Ten (of my) Writing Habits

I was tagged on Facebook to do this weeks ago but I’d not been able to post my share til now. Opting to put this up on my blog as I need activity here, too. Anyway, here are ten (of my) writing habits:

1. I need to be in the mood. Mali ang habit na ito especially since I declared writing to be my career. You and your career cannot survive if you depend on your mood to get you going. But am working on this. I really hope to conquer this setback.

2. At home, I work where I am. On the bed sitting cross-legged or lying down with the laptop propped on my tummy and legs. I hog the dinner table at times (or most of the time) so I can have my meals while I work. No, lemme correct that. While I stare at the screen and troll my friends and contacts on facebook. I know I need a decent work table though. Otherwise I won’t ever get over getting these neck and back pains. Right now, the most decent I have is a foldable utility table and a chair from the dining set at a corner of the living area.

3. If working at home isn’t getting productive, I go out to work at my favorite hangout, Gabby’s Bistro. I also hang out at Bo’s Cafe by the Boulevard or the one at Robinson’s Mall. Am generally more productive this way. Again, the operative word is generally.

4. I am almost always online even when I am writing. It’s this need to feel the presence of family and friends. Since I am miles away from where they all are, and I am alone where I am, the virtual world provides their comforting presence in my little world out there.

5. Drink and munchies. I like having a mug of coffee, sometimes a soda, or a glass of juice with chips or biscuits. And since eating has this tendency to make one’s fingers sticky with munchie flavor powders, I eat them with chopsticks. Or a spoon when the pieces become too small to pick up with thin sticks.

6. Research. If I don’t personally know anyone who can provide me with info, my friend Google gives me most anything I need. Sometimes, though, I unearth interesting info that I follow, ergo distracting me from my current WIP. Ahehe…

7. Writing buddies, beta readers and sounding boards. Discussing my thoughts with someone helps me a lot in putting my ideas in proper perspective. Although I do engage in discussions with myself. Until one of my personalities becomes catatonic or unreasonable.

8. Plot basket. I am fond of jotting down short thoughts on possible plots that I can develop later on. Now, if only I actually worked on them, I’d probably have a manuscript bank to last me from now til am 60. 😜

9. When naming my characters, I refer to a baby names website for choices. I like unique names, sometimes unusual, but never names that will make my hero and heroine seem like they were named after pets or some scientific experiment whose labels consist of almost all the letters of the alphabet mixed up like a soup.

10. I edit as I write. I don’t do drafts. Something goes wrong, I go back at once to the previous chapters to find out why the story isn’t working out and rewrite it. Still doesn’t work? It’s to the recycle bin with you.

Did you learn anything from my babbling? Hehe… Feel free to add more sa comments. ☺

Thanks for reading! 😉