Tidbits From My Writing Life

A good morning's run is essential for my writing, I think. Usually, when I run, I take my iTouch, and play things like Disturbed and Korn and Blind Guardian really loud. I work out these violent fantasy things in my head as a run, brought to life by the music. This helps clear my mind, so that when I get back, I can write in peace without my own meandering thoughts interrupting me. It's almost ironic, needing to make sure my thoughts don't interrupt me while I write, but with me it is a particular problem.

When I do write, I listen to Brit Rock mostly, things like Oasis and Muse and whatnot. Unless I'm writing fantasy, then Blind Guardian takes a rare foray from my morning run into my writing. But the Brit Rock is good. It's energetic and bouncy, yet not too all over the place, giving me a nice stable listening foundation. That's because it's not really about what they're saying. It's just giving my subconscious mind something to be tuned to, to help me stay on course.

Usually I don't do my first drafts on the computer, not unless I happen to have a good idea right then and there. When I start a story, it's with a mechanical pencil in a notebook with college ruled paper. It sounds specific, but in reality you can pop in at your nearest retail store and find those cheap and easy. I fancy myself a common man, someone that my readers can actually relate to as oppose to some secluded hermit in a cabin in the woods writing on specially cured redwood paper with a squid ink pen. I hope this may inspire some people to try to write on their own, since I make it seem so easy. They might be worse than me, they might be better than me. Either one is infinitely possible.

When I'm finished with a piece, there are several people I like to seek out to find their opinions on what I have created. There's a kid from Oregon who writes slightly avant garde stuff that I follow, who in turn follows me. I've had to learn to raise my thinking level when I read and critique his works, and I've tried to get him to drop down a level and enjoy the common things. Another person is my girlfriend. She writes poetry most of the time, though is very good at critiquing fiction works. There are also a few more girls who are a bit more accomplished than me that I ask for critiques from. Their advice is usually quite helpful, and if two of them go over a piece of my work for me then I don't need any other help.