Topic: A Thread for Writers to talk about Writing.

[MichaelA]

Interesting to see how many people are saying they need the motivation or a deadline to work to. I've been on here far too long, and can remember a couple of previous efforts to kickstart the creativity. These threads may provide some pointers on how to make sure this thread succeeds in generating some content. 

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=217889.0

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=168999.0

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=20997.0

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=232170.0

It's hard. You need some serious motivation, and you need to prove something - not just to yourself, but also to others. To an audience, a readership. I'm going to goad you all. I don't think you can do it.

Here's a great quote from Dylan Moran:

"You should stay away from your potential. I mean, that is something you should leave absolutely alone! You’ll mess it up! It’s potential, leave it! And anyway, it’s like your bank balance, you know: you always have much less than you think.[...] Leave it as the locked door within yourself and then at least, in your mind, the interior will always be palatial. Wonderful gleaming marble floors, brocaded drapes. Mullioned windows, covered in mullions, whatever they are. Flamingos serving drinks. Pianos shooting out canapés into the mouths of elegant men and women who are exchanging witticisms... "Oh yes, this reminds me of the time I was in Budapest with Binky... We were trying to steal a goose from the casino, muahahaha..." But it wont be like that[...] You don't want to find out that the most you could possibly achieve, if you gave it your all, if you harvested every screed of energy within you, and devoted yourself to improving yourself, that all you would get to, would be maybe eating less cheesy snacks".

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/NU8C88UczmU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/NU8C88UczmU</a>


Go for it.

[mkingdon]

I played around for years writing stuff and then giving up. I started a blog in 2009 that is still going today with a good number of followers/readers and I disciplined myself to write a post every week, whether I felt like it or not. It's only that persistence that gives a blog a chance of any sort of success. I've been contacted by so many people who say they are going to start a blog and then after one or two posts they get bored or can't think of anything to write about and it dies.

Anyway, the point is that writing a blog regularly gets you in the habit.

Then, a couple of years ago I came across http://nanowrimo.org/ which in a nutshell is a group of writers around the world committing to getting 50,000 words done in one month (November). That's about 1600 per day and I did it. I found that discipline really helpful and it got most of a novel done. I self-published it and sold a decent amount of copies to (mostly) folks who read my blog, where I talked about the process of writing over the weeks and months (amongst other things).

I won't post a link to it as it will probably break some forum rules and I'll be modded to death.

What I am saying is that having that sort of schedule might help. Sit down every day and commit to get 1600 words done. They might be shite but worry about that at the end of the process when you review, edit and improve.

I am no expert, just some bloke who fancied himself as a writer and with self publishing there is actually an outlet now to get it out there, whereas years ago when I first thought about it, I was put off as I knew the chances of getting published were around zero. I also found a method to produce paper copies of my book too and it's nice to have a copy around the house. 

If you write then you are a writer.

[MichaelA]

I won't post a link to it as it will probably break some forum rules and I'll be modded to death.

On the contrary - I'd actively encourage you to post a link - it's a demonstration of commitment that will help people believe they can actually produce work.

[mkingdon]

On the contrary - I'd actively encourage you to post a link - it's a demonstration of commitment that will help people believe they can actually produce work.

Well, if you insist :-)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-This-More-Craig-Williams-ebook/dp/B00IKTVBWO/

[alonsoisared]

Fair play to you, and thank you for sharing!

I'm often guilty of sitting down to write and then giving up within twenty minutes because I think it's rubbish. "I'll come back to it tomorrow with a clearer head". I'm going to take your advice and just keep writing, I guess sometimes you might read back and think actually, it wasn't bad at all. Alternatively as you said, you can always edit stuff afterwards.

[Nessy76]

Just putting a place marker here, will return later, have some writing to do...

[OLDIE]

I am not a writer, far from it. I enjoy throwing a few words together but no way am I up to the standard of those that have contributed to this thread.

I do have a daft question, it's really daft but it's a genuine request for people's thoughts.

What must you have written in order to be considered a writer, do you need to have had works published or not ?

[mkingdon]

I am not a writer, far from it. I enjoy throwing a few words together but no way am I up to the standard of those that have contributed to this thread.

I do have a daft question, it's really daft but it's a genuine request for people's thoughts.

What must you have written in order to be considered a writer, do you need to have had works published or not ?

I struggle with this. It feels presumptuous and pretentious to go about claiming to be a writer when you don't do it for a living (and you are just a fat northern bloke with a normal job). As I said in my other post, after reading similar thoughts from lots of other writers (most, if not all, a lot better and certainly more prolific than me), if you write, then you are a writer. Making that mental leap might help convince yourself that it's worth your time to sit down and do it.

If you play a musical instrument then you are a musician, whether it is your job or not!

Reading and contributing to this thread has given me the wake up call I needed to crack on with the second book I started months ago and never finished.

[OLDIE]

I struggle with this. It feels presumptuous and pretentious to go about claiming to be a writer when you don't do it for a living (and you are just a fat northern bloke with a normal job). As I said in my other post, after reading similar thoughts from lots of other writers (most, if not all, a lot better and certainly more prolific than me), if you write, then you are a writer. Making that mental leap might help convince yourself that it's worth your time to sit down and do it.

If you play a musical instrument then you are a musician, whether it is your job or not!

Reading and contributing to this thread has given me the wake up call I needed to crack on with the second book I started months ago and never finished.

I could not agree more with you.

I am interested in people's views on this matter because I can see the other side of the coin to my question.

[Skidder.]

I am not a writer, far from it. I enjoy throwing a few words together but no way am I up to the standard of those that have contributed to this thread.

I do have a daft question, it's really daft but it's a genuine request for people's thoughts.

What must you have written in order to be considered a writer, do you need to have had works published or not ?

Really in-depth question - you could split hairs/heirs all day long arguing that one. By the letter of the law though, to be a professional you have to be paid (or at least, that is as far as I know) - Amateur (semi-pro) usually means someone who basically puts in their shift on top of their current job (usually unpaid). Different people will have different answers to that, but unfortunately I guess that is the meat of it. As cliche'd as it sounds, I guess it is a bit like being in love - no-one can tell you that you are in love, you just know it, balls to bone.

But I think if you have published work or not, you can say that you write. I think if you have a portfolio, you could be considered as 'being a writer'. I think a good portfolio with around five pieces of work - prose, radio/stage/teleplay, poetry (or just verse), descriptive 'how-to' (this is quite an overlooked element), and perhaps an article or essay. That is interchangeable and arguably, a good writer should have a number of different portfolios for different briefs - this all mostly comes from job applications and/or study. What I have done over the past few months is to try and create a short piece of text for each position that I have applied for. Whether or not I send it, I have a piece of work that could add as an element to my portfolio. With clever self-marketing, by your tenth application, you should have a decent enough portfolio to show prospective employers/clients.

From the perspective of the fiction writer - I think the key is competitions. To keep the drivetrain going, people should really set aside themselves Ł100 or so for entries into competitions. Most are trash and it is more or less a lottery (if that), but there are some local ones where you can at least get some feedback. Getting that first credit, whatever that may be, is the first goal - I know that I am bleating on like an old drum - but this is where collaboration can pay dividends. There are many ways in which a writer can get their work seen, but I think the most accessible at the minute is short-film or Youtube series.

 

[Red Beret]

I wouldn't say no to a writing group meeting weekly to be honest.  There are plenty of snug little venues in Liverpool to accommodate such an enterprise.

[Nessy76]

I am not a writer, far from it. I enjoy throwing a few words together but no way am I up to the standard of those that have contributed to this thread.

I do have a daft question, it's really daft but it's a genuine request for people's thoughts.

What must you have written in order to be considered a writer, do you need to have had works published or not ?

Writers should ask and discuss questions like that about words, so it's a good start!

I've always just felt like I was a writer. Since I was a kid, that's all I ever really wanted to do. Then I got side-tracked by other things, but I still write, and I want to write a lot more. I've sold stories professionally, I've had plays performed professionally. I sold comic strip scripts to 2000ad at one point.

If Van Gogh was a painter, I'm definitely a writer!

It's not a badge of excellence, though. Like any artform, just doing it doesn't mean you are any good at it. Anyone can call himself a musician or an artist or a writer, and so long as he actually does that activity from time to time, it's hard to argue that he is those things.

He could be a terrible musician, or an awful artist, or a piss-poor writer, but that's a question of quality, rather than essence. So if you're a published writer or someone scribbling away in an attic where nobody ever sees your work, what matters isn't really if you call yourself a writer or not. It's whether you can write well.

For the New Year, I've started a new writing blog where I talk about various aspects of writing.
If anyone's interested it's at https://wheredoyougetyourideasfrom.wordpress.com/

The latest post is about indie or self publishing and why that may sometimes be a better option. I've thought a lot about that recently, and I'm in the middle of writing something that I'm definitely going to self-publish (assuming I finish the thing, about 38,000 words in and aiming for somewhere around 120,000 all-in) just to test the waters on that.

I've even considered setting up an imprint for ebooks, helping other people get their work on sale. It's a lot of work, though, and I'd prefer to do it for a percentage because of how the finance of it works, but that means if books don't sell, I wouldn't make anything. I'd be reluctant to charge up front, there are too many scam artists out there trying to make money out of writers.

One idea I had was to produce a horror anthology, with maybe a dozen writers contributing self-contained chapters on a shared scenario that would come together as a novel. Maybe later in the year.

[Sir Harvest Fields]

I also look at my post count and think, 4510 posts, what if I would have put them towards something more productive? 

Hence the material for my book...

[gerrardsarmy]

I'm no writer, but I have browsed and contributed to this from time to time...

https://www.reddit.com/r/writingprompts

[Socratease]

Writers to write about Writing

Structure, no structure ~ be careful to balance, or your reader will lose the plot and eventually think that you have lost the plot ~ and then they will grab the wrong end of a metaphorical stick and beat around a metaphorical flaming bush with it! 

You decide the theme by your designated/current and titled work as the premise, it is where you take your reader next from the title as either a predicate and/or as an exploration of thought to consider.

Snapshots of experience fuel credibility if you can incorporate it within due relevance to you - you can register a note to the reader.

Keep to the subject, it prevents moisture in the fuel tanks, don't take yourself too seriously.

Though, there are times you may just want to freak out you can always seek out this forum to aspirate and expirate, write your thoughts.

Enjoy writing, search for knowledge.



The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.

Aristotle

,








 

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

Really good thread.

I've dabbled with self-publishing over the last two years. Written one book, with another coming out in March. Currently working on another two - one of which I hope to have out next year and is a sequel to my first one. My main themes are centred on regional Australia/gritty realism. Hillbillies and undesirables doing horrible shit to one another, really.

I haven't sold that many copies, but the more you write the better your chances of selling more. With self-publishing finding the right ways to promote your book and developing an audience is the hardest part and it's always a learning curve, that's for certain.

I write for nothing more than a bit of fun and mainly to keep my sanity, too, as working a 8.30-5 job is nothing but soul-destroying, but none the less a necessity. I guess we all need a little bit extra.

One thing I'd like to bring up on here is writing style. Thoughts?

People talk about structure etc, and it's really important, but not many discussions about writing are centred on a writer's preferred style and I believe this can either make or break a book. First, third, close third, omniscient. What's your poison, guys? What works for you and what doesn't?

I've even considered setting up an imprint for ebooks, helping other people get their work on sale. It's a lot of work, though, and I'd prefer to do it for a percentage because of how the finance of it works, but that means if books don't sell, I wouldn't make anything. I'd be reluctant to charge up front, there are too many scam artists out there trying to make money out of writers.

I was thinking about doing something like this, too. I think it's a good way to engage with like-minded people. No different to a record label, really, although like you say, it's hard work for very little reward. Still, that idea of community and everyone having a common goal is appealing.

[alonsoisared]

Trying to stick to 750 words a day to keep things ticking over. Been doing that for the past few days since mkingdon's post

Can identify with what you said about writing keeping you sane, I work 9-5 in a very mundane job which doesn't excite or engage me in any way. So it's definitely nice to have something on the side that gives me a sense of purpose and something to aspire to.

I can only ever seem to write in the first person. The danger there is that I have to remind myself to make sure I'm giving the characters their own voices rather than them all having mine  My girlfriend bought me a book last Christmas, it was something like "400 story ideas" and on each page it would start with a random sentence which you would then have to continue and turn into a short story, or a passage from a novel. It's a pretty cool idea and I used that to practise writing in different styles. But yes, I always find first person easiest. What about yourself?

Also a potentially daft question for you and anyone else who's managed to finish a book on here. How far did you go with your planning? When you started writing your first draft, did you know exactly how it would all end? Did you know what was going to happen in each chapter? Did you plan an overview for each chapter and then go from there, or did you go even further and whittle it down to knowing what each page of each chapter would hold?

I understand it must be one of those where there's no right or wrong way to do it (as is the case with most aspects of trying to write!) but I am interested to see how you all go about it. Personally I find planning quite difficult and seem to either not plan enough and end up lost a couple of chapters in, or I plan too much and by the time I get round to writing the thing I've sucked all the fun out of it!

[Nessy76]

Really good thread.

I've dabbled with self-publishing over the last two years. Written one book, with another coming out in March. Currently working on another two - one of which I hope to have out next year and is a sequel to my first one. My main themes are centred on regional Australia/gritty realism. Hillbillies and undesirables doing horrible shit to one another, really.

I haven't sold that many copies, but the more you write the better your chances of selling more. With self-publishing finding the right ways to promote your book and developing an audience is the hardest part and it's always a learning curve, that's for certain.

I write for nothing more than a bit of fun and mainly to keep my sanity, too, as working a 8.30-5 job is nothing but soul-destroying, but none the less a necessity. I guess we all need a little bit extra.

One thing I'd like to bring up on here is writing style. Thoughts?

People talk about structure etc, and it's really important, but not many discussions about writing are centred on a writer's preferred style and I believe this can either make or break a book. First, third, close third, omniscient. What's your poison, guys? What works for you and what doesn't?

I was thinking about doing something like this, too. I think it's a good way to engage with like-minded people. No different to a record label, really, although like you say, it's hard work for very little reward. Still, that idea of community and everyone having a common goal is appealing.

Well at the very least I think it's easy enough to cross promote with eBooks, just a simple arrangement where you stick a few free promo chapters of other people's work at the end of your book, with a link so your readers can buy it, and they all do the same for you at the end of their books.

Makes more sense when the books have something in common, of course, but it costs nothing and can be effective for spreading awareness and building a readership.

[Skidder.]

Never even tried writing a novel - I've never really liked novels per se, I read Dune in 1987, IT in 1988 (yes, before the film came), and even as a kid, I remember thinking that it was too long.

Perhaps that could be a symptom of my Dyslexia, but I much prefer short stories.

With regards to style - personally, I use whatever style suits the theme of the story. I think structure is one of the more important elements though - structure can open so many opportunities... One of my all-time favourite writer, Philip K. Dick, toyed about with structure and form in most of his work.

I think that a good solid structure can emphasise moods and scenarios - Phillip K. Dick was excellent at using structure to emphasise a story.

[Red Beret]

If anybody is interested there is a poetry night at the Jacaranda tomorrow, from about 7pm. 

[Skidder.]

If anybody is interested there is a poetry night at the Jacaranda tomorrow, from about 7pm.

Is it the Dead Good Poets Society?

[telekon]

I've now started trying to write a script, a sitcom type thing. I feel daft just writing that on here and feel even dafter saying it out loud, I often wonder if this is my main problem. I get so far into something, think I've got the best idea ever, and then slowly but surely my mind convinces me to quit because it's stupid and i'll never get anywhere with it. Only my girlfriend and now you lovely people even know I still write a lot.

My attitude needs to change, I'm making it a chore for myself rather than enjoying it as much as I should!

I'm a lot like this. I just don't have the discipline. I need deadlines, and it's hard to make deadlines for yourself. After work I'm usually too tired or not in the mood, and on weekends, where there should be time over, I watch the football, go to concerts, exhibitions, and bars. Once I have a couple of hours the hardest part is to actually walk the few meters to the computer, and harder still, to open the computer and start on a new draft. It's as if there was a goddam force field. However, once I actually start writing it's quite easy.

I don't have the talent to write a longer story, let alone a novel, but I'm writing a web comic (as well as starting the music/film/arts blog with a mate) and have over 50 strips already. Getting the right illustrator is not easy. I've had two so far but one moved, and the other is ridiculously busy with other work.

Cheers MichealA for the tips.

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

Trying to stick to 750 words a day to keep things ticking over. Been doing that for the past few days since mkingdon's post
Can identify with what you said about writing keeping you sane, I work 9-5 in a very mundane job which doesn't excite or engage me in any way. So it's definitely nice to have something on the side that gives me a sense of purpose and something to aspire to.

I can only ever seem to write in the first person. The danger there is that I have to remind myself to make sure I'm giving the characters their own voices rather than them all having mine  My girlfriend bought me a book last Christmas, it was something like "400 story ideas" and on each page it would start with a random sentence which you would then have to continue and turn into a short story, or a passage from a novel. It's a pretty cool idea and I used that to practise writing in different styles. But yes, I always find first person easiest. What about yourself?

Also a potentially daft question for you and anyone else who's managed to finish a book on here. How far did you go with your planning? When you started writing your first draft, did you know exactly how it would all end? Did you know what was going to happen in each chapter? Did you plan an overview for each chapter and then go from there, or did you go even further and whittle it down to knowing what each page of each chapter would hold?

I understand it must be one of those where there's no right or wrong way to do it (as is the case with most aspects of trying to write!) but I am interested to see how you all go about it. Personally I find planning quite difficult and seem to either not plan enough and end up lost a couple of chapters in, or I plan too much and by the time I get round to writing the thing I've sucked all the fun out of it!

Good stuff, mate. MKingdon makes a good point regarding words per day. When I'm in the process of writing first drafts, I target 1,000 a day but before that I spend a lot of the day trying to think of the first couple of paragraphs. I find they are the hardest to nail, but once you get going, it's not so bad.

I generally write in close third person. I find it's a good balance between the story flow and the reader getting close enough to the character. It doesn't have the intimacy of first person narrative, but the for the audience which I want to target, it's perhaps slightly easier to engage with.

If you can write a good book in first person then, in my opinion, you are a proper writer!

As for planning. It's one of those things. Like everything, it's a learning curve and everyone is different. And just on that. I don't mean to sound preachy with this post. I don't talk about this stuff with many people, so it's good to share my experiences, just like I'm keen to hear the thoughts of others.

The first time you write about something, it's haphazard, because you're full of ideas and want to put them all on paper at once, which turns out to be a hindrance more than anything. I suppose that's why a lot of bands make their opus record first up, because these are the ideas they've had for the most time, therefore they have more time to harness and refine. It's a bit different with writing, IMO. Like Kidder and a few others have stated above. The structure is important.

As for planning. I find setting out a character analysis and a general flow of where you want to story to go helps. I don't get too bogged down in it, because characters have a mind of their own so you need to give them room to breathe, which will likely have them taking a few interesting turns throughout the story. This is my favourite aspect of writing, actually. Letting a character do his own thing. It sounds weird, and I thought it used to be bullshit, but it actually happens.

Well at the very least I think it's easy enough to cross promote with eBooks, just a simple arrangement where you stick a few free promo chapters of other people's work at the end of your book, with a link so your readers can buy it, and they all do the same for you at the end of their books.

Makes more sense when the books have something in common, of course, but it costs nothing and can be effective for spreading awareness and building a readership.

That's a really good idea. I've seen a lot of thriller publishers do this type of thing (Mark Billingham for instance). Blog interaction would be pretty good, too. Guest posts etc.

I'm a lot like this. I just don't have the discipline. I need deadlines, and it's hard to make deadlines for yourself. After work I'm usually too tired or not in the mood, and on weekends, where there should be time over, I watch the football, go to concerts, exhibitions, and bars. Once I have a couple of hours the hardest part is to actually walk the few meters to the computer, and harder still, to open the computer and start on a new draft. It's as if there was a goddam force field. However, once I actually start writing it's quite easy.

I don't have the talent to write a longer story, let alone a novel, but I'm writing a web comic (as well as starting the music/film/arts blog with a mate) and have over 50 strips already. Getting the right illustrator is not easy. I've had two so far but one moved, and the other is ridiculously busy with other work.

Cheers MichealA for the tips.

Discipline is the hardest thing. Working all day doesn't make it any easier and while you're at home you can fall into the trap of sinking into the couch and doing nothing. Getting into a routine is the most important thing and for me, it's all about writing 1,000 words a day. That and having an understanding wife who leaves me be for an hour or so each day .

Would be keen to check your web comic and blog, mate.

[Zend...en the clowns]

Brilliant thread idea and enthused by how many are either budding or passionate about writing.

Write plays myself, about 6 or 7 so far mostly around 40 minutes ish with some short ten minute stuff as well. Produced a few at local theatres up here (Newcastle). Keen to see what sort of stuff other people get up to, always open to sharing ideas/texts/best practice/feedback.

A good writer never stops learning.

[Skidder.]

Good stuff, mate. MKingdon makes a good point regarding words per day. When I'm in the process of writing first drafts, I target 1,000 a day but before that I spend a lot of the day trying to think of the first couple of paragraphs. I find they are the hardest to nail, but once you get going, it's not so bad.

I generally write in close third person. I find it's a good balance between the story flow and the reader getting close enough to the character. It doesn't have the intimacy of first person narrative, but the for the audience which I want to target, it's perhaps slightly easier to engage with.

If you can write a good book in first person then, in my opinion, you are a proper writer!

As for planning. It's one of those things. Like everything, it's a learning curve and everyone is different. And just on that. I don't mean to sound preachy with this post. I don't talk about this stuff with many people, so it's good to share my experiences, just like I'm keen to hear the thoughts of others.

The first time you write about something, it's haphazard, because you're full of ideas and want to put them all on paper at once, which turns out to be a hindrance more than anything. I suppose that's why a lot of bands make their opus record first up, because these are the ideas they've had for the most time, therefore they have more time to harness and refine. It's a bit different with writing, IMO. Like Kidder and a few others have stated above. The structure is important.

As for planning. I find setting out a character analysis and a general flow of where you want to story to go helps. I don't get too bogged down in it, because characters have a mind of their own so you need to give them room to breathe, which will likely have them taking a few interesting turns throughout the story. This is my favourite aspect of writing, actually. Letting a character do his own thing. It sounds weird, and I thought it used to be bullshit, but it actually happens.

That's a really good idea. I've seen a lot of thriller publishers do this type of thing (Mark Billingham for instance). Blog interaction would be pretty good, too. Guest posts etc.
 

Discipline is the hardest thing. Working all day doesn't make it any easier and while you're at home you can fall into the trap of sinking into the couch and doing nothing. Getting into a routine is the most important thing and for me, it's all about writing 1,000 words a day. That and having an understanding wife who leaves me be for an hour or so each day .

Would be keen to check your web comic and blog, mate.

So, do you create the characters first, and let them build the story - or do you build the story first and populate it with characters?

When I was up in Glasgow, I met Mal Young (He mentored me) - he spoke about this notion of writing 1,000 words per day (This is actually a 'thing' isn't it, I've heard of this a lot, but can't remember), but then mentioned that writing is like playing the guitar. Every time you pick it up, you are practicing and experimenting - after a while, you begin to pick up the guitar to actually play and craft songs. Eventually, you only really pick-up the guitar to perform and learn/rehearse as you play.

It didn't make much sense to me at first, being a guitarist - however, one of my flatmates was at the same conference and later tried it. After a while, he stated that he began to write shite - he said he felt like he was writing for the sake of writing and had no real inspirational impetus to do so.

I think it depends on what type of writer you are - there are many different processes and ideas as to how to perform your functions. By enlarge however, we all share similar traits.

One thing I always try to bring into my writing (Script/Play), is to go through different phases. Within the actual writing function itself - I always first, try to find some music to set the tone. I can't express how important I feel that this is - having something to entertain the mind, whilst creating, I feel, gives you not only tempo with your keystrokes, but tempo with your thoughts too. Furthermore, if you can outline a beat to each scene you are writing, you can tailor your playlist to suit the mood, tempo and tone.

I wrote a twenty-page script in 18 hours in 2013 - I entered it into a Playwrights contest and won. I still to this day postulated that if I didn't have my music right, the script wouldn't be right. It was a pretty phenomenal feat considering the deadlines that I had. Anyhow, the music drove me on and helped me get into flow.

Anyone starting out or wanting to change their process - give the music that you use to write a lot of credence. I never play the radio and I never listen to music that has lyrics to it (depending). I always sort a playlist out on Youtube that sort of follows the rhythm of the 'story bible'. Here is my breakdown:

Dialogue:

Depending on the mood/mode of dialogue (argumentative confrontation, sexual-in-nature, love/romance etc.), I will always usually try to pick music to suit the mood/mode of the dialogue. Furthermore, you can go deeper into this and have different tracks for different characters (Regardless of who is in the scene, there is always, usually, one character who is the champion of the scene). Personally, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - in addtion, DJ Shadow or Blockhead also have some nice tracks that can help with mood and tone.

For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcxsheROd3E

Here is a segement I wrote for a play about suicide from 2006 - I wrote the whole play listening to DJ Shadow:

Spoiler

Two men, miles apart - talk to one another in a personal chat-room. With low-light and a cold atmosphere, their discussion is projected onto a cyclorama.

SCULLY1020
Oi oi...

TOM_GREEN
Hey, how be you?

SCULLY1020
Alright I guess. My Mum is griefing me about coming to see you...

TOM_GREEN
Mum will be mum mate, you have to put her in her place.

SCULLY1020
What do you mean m8?

TOM_GREEN
You will only get respect from her if you let her know who is boss.

SCULLY1020
How??

TOM_GREEN
You have to use your imagination - whatever you do, it has to be a short, sharp, shock, and you can't be there for her to have an outlet - end it - with something that you know has affected her in the past.

SCULLY1020
I still don't know what you mean. I luv how you talk btw.

TOM_GREEN
When was the last time you saw her at her at her most vulnerable?

SCULLY1020
When Dad died.

TOM_GREEN
What happened?

SCULLY1020
He threw himself out of a window - the Police said it was an accident, but that was only so we could get full benefits.

TOM_GREEN
The Police lied?

SCULLY1020
Yes... He joined the when he was 16 and was well known around Goodison, Tim Cahill and Baz Rathbone came to the funeral. 

TOM_GREEN
He was in the Police?

SCULLY1020
He was head of the Merseyside Sports and Events Taskforce Unit; it was big news, but the papers didn't print it.

TOM_GREEN
Why?

SCULLY1020
We don't know - my Nan thinks it was because he was involved with that Scam thing when the Police were putting raided items on eBay.

TOM_GREEN
Interesting...

SULLY1020
What is?

TOM_GREEN
I think you need to speak to my friend, she is a counsellor.

SULLY1020
I've seen four different Psychologists.

TOM_GREEN
Not like my Gina you haven't...

Ben's bedroom door slams open - Gina storms in.

BEN
Mum?

GINA
You're talking to that fucking freak again aren't you? I told you, he isn't who he says he is...

BEN
He is...

TOM_GREEN
What is going on?

SCULLY1020
My Mum is here - she is saying you aren't who you say you are.

GINA
Stop typing right now Ben or as god as my witness, I will pour this over it.

TOM_GREEN
Tell her she isn't your Dad.

Ben pauses whilst Gina continues to drunkenly rant.

BEN
You aren't my Dad...

GINA
...what did you say to me?

Gina walks closer to Ben's desk.

TOM_GREEN
Tell her...

SCULLY1020
I did.

TOM_GREEN
Tell her you will kill yourself if she doesn't give you space.

GINA
What are you typing...what is he saying?

BEN
If you don't give me space, I will end up killing myself like Dad.
(BEAT)

GINA
I...

Gina drops a glass of Rum and Coke over Ben's monitor, it fizzles, pops and smokes. The lights fade as Ben looks at Gina from the crackling smoke of a dead future.

[close]

Anyway, my point here is that a bit of music, can give a scene an ominous tone.

Action:
With action, whether it be simple movement, cat and mouse, fighting, etc... I will usually use something like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvrdtlyUXPg).

Anyhow, long story short - I feel that outlining the rhythm, tone and mood of a scene, then plotting your soundtrack to suit, will usually drive you along as you write. 

I find that if you anchor your process into something as contingent as music; more often than not, you will add value to your process by keeping your output in unison with the timings - this can also help with keeping on target with your allotted time/output aims.

I would like to test this one day - somehow get two writers to write the exact same scene, but with different music; I'm sure it wouldn't go so far to proving anything, but it would no doubt be interesting if the factors could all be tailored.

[telekon]

I wrote a twenty-page script in 18 hours in 2013 - I entered it into a Playwrights contest and won. I still to this day postulated that if I didn't have my music right, the script wouldn't be right. It was a pretty phenomenal feat considering the deadlines that I had. Anyhow, the music drove me on and helped me get into flow.

Like Kerouac on Benzedrine ey! 

[MOZ]

For those interested in self-publishing or getting connected with publishers, this site is launching in Febraury.

http://www.publaunch.com/

They site will be focused on crowdfunding books, putting writers in touch with a publishers and connecting professionals with each other.

[Nessy76]

If I know what I'm writing, have the story plotted and I have a feel for the world and the characters, I can hit 1000 words an hour, roughly. In the last week I've done 12000 on this book I've been trying to write for about three years.

Sounds like a lot, and I would have thought that the quality might drop with going that quickly but reading it back it's still pretty good stuff.

I read an ebook recently called something like 10,000 words a day, which is clearly taking the idea to a ridiculous degree, but having tried out a few things it suggests, I can see how that could be possible. The main thing is to plot first and then write when you know what happens in the next scene and how that fits into the overall story.

[Red Beret]

Is it the Dead Good Poets Society?

Nope, it's a new one being run by a mate of mine.  She's involved with the poetry evening at The Brink also, which I believe is now the first Tuesday of every month.

Here's the FB page: https://www.facebook.com/events/950329935036696/

[telekon]

This gets me through the day. It's legal tobacco. 

[Skidder.]

Yeah, you're right - I'll delete it, please delete your reply matey.

But I've had snus - it was very strong indeed, I felt very nauseous after it.

[red mongoose]

This gets me through the day. It's legal tobacco. 

That's my brand as well mate, except that I use General loose snus - I've got a huge fat wad in as we speak 

[OLDIE]

If I know what I'm writing, have the story plotted and I have a feel for the world and the characters, I can hit 1000 words an hour, roughly. In the last week I've done 12000 on this book I've been trying to write for about three years.

Sounds like a lot, and I would have thought that the quality might drop with going that quickly but reading it back it's still pretty good stuff.

I read an ebook recently called something like 10,000 words a day, which is clearly taking the idea to a ridiculous degree, but having tried out a few things it suggests, I can see how that could be possible. The main thing is to plot first and then write when you know what happens in the next scene and how that fits into the overall story.

10,000 a day? surely quantum over quality rules with that number

[Nessy76]

10,000 a day? surely quantum over quality rules with that number

Yeah, 10,000 a day seems ridiculous, but 3-5,000 is definitely possible.

[Mutton Geoff]

Currently writing what i call snippets of my life from 50's till now in blog form not just about me but a personal historical account of society as i saw it through these decades and memories of different eras such as Toys and Hobbies i had in the fifties and early sixties.

Probably never see the light of day but it is therapeutic to look back.

[alonsoisared]

So I really knuckled down on writing, then last night I accidentally elbowed the laptop off of the sofa and now the battery won't work! Thankfully it still had 50% on it so I managed to email what I've written so far to myself thank god, now just need a new laptop so I can carry on with it.

Admittedly at the time I was more pissed off at the fact that it happened 5 minutes before the game kicked off and I don't have BT so I was streaming it. Had to leg it to the pub in the pissing rain, got there and it was 2-2!!!

[Nessy76]

I'm hitting a fairly consistent 2.5k per day at the moment. Feel really productive right now, and I think I can probably increase that to 3000 words a day by the end of the month.

[RMG]

No one writes comedy on here then?

[sideshowme]

No one writes comedy on here then?

most post-match threads are surely proof lots of people do

[Skidder.]

Currently trying to build my profile on some Copywriting sites - is anyone else doing penny-a-word writing?