writing on the fly - tips?

juniper · Apr 19, 2010

I'm posting this on a quick break from work, so I may add more to my question later.

I need to learn how to write in bits and pieces, here and there, on the go. I usually don't have long blocks of time in which I can sit and think, or sit and write.

I do, however, often have short bits of time that I can use. My day job is at a hospital ER doing admin work. I don't stay at the same computer but go from station to station. I carry around a personal folder with various notes and scribblings but then I find it hard to gather it all together into coherence later at home.

I've read about people who write entire novels while they're commuting by train, or on work breaks, or in other small pieces of time.

Anyone have practical suggestions on how to do that? And ideas on how to keep all the little bits of writing organized?

Thanks ...

Caitlin Black · Apr 19, 2010

Keeping it organised could be as easy as writing in little notes about where in the story that piece fits, written either at the top or bottom of the piece itself.

Finding the time to write is going to be a personal thing, which I can't really advise you on. If you're working in an ER I'd probably say not to work on your writing at work... but if you commute by train or bus, then a laptop or a pad and pencil, or an AlphaSmart Neo, or somesuch device could be really helpful.

kaitie · Apr 19, 2010

I'd say carry a single notebook that you can write in, and then every day when you get home, transfer whatever you've got (or just write solidly in the notebook until the whole thing is finished, then worry about typing it up). I use OneNote for my notes now, and I really love it. I can put in random bits of conversation, organize character profiles, dialogues, plot, etc.

I do a decent bit of my own writing on the train or while I'm eating if I go out or eat in the cafeteria at school. Mostly it's a matter of always having something with you. Sometimes, if I've typed something out I'll print off the last page so that I can get back into it easier when I'm away from the computer.

Not sure if this really helps, but writing in a notebook really isn't all that different from the computer. You just have fewer distractions.

colealpaugh · Apr 19, 2010

I have a flash drive in my pocket. Really, it's just my flash drive.

Regan Leigh · Apr 19, 2010

I used to have an email draft addressed to myself. I'd write a scene throughout breaks in my day, going in to add more to my draft and re-save, until the scene was complete and I hit send. I wrote the first 100 pages of my first book that way. Just go in and copy the text from the email and paste it into your doc. That way I was able to use more than one computer to get to my gmail, too.

katiemac · Apr 19, 2010

Regan Leigh said:
I used to have an email draft addressed to myself. I'd write a scene throughout breaks in my day, going in to add more to my draft and re-save, until the scene was complete and I hit send. I wrote the first 100 pages of my first book that way. Just go in and copy the text from the email and paste it into your doc. That way I was able to use more than one computer to get to my gmail, too.

I've done this. I also keep my flash drive on my keys.

For the actual writing, take a minute or two to reread (don't edit) a few pages of you wrote last, as a refresher, and then just keep going. I like to stop writing at a point where I know what's coming next, so I can pick it up easily (and excitedly) the next time I write.

Kitty Pryde · Apr 19, 2010

I used to commute on bus/train/subway and write while darting from place to place. I kept everything in order in a notebook. Maybe get a pocket sized one and carry it around. Though that might not be sanitary in your line of work. If you have to do bits of paper, I suggest you number them so at least you can keep them in order.

HistorySleuth · Apr 19, 2010

I have the same problem with time, and my handwriting is terrible so a notebook for long writing won't do. I bought a Jornada on ebay for $75.00. Here is a pic. You can get them cheaper, but this one had a wifi card, a storage card, and a docking station (aside from the ac adapter). And the cord to sync it with the computer.

It functions like a PDA, just turn it on and off, but it is a handheld PC. Probably 10 years old BUT it does what I need it to. It has pocket outlook, word, excel, internet explorer,some other stuff. So I open pocketword, type, turn it off several times during the day. Then hook it to my computer later and transfer the file, it converts it to regular word. I'm surprised what it holds considering I don't use the storage card. I've done an entire chapter on it, plus a few other things saved in there.

The best thing about it, unlike a laptop, is the battery lasts a couple days not hours. (Although specs say 10 hours.) And it is smaller than a netbook. Think its about 4'x7' and 3/4" thick. Oh yeah, it also has a recorder. Also the battery is only around $15.00 unlike laptop batteries. Mine is a 680, but I want to get a 720 or 728 and keep my 680 for back up.

juniper · Apr 19, 2010

Home now, for a bit. Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Now that I'm thinking about it, one aspect I struggle with is keeping the ideas running. With the little bits of time my writing has been like sprints, rather than marathons. Write furiously for a few minutes, then pack it up and come back to it later, maybe 1 hour or 3 hours later, or even the next day. So there's no sense of flow.

I have an AlphaSmart but it's missing a cable. Can't use flash drives in our work computers. I use gmail and google docs but now they're warning us about personal internet use.

Handwriting everything and then typing it in later seems like a waste of time. I may have to just accept that I won't write every day, may only be able to write a couple of days a week.

shaldna · Apr 20, 2010

I write in bits and pieces like this (single mother, working full time) and I can tell you that the most valuable time is when you're not writing.

You need to learn to hold the story in your head. Think about ti as you are doing other things, while you're doig teh dishes, vacuuming, walking the dog. Think about what you are going to write when you sit down, and when you get ten minutes sit down and write it. Then spend the next couple of hours until your next break working out what you are going to write next.

hannah_92 · Apr 20, 2010

I have the same problem as you with writing. I don't really have time to write and when I do I just write what comes into my head, whatever part of the story it actually is. Although I tend to know roughly where each part is goingto go into the story so then it's easy to just slot them in although I'm trying to write chapter by chapter now as I got sick of writing just bits and pieces. Between college and the horses I'm lucky if I'm able to write for mor than half and hour in total each week. Sorry if this hasn't been of much help to you.

I do agree with Shaldna though - try to work it out in your head and know what you want to write next.

shaldna · Apr 20, 2010

hannah_92 said:
Between college and the horses I'm lucky if I'm able to write for mor than half and hour in total each week. Sorry if this hasn't been of much help to you. I do agree with Shaldna though - try to work it out in your head and know what you want to write next.

I know that problem. I have three horses in work at the minute and my daughters pony. It's exhausting. But I find that I get to think alot when I'm riding, it's inside my head time, and I find it really gets me thinking.

Greeble · Apr 20, 2010

Writing on a fly? The poor thing. And isn't it kind of small? What if the fly flies away?

Caitlin Black · Apr 20, 2010

Oh, don't get me started. Flies are a better choice than moths, anyway. You know moths' wings crumble to touch? It's like writing on a sand castle.

shaldna · Apr 20, 2010

I just can't get past the furry bodies. They are like robin williams with wings. And really tiny. Ans with antenae.

Aggy B. · Apr 20, 2010

Juniekat said:
Now that I'm thinking about it, one aspect I struggle with is keeping the ideas running. With the little bits of time my writing has been like sprints, rather than marathons. Write furiously for a few minutes, then pack it up and come back to it later, maybe 1 hour or 3 hours later, or even the next day. So there's no sense of flow.

Handwriting everything and then typing it in later seems like a waste of time. I may have to just accept that I won't write every day, may only be able to write a couple of days a week.

Two things.

First, I don't know if you outline but *cough* maybe you should try outlining your story. At least give yourself a sketch of what you want the overall story to be. I treat my outlines like a rough draft. I put in all the elements I think I want/need to be in the story, rearrange until they seem like they are in workable order and then start my first draft. I don't usually follow the outline exactly, but it helps to have something to refer to when I'm writing for shorter periods of time because I can remind myself "Oh, yeah. That character is cannon fodder." (Or whatever.)

Secondly, maybe try approaching the time you spend writing by hand as more of a brainstorming period. Write out as much of a scene as you can think of (in the time you have available) but don't worry about making it flow perfectly (and by perfectly I mean it can be worse that a rough draft). I've written out scenes by hand before that were more like a movie script: the opening narrative, then a list of conversational exchanges that summed up all the beats of the scene. Then when you go to type stuff up you have the structure laid out but there's still plenty of room to write in all the details without falling into "editing" mode.

Of course, trying to write like I'm suggesting might drive you crazy. Just throwing out ideas on what has worked for me in the past.

Kitty Pryde · Apr 20, 2010

Writing by hand and then typing later is totally NOT a waste of time. I've written well over 150K that way in the last couple years. I find that typing it up is a really easy way to give your words a strong revision without too much effort.

Aggy B. · Apr 20, 2010

Kitty Pryde said:
Writing by hand and then typing later is totally NOT a waste of time. I've written well over 150K that way in the last couple years. I find that typing it up is a really easy way to give your words a strong revision without too much effort.

This is true too.

It's actually why I retype everything when I revise drafts. I catch things while I'm rewriting them that I didn't when I was reading and marking corrections.

Alwoody · Apr 20, 2010

Kitty Pryde said:
Writing by hand and then typing later is totally NOT a waste of time. I've written well over 150K that way in the last couple years. I find that typing it up is a really easy way to give your words a strong revision without too much effort.

ITA. That's how I do most of my writing. What can I say, old habits die hard. I am a bits and pieces writer for the most part in between changing diapers, making lunch, playing hide and seek, you get the idea. I find it much easier to write that way when I'm writing with pen and paper.

Kitty27 · Apr 21, 2010

I used to carry a notebook everywhere I go. When the idea strikes for whatever story I am working on,I write down the title and ideas.

I keep everything in my head. I might need a calendar to remember my kids appts and stuff,but when it comes to my writing,I am like a computer. Even without my notebook,I remember everything.

I work overnight and now that we have to wait so long for the planes,I took the plunge and bought a laptop. I take it and a flash drive to work. Sometimes,I have to wait for over three hours and I put in work. This has been an unexpected blessing!

johnnysannie · Apr 21, 2010

shaldna said:
I write in bits and pieces like this (single mother, working full time) and I can tell you that the most valuable time is when you're not writing.

You need to learn to hold the story in your head. Think about ti as you are doing other things, while you're doig teh dishes, vacuuming, walking the dog. Think about what you are going to write when you sit down, and when you get ten minutes sit down and write it. Then spend the next couple of hours until your next break working out what you are going to write next.

Sage advice - I come up with bits all the time in my head, often pre-write entire scenes and keep them until I can sit down to write them, either on the computer or scribbled on paper.

Kindness · Apr 21, 2010

I find that writing is too slow and I lose things, so rather than writing proper scenes I write down dialogue, and that brings back images of the scene later on (which I would have forgotten). My hand also gets tired very quickly, and there are issues like space and so on.

Apart from dialogue I only really use pen and paper when writing ideas or drawing quick sketches, as I can't be creative on the computer for some reason. But I agree with thinking about things because if you let a scene ferment in your head then it tends to actually be better when you write it, as you are more familiar with it and you have taken more time to explore where it can lead.

cwfgal · Apr 22, 2010

Juniekat said:
Can't use flash drives in our work computers. I use gmail and google docs but now they're warning us about personal internet use.

Handwriting everything and then typing it in later seems like a waste of time. I may have to just accept that I won't write every day, may only be able to write a couple of days a week.

I work in an ER, too, (as a nurse on the night shift) and have the same issues, though so far they haven't outlawed flash drives at my hospital. We recently got the same personal internet use warning. If I don't have my flash drive (and before I started using one) I would upload what I wrote to my work email address, either in the body of it or as an attachment, which I can then access from home. If you can't access work email from home, you can forward the email from your work acct. to your personal one.

I write by hand, too, at times, but it's typically outline kind of stuff, which I flesh out later at home.

Beth

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