Quieting the Mind to Write

[paragraphs]

Okay guys, what do YOU do to gear-up to write? How do you block out the world so you can dive into your imagined one? Curious C is curious.

I am so severely distracted right now. There are things I want to write--very much so--but any spare moment I'm not working or cleaning or reading or otherwise occupied, instead of digging down and writing, my brain floats happily away into the future and all the wonderful fun Nick and I are going to have. I can't seem to turn off that brain of mine and get cracking.

Not the worst problem to have--obsessively thinking happy thoughts--but c'mon brain, settle down already!

Friday I send my kids off to Italy for 10 days (they'll be back the day before I leave) so I should make good use of the time. Yes I know that. But it isn't going to happen unless I can turn my brain off. I've read here and there that adopting a ritual to prepare for writing is not a good idea. Dependence on that ritual may result, and any interruption of it can be the catalyst for plunging into a bad case of writer's block. Not that writer's block is real...I certainly am not blaming that for not writing. Lame excuse, that, especially since I've got alot of things I am working on right now.

But, I need to find a way to get down to concentrating this weekend. I've already told blue_fjords she can crack a whip at me... LOL.

ALSO A QUESTION FOR FANTASY READERS AND WRITERS! Why is the language in so many fantasies so formal? do not, cannot, will not, he is, she is, etc., instead of contractions. I rather like contractions, and get tired of the overly-formal way of speaking. (that is, the characters in my head)

I am currently reading Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon on my iTouch and am LOVING it, but it drives me a bit batty, all the formality--especially as the dragon Temeraire, and his Captain sound so much alike. Formal. Of course Laurence is a Navy man, so it suits him, but why does the Temeraire have to be all formal too when he speaks? I suppose all intelligent dragons speak formally--I don't know any--but it would be nice to meet a dragon who is laid-back and casual sometime. Seriously.

So really. Is there something I don't comprehend about why the dislike for contractions? In writing my own fantasy, I'm not writing formally. It is just not going to happen with my characters, except here and there. Or perhaps one character. It really puzzles me. Thoughts welcome!

ADDED TEXT HERE from a reply to kel_reiley:
I guess that is my bugaboo--made-up worlds that rely on formal speech patterns, like it is an auto-requirement.

(this is such a pointless post about nothing much really, isn't it?) So let's add something here to make it not so pointless:

Go read this fic by misswinterhill. It is a Merlin au fic that I am not even quite finished with yet, but I am enjoying so much what she does with the characters that I just have to nudge anyone out there who might have been considering reading in that fandom. It is a good one to start with. Enjoy! misswinterhill.livejournal.com/49943.html#cutid1

Comments

[cthonus.livejournal.com]

My mind doesn't write when it's quiet. It's only truly creative when there are too many thoughts bottled up inside to think linearly.

Writing aids? Drink! (Coffee or wine or beer; not fussy) and music. The more I like the music the faster I write.

As for contractions I was always taught in English classes you don't use contractions in proper writing. PAH! What was Tagore's phrase? "Don't limit a child to your own understanding."

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Proper writing. Piffle that.

I have actually never tried to write after having a drink. At least not that I remember. I do have a lovely bottle of wine sitting in my fridge...maybe I should experiment with that.

My head is jammed full of too many things right now...though like you, I do like to write to music. It's been awhile...maybe I'll make a playlist for this that I wish to write this weekend, to inspire me.

The empty house is not necessarily welcomed by me (I am a weird parent maybe) so music likely WILL be booming alot while the kids are gone.

[curriejean.livejournal.com]

I write best when desperate to escape/avoid my responsibilities. The trouble with this strategy is that it provides zero support when looking forward to things.

Maybe convince yourself you're not going to have any fun? Then, you'll write awesome fic, and THEN, you'll be pleasantly surprised on your trip.

As for this -- Why is the language in so many fantasies so formal? Whatever the reason (I guess, a stylistic nod to Legends of Olde?), it's why I have a lot of trouble enjoying most fantasy. I don't want to trudge throuh my reading. Contractions feel completely natural to me too.

Do you/have you read Terry Pratchett? I rec Terry like woah.

[bluejeans07.livejournal.com]

SECONDED ON TERRY PRATCHETT!

[valancy-joy.livejournal.com]

do you have a suggestion as to what Pratchett to start with? this is always a loaded question I know, but it's useful to ask nonetheless...

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

That first line? The year I wrote probably around 400k, that is exactly why I did that. Now I don't have that need to escape any longer. I believe (I hope) I've dealt with that now--took 4 years--but I do get it. Oh yeah.

OH HECK NO WAY! FUN IS...HA! We haven't seen each other since July. THERE WILL BE FUN! LOL. WAAAYYY.... I suppose I could Get Sad cuz we won't get to stalk see JB, but that would work better for Nick than me.

Same here...it feels like a trudge to me, also, and makes every sound alike to me. I like distinction.

No, haven't read any Terry Pratchett. EVERYONE loves him...except lol Nick.

[candesgirl.livejournal.com]

OMG thank you SO much for asking that question, because it drives me kinda crazy. I find really formal writing tedious and sort of hard to read. I rather enjoy contractions, myself. It's rampant in fantasy. Bah.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

No one has told me WHY yet though...lol. Why why why? I am hoping sartorias will see this...she is my best connection to the fantasy world on my flist, being a multi-pubbed and awesome YA fantasy author.

[bluejeans07.livejournal.com]

I don't write that often but when I do, I block the world out by using noise canceling headphones and listening to soundtracks from Ghibli movies. XD And I gear up to write by writing a lot of lists and timelines, I like to go through and figure out all of my plot points bit by bit so I know what's going to happen when and how.

Okay, contractions and fantasy. If you want to see an example of using contractions in fantasy incorrectly, read 'Merlin Gift' (http://www.amazon.com/Merlins-Gift-Ian-McDowell/dp/1568654367/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268249544&sr=8-1) and then WASH YOUR EYES OUT WITH BLEACH. Even if you ignore all the problems with this story and just focus on the writing, it's way too modern for a traditional Arthurian fantasy story. The writing is meant to take the reader to this mythical, historic fantasy world and the transition, IMHO, is not as successful with using more modern writing.

Now to see examples of fantasy novels that do use contractions more successfully, read Diana Wynn Jones's 'Howl's Moving Castle' or Neil Gaiman's 'Stardust'. It is possible! These books have good, solid writing supporting the story and there is no doubt where you are in the world.

The level of formal writing in fantasy probably comes from Tolkien and 'Lord of the Rings', where pretty much all fantasy novels can be traced to. However, the thing to remember is that Tolkien himself was not a writer, he was Oxford professor of language, and thus was more accustomed to a more formal level of writing. Also, he really wanted the world of Middle Earth to read more like mythology that he grew up with and academic books on mythology, such as Bulfinch or the Oddessy, are written in a formal manner.

Personally, I don't think that formal writing is a requirement of fantasy, but it's the choice that an author makes of how they want their world to be perceived. For a more serious, mythological-esque sort of story, a more formally written approach is a good idea, but it can become and has become over used.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Very thought-provoking explanation. And with things to look at further. Thank you! I'm comfortable with the explanation you gave for the more formal language for mythological-esque stories. I must keep picking those up for some reason.

I have heard about Howl's SO MUCH! Movie and...book? I'll investigate.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

I settle for writing by going for a quiet walk (ie: without the dogs) and then taking my laptop to a quiet coffee house or someplace not where I do the rest of my life.

RE: fantasy and formal language -- simple, folks are tying to make it sound old fashioned and we've got a current belief that 'old fashoned' equals formal.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

The second I get home it is all about my dogs, I admit it. It is hard to turn that off. My daughter says I should come to her Starbucks as there are always plugs available...I hate NOT being with my dogs though, when I can. *torn*

I'd like somehow to explore the roots of that--'old fashion' equals formal. I wish I knew more about the history of the English language than I do. That would be useful.

[valancy-joy.livejournal.com]

I'm tracking this post (not stalking LOL) as I can always use suggestions on this myself. I have to be internally compelled to want to write, and that's a bit like trying to herd cats.

I generally can't write to music as it gets in the way of what I'm trying to hear in my head. My thoughts are like birds on a wire, and they fly away quickly if I don't get them down on paper!!

off to await other comments and learn by example :)

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

BWAA you are all over my post!

Seriously...friend sartorias. Her lj is chock-full of writing advice, not just from her, but from her commenters, many many of whom are pubbed like her and very giving of their thoughts. I never miss a post of hers, and always walk away Reeling with Very Big Thoughts.

[valancy-joy.livejournal.com]

LOL Synchronicity... look what just popped up google reader:

http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2010/03/eleven-tips-for-boosting-your-sense-of-quiet-focus.html

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Oh no the way...

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

I am so doing a post on this later.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

Why is the language in so many fantasies so formal? - i think it's sometimes writers trying to emulate a certain time-period when speech was much more formal (or so we are led to believe)
i see it a lot in merlin fic, which i find silly b/c SO MUCH of the show is so... not accurate, and it kind of annoys me, too
speaking of fantasy, the new nightrunner book is supposed to be out this summer - YAY!

oh, also, to answer your main question - i have no methods or environmental needs for writing, it just happens when it happens (usually ideas come to me in the shower...)

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

LOL yeah they definitely don't speak in Merlin the television show the way one would imagine they would've back in the days when Merlin was around. Oh you know what I mean. And I do get that the language is appropriate in many books I just see it everywhere lately, and rather celebrate when I run across a book set in a made-up world that does NOT (ha ha!) have it.

I guess that is my bugaboo--made-up worlds that rely on formal speech patterns, like it is an auto-requirement. Hmm gonna put this up there in my post.

[la-localfreak.livejournal.com]

hat do YOU do to gear-up to write? How do you block out the world so you can dive into your imagined one?

With great difficulty.


A deadline. My problem is if I set it myself I never believe in it but when outside sources do deadlines I know that I will kill myself to get there.

Either run out of things to read or somehow develop the willpower to avoid the web. No good can come of it. In fact it is likely to make me go 'Oh I need to check this on wikipedia...uhuh..uhuh....I need to check this now...oh look OSCAR WILDE FANFIC yay' or something like that.

Stuff Research. There is always more to research but once I am surroudned by notes I have to make myself stop and write something. If I find a gap I can always fill it in later (or make something up)

ALSO A QUESTION FOR FANTASY READERS AND WRITERS! Why is the language in so many fantasies so formal?

I'm not technically eligible for the question but I would wager there's some sort of link between the idea of the lands of 'Once Upon A Time' -or Merlin if you prefer- the idea that these things happen in a land far away and therefore the language is formal to us, because it is the language of our past and that past is always more romantic and fantastical than the present.

Also I think a measure of laziness probably- the same way that when you read fiction with time travel in it in general there are rarely accurate depictions of the language, let alone the language use of the time. This is partially because, of course, the written language, in recent linguistic history, formality was king until...I would hazard a guess at around World War II time and the War Poets but that's only a guess- I haven't researched it

Generally though, if a story timetravels to...Shakespeare's time, say, very little of the language is accurately depicted- language was so fluid and multi-faceted, but we automatically think of people speaking almost as if they were on the stage throughout. Formal and stiff and somehow far more interesting than slanging matches and collapsible vowels.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

LOL I can so relate to the self-deadlines. I fail utterly at those. And research, my love for it is incredible--heck I am a Research Analyst in my day job, and I LOVE MY DAY JOB. Mostly. :)

Despite being technically ineligible, actually...you have great thoughts on my pondering question. So you are eligible, there.

One thing that many on here have mentioned also emerges in your own...a connection to the past, specifically EARTH's past. I am comfortable, I realize, with the formal language in stories set here...it is those set on made-up worlds that rely on the formal language that I get antsy over. The book I mentioned I am reading now is a historical fantasy, and so the choice of hte formal language IS correct (even I suppose for the dragon). Given historical fantasy is what I want to write... MEEEP! I might be forced to come to grips with this.

Especially since--you mention Shakespeare? One of the stories I've got bubbling in my head (ok THE story) could be considered historical fantasy set during Shakespeare's time. I'm currently studying exactly what historical fantasy is and LOL I may very well decide not to stick to that. I know without doubt I couldn't accurately depict the language. Without doubt. And given my subject is the boy players...

Oh geesh, I am making MORE problems for my brain, not less!

Hmm.

[blue-fjords.livejournal.com]

I have a tag! &hearts

Okay, enough of that. Gearing up to write? Used to be a lot easier, b/c I didn't know people on the internet. But now that I do, I want to talk to them, see what they're doing, etc. I need to tell myself "no internet" and stick to it to write.

As far as getting into headspace, if I'm going to write a big story, or any story really, I really need about a week to daydream it out before I start writing it. (The daydreaming allows me to flesh out the plot in my head and really SEE it.) I usually think about it when I take my dogs for their morning walk. I'm sure the people in my neighborhood think I'm insane, b/c I'm out there walking my dogs and making little hand gestures or stamping my foot and basically acting out an alien encounter or fight w/ a demon or what have you. Then when I get back inside I type in a few words or a phrase to remind me of a scene. If it's a non-workday, I may write a whole scene out, and it may remind me of something else that has to happen, etc. Although typically during the daydreaming part of the process, I just write phrases, sometimes quotes, and they're from all over the fic. I prefer to do my writing early in the morning or late at night, if I can stay awake.

So ... yeah!

[misswinterhill.livejournal.com]

I write what feels right at the time. I always have a million things on the go, so I can pick one. When I was upset the other night I channeled that into VS, but I don't always feel like that so I channel my energy elsewhere. I don't write when I'm not inspired to, unless I am working to a deadline.

Agree with others -- I think it's the formality of LOTR and even the translations of mythology into English that used very formal language and hence people got the idea that the modality of fantasy was one of pseudo-formality -- that a narrative voice for fantasy was quaint and archaic. That is, of course, changing, but I see it changing more in a. romantic fantasy and b. children's fantasy.

THANK YOU FOR THE PIMP, C! I was very nervous about de-anoning, because I hate exposing my poetry to the open air. I always fear it will go all brown and yukky like apples do when they're left out too long!

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

I tend to agree that having a concrete ritual that Must Be Performed every single time one writes is risky. However, I'd argue that it may be useful to have something to mark that time and your intention.

I have a time and space more or less set aside for writing. I do occasionally make words outside of both, and there are times that I use that space for other things, but that's one thing that helps me. Also, I've practiced treating myself when I'm good, and using smells to trigger my writing brain.

Experiment. See what works for you.

Re: formality in fantasy, I think it comes from people wanting to emulate popular views of fantasy things. We associate formality with the archaic, and so adopt faux-archaic speech to fulfill the aesthetic. We also use it to designate things like dragons as other, or as having high intellect.

It's a common style cliche. I'd enjoy watching someone smash it well.

[sanginmychains.livejournal.com]

Me? I don't have the luxury of getting in the mood. If I'm in anything even resembling a mood that might possibly become The Mood, I bloody well sit down and try to do it.

Actually? That's largely how I run my sex life these days, too. Not the sitting down, precisely, but...

It's really not a bad strategy, honestly. You'd be surprised how often it works, in either creative endeavour. And sometimes, after 15 min, you just go, hey, I tried, but this isn't working. Glory is in the attempt!