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This time Mary Lindsey started the blog chain with the deep and academic question
What kind of quirky habits or rituals do you have regarding your writing?
(or regarding anything else, if that is more fun.)
Our previous chain was tied up with a bow by HL Dyer, so be sure to check out her Summary/Wrap-Up for Creating Story Worlds.
So back to the current chain question. After Mary shared her neat-freak habits and took us on the magnificent world adventures of her writing buddy, a fluffy lamb named Beeyaaa (that's 2 e's and 3 a's).
Then Kate shared her unusual sandwich-eating tendencies, including her issues with tomatoes...which makes her wonder if she might not have a touch of OCD. She also showed us her writing space, which is remarkably dangerous given some Ikea shelves that loom over her head, just waiting to toss their contents onto her head.
So now it's my turn. Yikes!
My quirkiest writing habit is that I like to write longhand when I get stuck. I find the cursor blinking so patiently at me on a blank screen to be more mocking than patient. But blank paper I find comforting. I have notebooks filled with longhand notes around my writing areas. If I don't have the notebook handy, I write on whatever I do and staple it in later. I used to leave everything loose, but I'm kind of a klutz, and after you've dropped something like that a few times...well, a stapler becomes your friend.
When I edit, I often edit in longhand, and I'm very particular about using multiple colors of FELT TIP pens. Pilot Razorpoints are nice.
It is very difficult to find felt-tip pens these days. Everything has gone rollerball. This upsets me, because I want FELT TIP pens. And you can't buy those things in OfficeMax anymore. No, you have to go to an art supply store. I'm very upset about the dearth of felt-tip pens in my OfficeMax.
Now, before you decide I'm OCD with my little felt-tip pen obsession, I think you should probably see my desk.
This is what my desk looks like when it's mostly CLEAN. It's often a couple feet deep. And this is an ongoing problem. My desk at work is even worse. Students walk in and laugh. I have these great Post-It notes that say "My desk, my mess, my business." This was the best representation I could find since I'm not at work to scan them:
On a slightly different note, when people say "books to help you write better stories," I think of something a little different than the average writer:
Now, let's say you had a character named...oh, let's make her named Kate. *wink* And Kate thought she had OCD. If you used one of those regular writer's books, you'd be in big trouble. But I can just grab my DSM-IV there and check out whether the symptoms might show up if she...hm...if she had strange sandwich-eating habits, for example.
And I can also see in the Differential Diagnosis section the things she might have besides OCD. Like...oh, hypochondria. (Just kidding, Kate.)
So on to the illustrious Michelle McLean, who is going to share her quirky writing habits with you!
Readers! Have your own quirky writing habits? Don’t forget to post your own comment before you go!
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LOL. Great post!
...pirates. Hm.
And with each desk I see on this chain, I feel so much better about my own clutter!
Good post!
:) Terri
HAHAHAHA! Nice one!
Anyway, I loved the pictures. I wish I had a desk I worked at. Now I'm all worried about what I'm going to post.
Isn't it funny how we all have something specific we have to have? Love it! :)
Abi
http://bloggingexperiments.wordpress.com
I have to be awfully desperate to break into longhand. I've done it on occasion... trapped in the car waiting for my husband for example, or when I killed my laptop banging out my first draft last year (while waiting for the new one to be delivered).
I have all kinds of medical reference books for my WIP; my character is a wannabe doctor. Although my greatest resource is hubby, who IS a doctor, so probably those books are here for show more than anything else. ;)
;)