I’m not much for seasons, times of day, or anything else for when I write. I don’t have set times for writing. I write whenever I want to or need to write. The need could relate to completing a project on a deadline or be the release valve on an emotional explosion that needs to be defused. I’ve tried to write in a consistent manner all at the same time or about the things that I know best, but none of that matters much to me either. I write what strikes my fancy.
What I like to try, in fact, is to write something I’d enjoy reading. Sometimes about things I don’t know much about. I always think about Ray Bradbury whenever I read a blog post or article advocating to “write what you know.” Would Bradbury have written about life on Mars if he wrote what he knew? He certainly didn’t live on Mars. I think writing about not only what you don’t know, but what you couldn’t possibly know, creates a space for imagination that can lead to profound content. We need more of those spaces.
Hi Gene! Welcome to the hop! I’m co-hosting this month, and I wanted to offer some tips to our newer hoppers, just things to help you get the most out of the hop. 🙂 1) If you haven’t already, you may want to make sure your Gravatar is up to date. This is because a lot of the hoppers are on WordPress blogs, and Gravatar is the app for leaving comments there, and it allows people to click on your comment so that it brings them directly to your site so they can return your comment. 2) Another thing some people do is leave a link back to their blog directly in the comment. I do this sometimes: http://www.raimeygallant.com 3) You may also want to check out the #IWSG hashtag around social media, especially Twitter. 🙂 Happy hopping! (Bonus tip: Because you’re our newest member, and I’m not sure when you joined today, you may want to visit some the people who’ve commented on my post from today and leave a comment for them, because they generally return comments.) Good luck!
I agree with you, Gene. Sometimes it’s important to stretch your imagination and write about what you don’t know. I’m reading a fabulous science fiction/historical novel called "Galileo’s Dream" by Kim Stanley Robinson. Thank goodness he didn’t stick to what he knows! All the best to you as our most recent member! Happy writing in May!
Yes, yes, yes! Sorry for the late reply. But, yes, I find that writing what you know only (nothing wrong there) leads to a limited perspective. I relate to an actor who only plays roles that are like her personality or appearance. Why would you bother to become an actor? I guess you get varying situations, but really the joy is becoming someone or something completely different. I think writing can be like that. Thanks for commenting.
I think that’s one of the most misleading pieces of advice! A whole lot of classics wouldn’t exist if every writer followed that. Our spring is very variable in Scotland – back to rain today – so yeah, we have to motivate ourselves without outside factors.
Yeah, I hear you Nick. The weather shouldn’t make you or break you on writing. I write staring out the window at a sunny day mostly just the same as on a rainy or cloudy day. Motivation must come from within.