Weird Writing Quirks, Anyone?

[xeu]

Just a fun post. What things do you do while writing that make no sense... but work for you? Or things that don't?

For me, writing while listening to classical music helps. Writing in Word instead of Google Docs seems to alleviate my writer's block. I write better at nights, write better when I'm alone, etc.

What are your habits?

[vothnthorvaldson]

Classical too! I have weird preferences depending on what I write, and they make non sense at all (Scientific papers HAVE to be written on Peter Grimes, no discussion possible. Fiction is a bit less specific, although I like things sounding a bit harsher for that - Ligeti works well).

I learned how to write before personal computers and I still don't like typing in the first stages of a work, it shuts down my inspiration. So I have a variety of papers and pens to match whatever mood I'm in and I'm also very rigid about that (if I don't have the right pen I may not be able to write anything, grr).
I still use fountain pens. Nothing nicer than fresh ink on smooth paper

[xeu]

I cannot understand how people write while listening to death metal. Death metal seems quite common based on what I've seen in the forum. I can't even listen to pop while I'm writing. Preferably nothing with lyrics, because I get caught up in the lyrics.

I also have an idea book. All my brainstorming happens on paper, and actual writing on MS Word.

Fountain pens, though. Wow. I like pencils and composition notebooks.

[vothnthorvaldson]

The weird thing is that I get a lot of inspiration from metal, including the more extreme subgenres.
But that's before the writing starts. At the momemt I'm sitting down to write I would find metal distracting. Yet I like listening to Ligeti, that's even more distracting! I don't think there is much logic to be found

[CarltonIsaac]

Music works wonders for my imagination.(While brainstorming and plotting mostly.)

Nordic/Euro Folk music and Classical when I'm writing Fantasy.
80s-90s Metal and Classical for Sci-Fi and Action/Adventure.

Heavy Metal and Classical music are two sides of the same coin - the composition, time shifts and chord progression are more often than not very similar. And equally inspiring for escapist world building.

[Cronaj]

I'm really weird. I watch medical documentaries on Youtube while I write or draw. Preferably really sad ones about chronic deformities. I like to cry a little while I create.

[claiborneart]

Yeah, anything with lyrics distracts me when writing, but metal (especially power metal) is the best while drawing. Gotta have that higher BPM to draw faster.

My biggest writing quirk probably is that if I get stuck I'll get up and pace back and forth until I know what to write next. Something about walking in circles helps me think, I suppose.

[Kura]

I say all the dialog as I'm typing it in the characters tones/voices in the expressions and tones I'm trying to portray the line as.

I didn't really realize I did this... I mean... I know I did it but didn't??? I duno... until I had to share a work space with someone.

It really really really really hard to write now cause I try very hard not to do this when they are here.

[Rodimus13]

I make faces and show the emotions, to the point of crying sometimes.

Hubby has had to ask many a time when I had a few tears show up if I was ok and did someone do something and I'm like "My character is having a bad day and I'm writing about it!"

[ar-ninetysix]

I've mentioned it before, but I'll very bluntly mention it bc it'll sound more absurd and possibly funny. I role play as my characters and force myself to cry sometimes for realism in dialogue. It sounds crazy, but hey, it works for me xD

Uhh, what else do I do. I listen to a variety of music, including metal, lo-fi hiphop, dreampop, indie rock, chillstep, orchestral, and video game music, film and TV scores.. but mostly it's something sad so there's that. I tend to love working in colder temperatures, I'm a big boy living in California so I'm practically warm or burning up like 80% of the year. I tend to go all in on one project at a time until I either give up or just lose interest and find something new to work on. I.. don't get a lot done lol

Except... I also like writing music for the stuff I write, like depressing music for a zombie novel I gave up on or experimental anime OST styled music for a comic series I wanna work on. I'm a musician first and writer second, so music's much easier for me to get done lol Sometimes I go back and listen to these while writing to get in a mood with it.

I cannot understand how people write while listening to death metal. Death metal seems quite common based on what I've seen in the forum.

tl:dr there's lots of metalheads here and death metal turns into asmr if you listen to it long enough

Well, if you don't normally listen to it, I can see how you'd get that opinion.. I mean, there's also a lot of metalheads here.. namely in the What Are You Listening To Right Now? thread. I'm one of those guys! I used to go to sleep listening to music like that tbh but anyways! Yeah, at some point the music's exactly like what you expect it to be, there's no longer a huge shock value and you just have the composition, the emotion, the recording quality, and the lyrics if any.

There was a video I saw a while ago where a Youtuber talked about how much he hated black metal, but his fans stood up for the genre and he made a follow up video about the responses, he found that at some point, they get so numb to the music that it almost becomes something like ASMR or lo-fi music.. which plays into how some people can find it relaxing.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I listen to Death and Thrash primarily while drawing. The musical aggression helps me to shut off the analytical side of my brain and opens up the avenue to let my creative side run free. Less thinking = better drawing.

While writing, I'll listen to just about anything Metal. Metal just makes everything better for me.

Besides that, I've not been writing all that long, so I don't think I've developed any weird quirks yet, at least that I'm aware of.

[vothnthorvaldson]

For music with lyrics, I don't find them distracting if:
- I understand the language well enough and know the text;
Or
- I don't understand a thing.

My issue is only with new texts or languages I know just a little. It makes my brain work in parallel, using most attention to try to pick up new words.
The problem is that after some time listening to a new language, even without studying, it goes to the category 'language I know just a little' and become distracting. But it's rare that it would go all the way to the category "language I understand well enough", so gradually, more and more languages are distracting...

[Kura]

I find it easier to write when I'm doing it in a notebook or on paper

I have a very hard time writing a scene or dialog when I'm typing on the computer.

I don't know why, it's just the flow of ideas keeps going when writing with pen and paper, but is constantly pausing, stopping or coming out of order / place when I'm working on the computer.

Phasing out writing on paper was not an easy thing for me to do, I still have these same problems even though I can't write on paper anymore. (arthritis)

[Anihime]

It varies for me, oddly enough. Sometimes music helps, other times it's just getting out and going to Starbucks. And then there are times I write while I'm tired... It's weird how I don't have one specific quirk.

[kingktee]

I tend to write on the third floor of my university's library! It's silent and super cold. It's all where the majority of the books are in the library, so I usually scout around to find a book with lots of pictures for inspiration.

[Lyric]

I'm writing an entire novel (not the one I'm currently posting on Tapas) on my phone. The small screen forces me to write in an abbreviated style that works for this new story. When I tried writing it on my larger, laptop screen, the style morphed into something that wasn't working.

[xeu]

Oh, I do this too! Thankfully I almost always write alone, so it's not a problem.

[xeu]

You guys have made me reconsider metal. Maybe it's an acquired taste kind of thing.

[CarltonIsaac]

You guys have made me reconsider metal. Maybe it's an acquired taste kind of thing.

Let's help you acquire the taste.

You could start off with some vintage metal - Sabbath, Priest, Saxon or dive into the 90s bestsellers - Metallica, Megadeth, Testament and then there's the current crop of headbangers - Slipknot, Korn, Lamb of God, Rammstein.

And there's some good blended metal, especially from Mongolia - The HU Band

and Nine Treasures -

If all that's a little too much, you can recover with some of this folksy groove from Omnia

CHEERS!

[xeu]

I love this! I had no idea that Mongolian metal was a thing, but it's so good! I'm listening to your recommendations now. I think you've converted me. Maybe I was just exposed to the kind of metal I didn't like until now?