Saturday, October 3, 2015

Me As a Writer



    I have a lot of different quirks as a writer. Here is to name a few:

 1. All writers have different experiences with writing, but I think we all have this general need to write. It's like a craving. You can't just eat just one potato chip; just like writers can't write a sentence to make the craving go away. We write because we love it, and once we start, we can't stop. I am one of those people that will not stop writing for anything. Sometimes not even for food lol.

 2. I love to write for many different reasons. Whenever I write, I become a different person in a whole other reality. I can be whoever I want and do whatever I want in my stories. I like the characters I create, even the ones that are diabolic and evil. It's fun and challenging to wear different masks when trying to become another person. Each character is special, so while I feel proud and accomplished every time I finish a book, I also feel sad because it's over.
 
 3. A lot of writers are awkward (I think it's because we mostly keep to ourselves and sit at our computers all day as we try on different personalities when we write) and I definitely fit into this category. I can't remember ever not being awkward, or shy. If I've just met you, I probably won't talk to you until you speak first, unless I somehow suck it up. Usually, I say something random...Then I feel like a total idiot and want to smack myself in the face.

 4. Remember what I said above at #1 about not throwing off my groove for food? Yeah, well, if I'm writing and there is food next to me, I will eat every crumb and not even realize it. I might not even be hungry, but if there is a newly opened bag of chips next to me, every chip in that bag will be gone before I even hit my fifth page.

 5. I listen to music really loud when I write. I listen to music loudly in general, but when I write, I continue to turn it up because I think I can't hear it. When I get focused and in my zone, I somehow drown the music out.

 6. I despise editing like no one else. I do it as many times as my book needs it, but I grumble about it the whole time. I really, really hate it and everyone in my life knows this, so when a friend asks me how I am, all I have to say is that I'm editing and they're like, "So you're having just a jolly ol' time then!" No, no, I can assure you that I am not!
It doesn't take me long to edit, but that doesn't matter. I don't like it, at all.

 7. When I'm writing or reading something intense, I get super antsy and cannot sit still! I have to stop and pace around my room for a few seconds before I have to start up again. I just can't sit still when things are getting intense haha.

 8. I try to write about 10,000 words (5 pages) a day but because of my work and school schedule, I find it a little difficult so this is usually my goal during the weekends. I keep the goal during the week because it motivates me to write. Having a goal is really useful to me!

 9. I like writing the classic way just as much as I like to use my Word.doc to write. And when I say, "the classic way" I mean with a good old-fashioned pen. I write in notebooks and journals when I go out of town if I don't feel like lugging my computer around, and then transfer everything to my doc when I get home. I know, it sounds like a pain, and sometimes it is but I like to write like this every now and then.

10. I sit in the weirdest positions when I write. I'll have my feet pulled up against my chest; I'll sit Indian-style, I'll sit with one of my feet propped-up on a drawer on my desk with the other underneath me; I sit and write with my chair leaning back. I can go on and on but I'll stop there lol. But seriously, I sit in super weird positions when I write.

This is probably my all-time favorite quote about writing because it puts a funny spin on something that is aggravatingly true,

 "Writing a book is like telling a joke and having to wait 2 years to know whether or not it was funny." -Alain de Botton


Happy writing! <3

www.ashleyearley.com
www.ashleyearleybooks.tumblr.com

No comments:

Post a Comment