How do you feel about writing as you are writing?

[Ssbbw4u1974]

I usually write under 2 circumstances:

Too horny
Too much caffeine and

I also only like to write when I have a Muse.
As I'm writing, I am aroused, And I'm writing about a person I crave .

 

[Craighalbert]

For me, by the time I sit down to produce the physical (well, digital) existence of my story, most of it has already been written in my head. Granted, the particular form it takes between brain and fingers and computer is mutable, and sometimes elements change, but my general feeling is relief from releasing the pressure. Given that we're talking smut, comparing it to sex is logical... although one person, who is not overfond of my products, likened it to popping a pimple into their brain.

That's interesting, Alfred Hitchcock had the opposite reaction. He used to storyboard and plan his movies so extensively that actually directing them was boring, since he felt he was just mechanistically recreating the images he'd had in his head for months

 

[BellaBestia]

When and if I’m inspired or have an idea or have done sufficient research on a topic I’ve become interested in enough to retell it my way, I sit and write, longhand, all in one notebook in one stream of conscious session. It could last an hour or several. I don’t feel anything during, I’m in a sort of fugue/flow state where I’m trying to write down what the voices/characters in my head are saying or thinking, without edits. I stop when the story is done or reached a logical conclusion. I don’t do it often because it feels a bit foreign like a loss of control and I dislike losing control. After I have to force myself to edit to make it suitable for anyone else to read it. Sometimes I don’t bother and the writing is just for me. I may tweak it once in awhile for years, maybe publish it or never publish it. I’m not driven by the need of an audience. Hence I have very little published here, a fraction of what I’ve written. But that’s just me.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I feel a lot of self-doubt. It manifests in every sentence that I write. I'm always stuttering; coming up with a new sentence whenever I write one. My perfectionist self is very loud, even more than the background. Working outside doesn't help much.

The noise only stops when I'm body doubling, I'm using something that stops me from stuttering (like using a pen instead of a pencil, or activating Hemingway mode in Ghostwriter), and/or there is a timer running down somewhere. Coming up with a draft is a terrible experience because my brain can't shut up. Editing, however, is smooth.

 

[Craighalbert]

Yesterday I had a free evening and the words came out faster than I could organize my thoughts. I really felt like I made a lot of progress, and I was proud of the result. I couldn't wait to continue.

Today I have a free evening and I'm browsing this message board to avoid looking at the page.

 

[FrancesScott]

Aside from when I am stuck on where a story is meant to go (or more likely how to get to the ending I want with all the strings tied up - I tend to start with at least some idea of the end in mind) I find writing pleasureful. I like playing with words, trying (and undoubtedly failing) to create something new. It’s like a game most of the time. Though I can get caught up in the emotions of my characters (when things go well or badly for them) I’m mostly having a blast putting my ideas down in prose.

 

[DeMont]

This is my first time being around so many other writers, and this is the question I've always wanted a broad sample of answers to.

As you're writing, especially during the hyper-creative drafting stage, how are you feeling about what you're writing? And is your writing affected by how you're feeling?

I find myself going through extreme swings with no middle ground and no steady state. I'll go from feeling excited and motivated to feeling revulsion and disgust at the idea of sitting down to write. This is been very consistent over the last 5 years since I started writing more seriously, and I've also noticed no difference in the quality of what I produce (during the high points, it's easy to sit down and write, during the low points, I give myself permission to stop after writing one good sentence but I always keep going).

I've asked around in workshops and to other writing partners over the years, and so far no one goes though the same thing as me. I'm wondering if that's a sign that I'm maybe more temperamentally suited for digging recyclable cans out of curbside trashbags for the $0.05 deposits.

@TheRedLantern, I can honestly say that I see it as a labour of love and if I fall "out of love" during the writing stage the piece will go into my (bulging) "Drafts" folder. For me it is important to start out deeply interested in, and "WANTING" your story to come to life by your skills and diligence. Once that is firmly in place, i.e. at the draft or plotting stage, then I approach the rest as a "pleasurable pastime", not as a job, or a chore. I approach each part of the effort with the same outlook.

At the end I have, hopefully, something that conveys my love of having written to the readers. However, even if that doesn't quite happen I have still pleased me and, sometimes, that's the best we can hope for.
Deepest respects,
D.

 

[Melody_Lightdraft2]

I'm a Pantser, that is I don't plot the story out. I will take a word or story prompt, and I know how my characters will react. It's great fun to write intimate scenes with my equine characters by they Centaur, Centauride, or shape shifters. My favorite at the moment is Anthropomorphic equines.

 

[EmilyMiller]

This is my first time being around so many other writers, and this is the question I've always wanted a broad sample of answers to.

As you're writing, especially during the hyper-creative drafting stage, how are you feeling about what you're writing? And is your writing affected by how you're feeling?

I find myself going through extreme swings with no middle ground and no steady state. I'll go from feeling excited and motivated to feeling revulsion and disgust at the idea of sitting down to write. This is been very consistent over the last 5 years since I started writing more seriously, and I've also noticed no difference in the quality of what I produce (during the high points, it's easy to sit down and write, during the low points, I give myself permission to stop after writing one good sentence but I always keep going).

I've asked around in workshops and to other writing partners over the years, and so far no one goes though the same thing as me. I'm wondering if that's a sign that I'm maybe more temperamentally suited for digging recyclable cans out of curbside trashbags for the $0.05 deposits.

I’m the queen of mood swings, but I tend to find that writing is a calming influence, rather than a cause of stress. By this I mean actually writing, not waiting to see if anyone will read, let alone like, what I have written . As for waiting for stuff to publish, which I am doing right now, well .

I find everything from penning a first draft to final editing calming. The only aspect that isn’t calming is when I lose my way, or can’t figure out how to get from A to B in a reasonable manner. I often then stop writing (or focus on another story) to let my subconscious do the work for me.

When something makes me anxious, my first thought is, write. I enjoy writing, I’ve never experienced any revulsion. I’m sorry you feel that way sometimes .

 

[iwatchus]

I was pure pantser for my first fifteen stories, it is more of a mixed bag now. I have tried to figure out whether, in full pantser mode, my mood determines how the story arc goes or if the story arc that arises drives my mood. If things went poorly for the MC, I would be depressive. If things went well, I would happy and upbeat. I caught myself feeling like I could spend whatever I wanted when my MC suddenly got rich. That could have gone very wrong. I have had flashbacks for months from a side character committing suicide; not feelings for the dead character -- he was an asshole and I did not mourn him -- but for his daughter who was a borrowed character from a series and I had empathy for her.

So writing is not all that calming for me.

 

[MrPixel]

The primary thought I have when writing is looking at the clock and shocked in the realization I've been sitting at the computer a whole bunch longer than I imagined. For starters, it's not good for me (being inactive for that long), and I suddenly sympathize with my wife in her complaints that all she sees of me is the back of my head.

 

[GrantBricksly]

The primary thought I have when writing is looking at the clock and shocked in the realization I've been sitting at the computer a whole bunch longer than I imagined. For starters, it's not good for me (being inactive for that long), and I suddenly sympathize with my wife in her complaints that all she sees of me is the back of my head.

I have a similar feeling recently...when I try to stand up an my body tries to stay in the seated position as I walk around the house for a few minutes, hunched over....Getting old sucks...

 

[SimonDoom]

This changes all the time.

Sometimes, I agree totally with the Dorothy Parker quote cited above, that I find writing difficult but like having written.

Sometimes, it's fantastic. I'm on a roll and the words are flowing and it's like skiing down a mountain with perfect snow.

Sometimes, maybe most times, it's somewhere in between. I find the hardest part for me is forcing myself to start. Once I start, it's almost always at least somewhat productive and enjoyable.

 

[GrantBricksly]

This changes all the time.

Sometimes, I agree totally with the Dorothy Parker quote cited above, that I find writing difficult but like having written.

Sometimes, it's fantastic. I'm on a roll and the words are flowing and it's like skiing down a mountain with perfect snow.

Sometimes, maybe most times, it's somewhere in between. I find the hardest part for me is forcing myself to start. Once I start, it's almost always at least somewhat productive and enjoyable.

Lately... the hardest part for me is stopping. It's like this story is trying to burst out of me, and I can't write fast enough for it to get out. But I don't always have time to write. I have other things to do. I have baking to do. I have kids to deal with. I want/need to spend time with my wife...I suppose I should eat and sleep as well...but all I really want to do is write...lol