want to be a troll, but my heart just cannot take it, thus the unnecessary explanation.

I write with a timer. Typing at 34 WPM, I manage to write three chapters a day maximum. Minimum? Zero. My per chapter is at least a thousand words.

 

[Le_ther]

I also wanted to write but I can't keep up with whatever enters my head. Let's say I can type about 10 words per minute but my brain has like 100 words per second and sometimes my brain decides to add a word i don't even know the meaning yet it fits the dialogue/paragraph and when I search the meaning it actually means what I wanted to express. It became quite baffling to me since I am not that good at English grammar but I know some words that even i don't know what it is about.

There is also times where I wrote a story but had to discard because it isn't expressive enough or I get lazy to write any more.

 

[lambenttyto]

don't let your memes remain dreams.

Make it a haiku.

I write with a timer. Typing at 34 WPM, I manage to write three chapters a day maximum. Minimum? Zero. My per chapter is at least a thousand words.

I used to do a 15 minute timer. And if you have writers block, it's super helpful. It actually creates a sense of pressure that gets you moving. I write five-hundred words in 15 minutes these days.

 

[Jemini]

I cannot bring myself to sit down and write a chapter for my story i quite literally do the "it came to me in a dream" method of just Dreaming it and frantically get my phone and write a 500 word chapter

also i thought the title Would be Funny tbh

Yeah, sorry to say, this is unsustainable as a writing motivation.

As much as people like to say that everyone's unique, there actually is one and only one working method for how to write. You need to make a habit of it, and be consistent. Also, this consistency needs to be completely independent of "the muse" as it were. In fact, kill the muse. Tell it to get out of here because you don't need it. You absolutely cannot write unless and until you can write without "the muse" and it's fickle whims.

The "just do it" approach is the only correct approach. To tired? Just do it. Not in the mood? Just do it. Uninspired? Just do it. That's the only way that ever works. And it has to be consistent. Keep yourself to a strict schedule. Regularity and consistency are your friends, everything else is the enemy.

There are other aspects to the writing approach like the plotter's outlining and the pantser's stream of consciousness approach, but either way, both of them will be able to work in some aspect of the "just do it" approach. A plotter has to outline first, so they will set aside time in their day to work on the outlining with regularity and consistency. The pantser doesn't need outlines and goes straight to stream of consciousness writing, but any successful pantser will still just set aside a regular and consistent time of the day/week to sit down and just bash the keyboard for a while and force out another chapter, regardless of their mood or what may be going on in their life or how inspired they may or may not be.

 

[gaylolis]

i just treat it like a hobby.

i usually just write whenever i feel bored to do anything else. really helps a lot.

though i haven't posted them online yet, not until they're completed i guess. it helps that i don't have any pressure to complete it and can just do it at my own pace.

 

[K5Rakitan]

I sometimes write stuff in my calendar. I write down stuff such as medical appointments, the first day of my last menstrual period, and the last time my kid pooped to make sure he's not constipated. I have to do it quickly with one hand while struggling to keep him from grabbing the pencil with my other hand.

 

[DarkeReises]

just don't

 

[kokiboki]

Most of the time, I plan out my writing. I'll start writing on paper to make things clearer and shorter. I'll go to the Scribble Hub when I'm done and paste it into a draft.

 

[BenJepheneT]

"I better start seeing some god damn words on the screen or I'm switching to HP"

 

[MajorKerina]

Now, typically dictation on a mobile device. I managed to get 13,000 words in one week and especially I managed about 4000 in a few hours before bed.

 

[FiendsForHire]

I go clicky-clack on the keyboard until I no longer hate myself.

 

[Auratic]

I press the letters on the keyboard and words appear on my screen, it's magical really.

On a more serious note, I don't keep notes, I conceptualize and plan the few small interactions/events and they usually stew in my head for a while (+7 days at least). So the moment I sit down to write, I have a clear goal of how much shit I have to stuff into the chapter and as I bring all of these together I often find a "thread" to follow to stitch and bring it all together in a coherent manner. During this process I often add peripheral background to further ground the subject after which I can either be over or under my word count, so depending on the outcome I either wrap things up and set up for the next chapter or add a small mini story usually for more world-building.