Blog Catalog Discussion: What Kind of Writer Are You?

Flipnautick on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

Flipnautick — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:29:01 -0500

...a ghost writer.

Floormodel on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

Floormodel — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:08:57 -0500

I am an easily distracted writer. I sit down and write and usually finish what I want to say but sometimes I get distracted and in my computer reside many half written stories and poems. Once I wander away from them I lose my train of thought and they sit gathering dust, never to be completed.

thetravellerreturns on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

thetravellerreturns — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:57:52 -0500

just read My South American Story, I have had many comments on it. Its raw and from the heart. Quality amateur writing.

www.thetravellerreturns.com

plotwhisperer on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

plotwhisperer — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:48:35 -0500

binarybasketball, I appreciate that you were drunk when you wrote this, but I agree with taking too much time planning. If you wait until its perfect you won't do it.

http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/

binarybasketball on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

binarybasketball — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:29:46 -0500

@plotwhisperer

Silencing the critic? I run a basketball site...

http://www.binarybasketball.com

Critics and strong opinions are welcome... Though, intelligence is key... We have forced members out that didn't want to learn and didn't know what they were talking about...

We have also experienced record highs in activity, views, and overall blog performance, we are still looking for more forum members though...

But that process is what helped me focus in on the people that should be writing for us. Right now we have 14 contributors I believe. Most don't publish monthly, even less publish weekly, but there are a few that are committed and publish daily.

But back to the question at hand. Planning for most is the fault. If you plan too much, you are taking time away from other things that may be more important like SEO. Personally, Know people that take way too much time on what they should write because they want it to be perfect.

Though, nobody is perfect. If you mess up from something, learn from it. If it you fail at something learn from it. That's what's great about the internet... Sure you will be judged and viewed by what you are producing now, but activity and progress is viewed much more critically...

So, for those that are obviously take way too much time to write an article, stop being self-conscious and say what you feel and/or intend to say and stop thinking about it... Just hit the post button.

I edited this post to add on to what I wanted to say. I believe it gave me 6 minutes to edit and there is a minute left... I've written 2 more paragraphs at least.

Also drunk...

Give in to your inhibition and say what you feel. Then repeat. :-)

tinatina on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

tinatina — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:52:32 -0500

I'm definetly a planner. I have a solid structure of how the story flows first. Then I write and rewrite and rewrite until it flows properly. Then I go back and add fun details. I never write free flow. It does not work for me.

plotwhisperer on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

plotwhisperer — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:28:15 -0500

binarybasketball, sometimes getting high helps silence the critic.

sarah123, you're lucky you can get right into the character like that.

vulpine, I think what everyone here is showing so well is that there is not just one way to write. It's a preference and the preference usually comes out of a strength -- skill.

I just think sometimes that the magic comes out of those places where we are not so confident -- to try mastery of the other way, the one less traveled by ourselves, more uncomfortable, more challenging.

But that's just me...

http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/

binarybasketball on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

binarybasketball — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:15:11 -0500

often inebriated

lnclark1950 on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

lnclark1950 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:07:58 -0500

I write from the heart without much of a plan. When a topic hits me I begin to write and I let whatever flows out be the end product with very little fine tuning. If you read my posts that might be evident but what you read is the real me.

http://realmenrock.blogspot.com

sarah123 on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

sarah123 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:27:04 -0500

intense. I move with my mind right into the life of the character I have invented

vulpine on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

vulpine — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:31:20 -0500

I think it's good to know the beginning and the hopeful end. However, I've learned that as you go through the story, quite often the characters take control and carry it to places you didn't expect. I personally don't understand writers who write bits and pieces here, drop in a couple of onions, pan fry it over high heat and expect it to come out anything like coherent. Maybe writing isn't a linear thing for some people, but for me it almost has to be linear.

A good story teller tells the story from beginning to end; he doesn't just throw pieces into the air to see where they land.

ginajennings on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

ginajennings — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:20:13 -0500

Generally short and to the point.

myownlevel on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

myownlevel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:13:34 -0500

I agree with ekim941... I just freestyle and let my imagination take the wheel

myownlevel.blogspot.com

thetravellerreturns on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

thetravellerreturns — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:39:53 -0500

fun and informal, keep you interested all the way through, i write off the top of my head in an instant. try reading MY SOUTH AMERICAN STORY, its like a little book. success.

spirit on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

spirit — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:31:26 -0500

The words build up in my head (memory and thought), they build up in my heart (emotion and reflection), and they build up in my soul (the undefinable) and then when they've built up enough I just let them splat onto the page. I have no control over it, everything is flow for me and then I take those raw and beautiful words and I refine them so others can experience it with a hopefully similar magnitude. :)

sunnyberra on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

sunnyberra — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:13:26 -0600

Depends, really. If it's short (10 pages or so), I have a pretty strong grasp on the overall picture and the smaller sequences to get there. If it's longer, though, I either know where I want to end, but give myself an aneurism trying to get to that stage, or I have all the details, but no idea where it'll end up at :)

Tanveer on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

Tanveer — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:26:44 -0600

Like what many other bloggers have written here, I'd say my process is starting off first with an idea or thought that I want to share with others. Often I have in my mind's eye portions of the writing or certain phrases or allegories that I try to weave into the final product. But for the majority of the work, I just sit down and let the words follow from my mind to the page, such as it were, after which I do some read-throughs to polish it up and ensure that the piece would be an enjoyable and/or engaging read.

salomey5 on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

salomey5 — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:07:02 -0600

Disorganized, long-winded and sarcastic.

voodooKobra on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

voodooKobra — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:05:06 -0600

Aggressive, yet logical.

I find things that make no sense in society, pop culture, etc. and I write bombastic rants about how stupid these things are. Then, everyone reads my rants and realizes how right I am and they crown me King of the Nerds.

Then I wake up.

plotwhisperer on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

plotwhisperer — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:00:34 -0600

Hi OrnaRoss, thank you so much for your kind words!! What a sweet surprise....
Endlesslyshesaid, you're one of the lucky ones who can see and hold the bigger picture in mind.
Ponkotsu, I hope by now you've finished and congratulations are in order!!!
idealpinkrose, so poetic...

idealpinkrose on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

idealpinkrose — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:40:14 -0600

a writer who doesn't know on what to write about...

Ponkotsu on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

Ponkotsu — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:41:01 -0600

Depends on what exactly I'm writing. When blogging, I think of myself as something of an improv writer. Whether I'm slapping a rough short story/writing exercise out as I do now and then, or writing some sort of commentary, I go in with a basic vision of what I'd like to write, then I simply sit down and write it, figuring things out as I go along. So my blogging style is fairly rough and improvised, but I'd like to think it's a little more personal in that capacity, too, at least.

As for my novel work, it's about taking some very rough ideas and developing them into a grander vision over time. I'm trying to finish my first novel within the next month at long last, and it's been a long, challenging journey. It all started as a series of jumbled, loosely connected character and plot ideas, mostly a bunch of concepts that came together in bursts of inspiration, tied together with bits of string and duct tape. Eventually, I fleshed these ideas out enough and connected them well enough to have a basic skeleton of the story together, from beginning to end. Once that was done, I sat down and focused on writing everything in a linear fashion from beginning to end - and I'm just getting to the end of that, years later, with only 3 chapters and an epilogue to finish - while going back after every few chapters and revising. My revision process itself mostly amounts to watching for mistakes and typos, plot inconsistencies and contradictions, and reading everything aloud to determine whether or not everything "feels right." It's a very meticulous and instinct-rooted process for me, and after I finish these last few chapters and epilogue and do a first set of revisions, I plan on going back and doing one last set of revisions on each chapter before I finally set the book aside and focus on looking for an agent, and then a publisher. It's important to know when to stop revising, and to deem a work complete, after all - and it's far too easy to just keep revising the same thing forever and never find satisfaction.

ArsenicCookies on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

ArsenicCookies — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:17:28 -0600

woohoo duplicates

ArsenicCookies on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

ArsenicCookies — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:16:49 -0600

when I blog, there is very rarely any actual process or "writing" taking place. My blog is solely updates, view points & how to guides, so I would dub that freestyle.
When I actually write, the entire piece plays in my head like a movie. I have little trouble getting from point A to point B because of that. I envision the big picture and pick up on the details, as I see them in that vision. Some people here have seen things I've written and were just like "it's like two different people". My only flaw with writing is that I have an unusual vocabulary so when I use words such as acedia people have told me that they had to look them up.

tjefferson85 on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

tjefferson85 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:06:07 -0600

Poetic and Jazzy! I touch at the varying emotions and life experiences!

OrnaRoss on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

OrnaRoss — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:02:03 -0600

Hi Plot Whisperer, great discussion topic. I am, like most writers, a bit of both. Though I do remember working with a writer once - only once - who had to have it all mapped out in advance and couldn't proceed with the next sentence until the one she was working on was absolutely as she wanted it. Her way of working was so different to mine (get it all down in a SFD - shitty first draft - and sort later!!) and i found it fascinating.

As well as the tendency of individual writers themselves, I believe each piece of writing goes through distinct stages and it's best - in the main - if we can keep them separate. This blog post elaborates.
http://www.ornaross.com/inspired-writing/writing-tips/2008/11/the-8-stages-of-the-writing-process/

I also wanted to commend you on your great work on behalf of writers -- a very valuable and generous contribution.

all best wishes
Orna

CrisRo on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

CrisRo — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:06:23 -0600

Geeky technical jargon.

The process usually involves writing, then editing my ideas so that they have some similance of coherency.

Yeah...

plotwhisperer on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

plotwhisperer — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:04:21 -0600

Cool that the discussion continues.......

CrankyChick on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

CrankyChick — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:58:41 -0600

pop psychology wanna be...

ranist22 on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

ranist22 — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:54:45 -0600

I'm a moody writer and not all the techniques and how-tos and writing discipline in the world can do anything about it.

NathanKP on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

NathanKP — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:40:21 -0600

You sure pulled out an old thread Sapheyerblu.

I am a writer who knows what the end of the story is but sometimes can't find the way to create it.

NathanKP
http://inkweaver-review.blogspot.com
http://imagination-manifesto.blogspot.com

sapheyerblu on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

sapheyerblu — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:37:39 -0600

I have to admit that I'm one of those who knows where I want my story to go, but I'm never sure how to get from the beginning to the end. I usually let my characters write the stories themselves, and I just get to go along for the ride.

plotwhisperer on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

plotwhisperer — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:32:42 -0600

leonore -- I love sappy!
SherriMurphy -- communication speaks to me because it means you're in communion with your reader. Like that.
sinousscribe -- off to your site to see ...eclectic.....

leonore on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

leonore — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:12:47 -0600

sappy ! :)

sinuousscribe on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

sinuousscribe — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:54:10 -0600

ummmmm... ...ummmm, uhhhh. ...eclectic!

..right now though, sleepy. :)

SherriMurphy on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

SherriMurphy — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:24:47 -0600

I'm not a writer, I'm a communicater.

I communicate heartfelt thoughts, experiences, stories about everyday life for ordinary people.

Somedays my thoughts are deep, somedays very light.
Some posts are for me, other days posts are more for the reader.

I ask many questions.

plotwhisperer on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

plotwhisperer — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:44:11 -0600

Anguish over every word is a magnificent quality in a writer. I am so happy to see it acknowledged. The sign of a true writer.
Wondering however, does the anguish come from an inner need for perfection for yourself or does anguish originate from an inner need to communicate precisely to your reader?
Goes to another discussion -- do you write for yourself or your reader?
Curious...
morgantj, nothing wrong with short, concise and succinct in book form!
dosox, you're doing what lots of want-to-be writers don't -- write

nepalijournal on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

nepalijournal — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:07:10 -0600

I try not to be an ignorant writer but most of the times I fail to acknowledge all the facts.

dosox on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

dosox — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:53:55 -0600

I write

morgantj on 'What Kind of Writer Are You?'

morgantj — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:52:43 -0600

I would love to write a book but my problem is I like to get staight to the point. This makes my writings short, concise, and succinct.