share seven things about my writing.
would be interested in?
Whew…here we go…
I write
in bursts that vary anywhere from one word to one hour. Why? Because I don’t
have an office (yet) where I can close the door and shut out the world.
interrupted by the voices of my spawn calling, “Hey, Mom?”, my husband (who, by
the way, has HIS own office) yelling, “Babe, will you look at this before it
goes out?”, or a variety of neighing, baaing, and barking animals.
And it’s not because I don’t have a chair.
Sitting is for
sissies. Standing is for studs (or stud-ettes). And if you believe that, I have
lakeside property for sale in drought stricken California.
and bum hurt if I sit longer than fifteen or twenty minutes. The panche of
youth has come back to haunt me. *sigh*
had a complete 30,000 word outline, the second book ~ Troll-y Yours ~ I wrote
shooting from the hip.
Apparently nothing, because I wrote the next two stories using a combination of
both methods. Now that I understand myself and the writing methods that work
best for me, a complete outline is my modus operandi.
people. (Yes, that means YOU!)
Don’t worry, I’ll
change your name and appearance so even your mother won’t recognize you. Once upon a time, I sold
skin care products for a multi-level marketing company. (This has nothing to do with the aforementioned appearance change! Stop it!!) During that time, I stared looked at everyone’s face to evaluate their skin and makeup needs. Now you’re
all fodder for my books. You’re characters plotting to take over the world!
Buahahaha!!! Or… maybe you’re stuck in a pitch dark room, crying for mommy. But
if you’re really nice to me, well, I’ll just leave it at that.
of my writing life? Mainly because I don’t have time to mess with that crap
when there’s a story clogging my brain. Even as I type right now, my little
friend has happily sucked up the spoils of our living room war and is zooming to
redock her little self. One thing I’ve learned in my writer’s life: outsource
that which others can do.
I’m sedentary all day.
My brain fires on
all two pistons much better after a quick thirty-minute walk. Moving away from
the white space and into the world clears my mental hard drive and opens the spongy
file to receive. When I’m writing a particularly tough scene, one that is
emotionally driven, I’ll head out the door with my little dog. If a walk in the
fresh air doesn’t help, and it’s too early to start drinking, I’ll search YouTube
for an appropriate punishment in Yoga.
 |
| (NOT me) |
Before the laptop, I
used one of my kids’ computers. If those were both in use, I’d use my husband’s
desktop model in his office. I tried to write freehand once, but my mind moved
faster than I could pen it out and I ended up frustrated, finger cramped, and
needing a drink.
So there you have it,
Sheri Fredricks in a nutshell. And while that remark alone should generate a few
hardy-har comments in itself, it is the REAL me.
Thank you for
stopping by! If you have a moment, let me now a few tidbits of your writing
habits.
Love, Sheri
Great list! I didn't know you stood to write! Awesome!
Yes, it's true. It's one of the reasons I initially had to buy a laptop. The other reason was greed. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Awesome post–lol about your little robotic vacuum.
You are the definition of a plotter/outliner. I do wish I could be like that, lol.
If I had an interior wall all to myself (like an office wall??), I'd have it half cork board and half whiteboard to plot all over the place. Instead, I have a novel length Word file and a thousand slips of paper littering my workspace. PS: the vacuum does a GREAT job.
Great fun! I NEED A ROOMBA! Or however the hell you spell it. On my birthday list. We have similar styles, Sheri. I start with an outline. Then all hell breaks lose when I start writing.
The outline is really is the skeletal frame of the story, like that of a house. It's important to have the frame built correctly so the walls, counters, and doors can go in. And then the fun of decorating with embelishments of the story, aka "all hell breaking loose!". Thanks for stopping by, Mel.
Terrific list. I wish I could be disciplined enough to exercise every day. I keep telling myself I need to do it, but something always needs my immediate attention, and I never get around to it.
Janna: Before I started writing professionally, I didn't sit still for very long. Even as a secretary at the engineering firm I worked for, I ran to file cabinets and after cute guys all the time. Where I live now, with livestock around me, I'm still on the go but not nearly as much. Because my back aches are something I can't ignore, I have to exercise. It became a priority if I wanted to continue a drug-free, pain-free way of life. Thirty minutes is usually all it takes. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Love these! Not sure I could stand to write, but after breaking my tailbone a couple years ago, I'm not able to sit for long periods at a time. I write by the seat of pants every time-tried plotting, want to be a plotter, but just doesn't fit into my process.
Great post!
Hi Jen! OUCH to your injury. I guess competing in the Baja 500 is out of the question for both of us. I tried really hard to be a pantser…have two unfinished manuscripts to prove it. Just not in my cards. Thanks for coming by!
Standing to write? Good lord, woman. I'm just putting this out there, but you should totally get an office soon. Pitch the idea to hubs, because you know, you deserve it an all. 🙂
I did that once and he said I had 2 choices: The toyhauler down at the barn or wait 5/6 years and eminent domain one of the spawns' bedrooms. LOL Thanks for dropping in, Melissa!
Where I was traveling Australia for four months, engaging in life threatening adventures, I wrote novels by hand. Finished four of them. They are four books never to be published. Turns out I would write so fast I'd skip half the words, and misspell the other half and my penmanship was so horrible that I couldn't decipher much of it anyway.
As to standing to write. Great idea. Our sitting occupation is our biggest health danger. I'd like a tread mill with a flat station that would enable me to type while walking.
Also my dog is great for ensuring I exercise every day. Once spring actually arrives, she'll expect two hour hikes a day.
Well, since you mentioned it…I have a laptop platform on my treadmill already. It's great and I use it all the time. I need to get one for my Stairmaster next. But here's a link to what I really want:
http://www.amazon.com/TrekDesk-Treadmill-Desks-TD-01-Desk/dp/B002IYRBI0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1427497355&sr=8-4&keywords=treadmill+laptop+stand
It's great to know more about you! I also love to put people I know into books! Just so much fun!!
I have a couple friends who love seeing themselves (if the characters aren't modeled after them, then I use their name) in my books. Thank you for stopping by!