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1. Do you listen to music when you write?
Unless it's extremely repetitive music, like some kind of very chill electronica (or cat music? Does anyone listen to those hypnotic cat tv playlists?), I find music distracting. However, I don't like working in silent environments (like libraries). I've found that my ideal background noise is actually the low hum of conversation, so cafes, pubs, and bars are my go-to workplaces (plus, I can get a coffee or a cocktail while writing??? What more could you ask for???)
2. Are you a pantser or plotter?
I'm a plantser, I'm a bit of both. For 🌿 Gorgona 🌿, I have a mindmap containing worldbuilding facts, snippets of dialogue, fragments of scenes I've thought of in the shower, and misc ideas. It looks like a very busy nest of multicoloured (because, of course, it's all colour-coded) spiders. I've been building it up in a completely arbitrary, unchronological manner on Freeform. I guess you could say I'm pantsing the plot?
3. Computer or pen and paper?
Computer (my laptop), always. I don't really like my laptop's screen size (it feels claustrophobic), but since I don't work chronologically through the story and constantly review things, a laptop makes much more sense than a writing pad (which would end up having pages glued to the margins and various colour coded strings connecting edits on different ends of the pad, etc. In short, a total disaster). The only time I've ever written with pen and paper was when I was having a breakdown trying to write my undergrad thesis and desperately needed to get away from the blank Word document (part of the breakdown was due to the fact that I didn't have the time to use the disorganised, unchronological, all-over-the-place method that works with the way my mind works and was being asked instead to write in an "A then B then C" form from the get-go. While I can produce a highly polished, finished piece that reads that way, I can't for the life of me write it in that order, which makes it very difficult to work with a tutor who wants to read your weekly updates. In short, if I'm writing with pen and paper, please ask me if I'm ok).
5. How much writing do you get done on an average day?
500 words a day is a good average for me. Of course, I can write double or triple that some days, but I've established a general rule that if I write 500 words a day, that counts as success. I've deliberately set a low, easily achievable daily word goal because it helps me feel accomplished and motivated to keep working on the project. It's a win-win.