# Writing > General Writing >  Do you write?

## Pompey Bum

Do you write? What and when do you write? Why do you write? Who do you see as your audience? How long can you write before reaching a point of diminishing returns (also known as crappy results)?

These days I write every morning from about seven o'clock to about about ten thirty. Then I have a snack and go back to writing until around about noon. But after about 11:00, I'm kidding myself. By then I'm too spacy to have creativity or critical faculty or even good judgement about what I've written so far. Anything I write in the afternoon will inevitably have to be rewritten the next morning, wasting that three to four hour sweet spot. 

I write non-fiction based on obscure primary sources. I never post this online. I'll probably self publish some eventually. The rest I intend to leave to my family. I write serious poetry only when the muse comes, and we're both kind of busy these days. But I love to write doggerel. I post it here all the time. I'm too old to worry about professionally publishing my prose (or anything else). I consider that a blessing. 

Anyone else want to answer my questions? Come on, take the Pompey Bum challenge.

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## MANICHAEAN

Hi Pompey

I could say I write because I don't play golf, but that's too flippant. I enjoy writing I suppose because it satisfies whatever creativity is in my makeup, ( or, doubt, doubt "Is it my Catholic upbringing, purging itself on Lit Net Confession Time?) I have a hotch potch way of writing based on the practices of the greats: writing down my dreams like Graham Greene, letting alcohol wash over me like Hemingway, seeking out foreign clime stimulus like Conrad. 

I am a great watcher; both detached & emotionally moved if that makes sense. I fell in love with the English language at an early age, but it has, I am aware made my style floury to some, verbose and heavy on the prose with others. But it is original and based on life. At one time we had some great characters on Lit Net: "The Country Doc" who was always waiting for the Revolution and invariably ended his contributions with "Grrrrrrr." Then another who just made words up, driving the more classically reared crazy. But at least it was original.


What annoys me now is the creativity of so many talented writers on Lit Net being suppressed by what I call the cut and paste individuals. They take some bloody great tome and just keep pasting extracts, pretending it was their own.

Trust this is of some interest.


Take care
M.

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## Pompey Bum

Oh, good. I was hoping you would answer, M. It doesn't surprise me that some of the other prose writers who post things here haven't bothered. Some of them don't talk to the rest of us much anyway. They seem to be dumping stuff here for their own purposes. But not everyone. I hope Aunt Shecky checks in. She's always someone to learn from. 

And yes, I've noticed that confessional aspect in some of your stories and wondered if it had to do with your Catholic upbringing. You're absolved, okay? Except for that bird in Uganda--yikes! (Just kidding  :Smile: ). I should try writing down some of my experiences in Africa and the Middle/Far East, too. Well, the East was pretty tame, actually (the Chinese are prudes and the Muslims are--well, Muslims), but we both know about Africa. Then again, maybe discretion is the better part of valor. Protestants don't have confession.

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## DS Stone

I've wanted to write since forever but couldn't walk away from my career (kids, mortgage, college expenses), though I'd been fiddling with drafts for novels for years. After semi-retiring, I finally finished a few and put them on Amazon. It took six months to get any traction. I'm a couple years in now and it's going well. I write fiction, mainly satires (Waugh, Wodehouse, and Nabokov are a few of my heroes). I write a few hours everyday and love the zone it puts me.

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## Pompey Bum

> I've wanted to write since forever but couldn't walk away from my career (kids, mortgage, college expenses), though I'd been fiddling with drafts for novels for years.


I'm retired also though not (quite) "of retirement age." Going back to the classics was one of the first and best things I did after getting there. I read many of these novels as a college or even high school student, and rereading them now gives me a better perspective on the writer's mind and inevitably on my own, on the way my life has gone since then. But I didn't start writing until more recently and then only prose. 




> After semi-retiring, I finally finished a few and put them on Amazon. It took six months to get any traction. I'm a couple years in now and it's going well. I write fiction, mainly satires (Waugh, Wodehouse, and Nabokov are a few of my heroes). I write a few hours everyday and love the zone it puts me.


Congratulations on that. If you don't mind my asking, did you just put the material on Amazon or pay for a roll out (as many do--for around $1,000, I think, or possibly more now). When the time comes, I imagine I'll be inclined to pay. I'm not anticipating a big return, but I would hope to get that much back.

And again if you don't mind my asking, how many hours at a time are you able to write well? It bothers me that I can only manage about three and a half hours per morning. Ah, to be 21 again. But then, of course, I'd be a fool again, and I suppose I prefer it this way.

Oh, and I share your frustration (expressed in another post) with current authors. I used to use the Man Booker and Pulitzer Prizes as guides but no longer find them reliable. So much of what goes as literary fiction these days seems so dumbed down. I recently read a few books by Philip Roth, a writer of my generation. I had never been much interested in reading him before. Secular Jewish identity (his perennial theme) does not affect me directly and besides, I heard him talk in the 70s and he seemed like an arrogant jerk. But of these books, I loved two and the third, which had some problems, was still a good read. After each, I found myself saying: Now there was an author. There was exactly what we don't have anymore. So maybe the solution is to go back and read authors of our own times. Or maybe I'm just being an old man. It's a distinct possibility.

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## DS Stone

I can't seem to post for some reason... (<well, apparently I can)




> If you don't mind my asking, did you just put the material on Amazon or pay for a rollout (as many do--for around $1,000, I think, or possibly more now). When the time comes, I imagine I'll be inclined to pay. I'm not anticipating a big return, but I would hope to get that much back.
> 
> And again if you don't mind my asking, how many hours at a time are you able to write well? It bothers me that I can only manage about three and a half hours per morning. Ah, to be 21 again. But then, of course, I'd be a fool again, and I suppose I prefer it this way.


It's easy to upload a manuscript to Amazon. I write in Google Docs, save the book as a Word docx file, run it through Amazon's "Kindle Create" software (free), and hit "publish". So it's all pretty straightforward once you've done a few times. 

I make my covers in Photoshop Elements. If your graphics skills aren't great (and I'm not saying mine are), one can use Canva for free. It makes decent, professional looking covers.

I wouldn't pay for anything before knowing whether your books attract a market. 

When I'm working on a new novel I put in about four hours every morning, which will include reading and fine-tuning the prior day's output. However, I've put in eight hour days when the juices are really flowing. These outbursts begin occurring about halfway through the book.

Once the book is finished I put it in a drawer for three months while I work on something else. After three months, I use Grammarly and Prowriting Aid to edit the novel while also fine-tuning here and there. Before publishing, I use Natural Soft's text-to-speech software to listen to the book (selecting the Brit woman's posh voice option).






> Oh, and I share your frustration (expressed in another post) with current authors.


I recall AA Gill when discussing popular music saying no one is writing songs for him anymore. That's how I feel about contemporary fiction--it's no longer written for me. I'm half enjoying Paul Murray's The Mark and the Void. About every third page there's some sparkling prose. In contrast, Bellow delivers forehead smacking magic every other paragraph.

I read The Guardian's "Books That Made Me" feature for new leads. It's surprising how few mention living authors, and how often when they do I find their recommendations unreadable.

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## Pompey Bum

Thanks for that information. It's very helpful. How do you market your books? There's definitely a micro-market (nano-market?) for what I'm doing, but I'm damned if I know how to reach 'em. I think that's what you pay for.

I haven't read Saul Below, but it sounds like he's one of the kind I was talking about. Another is V.S. Naipaul, whose A Bend in the River I reread after his death--last year? (The time goes quickly these days). That book couldn't be published anymore--not if it were new. And some of it (especially the brutalization of a female character by the narrator) is pretty disturbing. But what a writer. Once again, exactly the kind we don't see anymore.

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## DS Stone

> Thanks for that information. It's very helpful. How do you market your books? There's definitely a micro-market (nano-market?) for what I'm doing, but I'm damned if I know how to reach 'em. I think that's what you pay for.
> 
> I haven't read Saul Below, but it sounds like he's one of the kind I was talking about. Another is V.S. Naipaul, whose A Bend in the River I reread after his death--last year? (The time goes quickly these days). That book couldn't be published anymore--not if it were new. And some of it (especially the brutalization of a female character by the narrator) is pretty disturbing. But what a writer. Once again, exactly the kind we don't see anymore.


I did reply to your post but it seems to be lost in the ether.

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## Pompey Bum

> I did reply to your post but it seems to be lost in the ether.


Thanks. The site is acting really strange on my end, too. Hope it's not a harbinger of things to come.

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## DS Stone

Every other time I post, which now has been days apart, I get a message saying I have to wait to post because I've just posted, which I haven't.

Too bad. I got excited when I found this place. Now I can see there's not much activity, maybe due to glitches.

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## MANICHAEAN

Ignore the warning to post again in 30 seconds which is what I get. Its already been posted.

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## Pompey Bum

DSS: I sent you a pm. I've had about enough of this site's lack of technical support, too. Maybe time for another hiatus.

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## caffeinatedboy

I used to write before, mostly screenplay and novel but I never got the chance to show it to anyone. 
Right now, I'm able to write poems and short passages and I also draw illustrations with my writings. Wish I could gather some confidence and post my works online.

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## caffeinatedboy

I used to write before, mostly screenplay and novel but I never got the chance to show it to anyone. 
Right now, I'm able to write poems and short passages and I also draw illustrations with my writings. Wish I could gather some confidence and post my works online.

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## Pompey Bum

Well, hey, take a chance on us. There was a time here when some used to try to puff themselves up by cutting people's work down. There was also the odd troll--laid off teachers taken to the bottle, that sort of thing. Those idiots slowly left, but then for a while it was all appreciative gushing with no constructive criticism. That gets old fast--and more to the point it doesn't help anyone's writing. But lately there seems to be a more mature and useful approach emerging. I can't promise you anything, but it's probably a good moment to post here. And even if someone objects strongly to what you write--an opinion is just an opinion. Sticks and stones.

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## JCamilo

Well, I write for living (from content for social media to essays, relatories and journalistic stuff for webside of the group I work - but I am no journalist and I claim fake news if someone say I am), also movie reviews and essays for a guy (the website just turned into a facebook page in the end, but still get the invitations for those pre-release exhbititions, but who doesnt those days?). As side note, had some poems and short stories published in anthologies (or alternative "medium" like in candy wrapping papper) and a Graphic Novel with my script was publish a few years ago. And an edition of Benito Cereno by Melville was printed with my preface, but maybe that does not count much as the whole idea of re-publishing it was mine in first place...

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## Pompey Bum

Candy wrapping paper is an interesting medium. Perhaps I could get my Civil War book on that paper they give you in a shoebox. Candy paper seems better for poems and aphorisms. Then again, you'd need a lot of shoes. I may have to resort to grocery bags. ;-)

It doesn't surprise me you write for a living, JC. How long at a time can you write well? It sounds like you set your own deadlines, which must be convenient. Do you work with an editor?

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## cacian

.......

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## cacian

I write to take my mind of things but also to make a mark on something or someone in a good way.
Words are the medium to sane thinking and living they are the gateway to betterment and improvement when used sparingly and correctly. I have this belief they do fire back when abused and used in an inappropriate way. Trust.
Words are free and never complain in fact they come when you least expect it and show things you never thought you would. 
They are the must have full package to any adventures of thoughts.
That is my take on it.  :Smile:

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## Pompey Bum

> Words are free and never complain in fact they come when you least expect it and show things you never thought you would.


That's a good way of putting it, Cacian. I see words as a kind of art people make from thoughts, and thought as messages from realms largely uncharted. We have to organize thoughts anyway, or we would lack, as you say, "sane thinking"; but converting thoughts to words and words to art means that thoughts can be meaningfully shared between individuals and even follow separate trajectories from one to another. That's why reading is such a miracle. It allows you to touch the mind of another human being--even one long dead.

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## Charlie Guerard

I write small children's stories. I have two small children and this is my main audience) I love to read and sometimes I use characters and their character from books I read. For example, I used the image of the Great Gatsby in a small instructive essay for my children, which you can find here https://samples.edusson.com/the-great-gatsby/. It seems to me that this is a great way to quickly create the right character unless of course it is plagiarized. I do not sell my stories, so it seems to me that this can be done)

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## Pompey Bum

> I write small children's stories. I have two small children and this is my main audience)


I think it is a wonderful thing to write for family members--although also a miracle that a parent would have the energy for it!  :Smile:  If you don't mind my asking, do you improvise stories? Or maybe use folktales or stories you heard from your parents as a child? In any case, it is fine thing you are doing.

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## Charlie Guerard

> I think it is a wonderful thing to write for family members--although also a miracle that a parent would have the energy for it!  If you don't mind my asking, do you improvise stories? Or maybe use folktales or stories you heard from your parents as a child? In any case, it is fine thing you are doing.


I'm trying to combine the modern interests of children and classic stories) For example, the Avengers instead of three piglets  :Hand:  Of course, I'm joking about the avengers, but I think you understand the meaning :Angel Anim:

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## JCamilo

> Candy wrapping paper is an interesting medium. Perhaps I could get my Civil War book on that paper they give you in a shoebox. Candy paper seems better for poems and aphorisms. Then again, you'd need a lot of shoes. I may have to resort to grocery bags. ;-)


Sadly, I never got one of the papers myself. It was a kind of social project to promote literacy, but in another state. A few years they also used one of my poems (alongside many others) for a game to be used in schools. Now they would distrubte the candies with the poems (along wiht many others) to kids in celebration to a Saint's day (actually two, Cosmas and Damian), on their day it is a costume to distribute a lot of candies to kids. 




> It doesn't surprise me you write for a living, JC. How long at a time can you write well? It sounds like you set your own deadlines, which must be convenient. Do you work with an editor?


Daily work, no editor. Web publishing must be fast, so I cannot wait much for someone else to look after the texts, even in my previous job, when there were actually someone with skills to revise the text. Now, it is me and another woman, she has no skill to do it. Of course, all the reading - i kind became a fake journalist - demands a lot more reading and research. For my own texts, I have no discipline, I write when I want, usually weekends or at home, when I am not reading or tired. Since, most of stuff are short, I do not need to stay put hours and hours like in academic research and the deadlines are mine (albeit, I must fill some weekly quota for work).

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## Pompey Bum

> I'm trying to combine the modern interests of children and classic stories) For example, the Avengers instead of three piglets  Of course, I'm joking about the avengers, but I think you understand the meaning


Yes, it sounds very sweet and a good way to combine culturally meaningful material with things kids like. Everyone wants to be J. K. Rowling these days--just doing the same thing over and over again. It's nice to hear about someone using her own imagination. I'm sure your kids are very lucky.  :Smile:

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## Ecurb

Like Charlie, I write stories for my family (I have two grandsons, ages one and three). My grandsons also insist that I tell them stories constantly (I babysit them every week and my story ideas are running thin). I have also written professionally writing: advertising, magazine articles (you'd be shocked how many magazines have published my articles without any editing, when the articles were puff pieces for my company's products), and writing and editing a company magazine. 

I seldom post my stories here, because they are designed for young children and because I don't know how to incorporate my illustrations on LitNet. However, as an example, I'll post one in the short story section now.

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## Pompey Bum

> Daily work, no editor. Web publishing must be fast, so I cannot wait much for someone else to look after the texts, even in my previous job, when there were actually someone with skills to revise the text. Now, it is me and another woman, she has no skill to do it. Of course, all the reading - i kind became a fake journalist - demands a lot more reading and research. For my own texts, I have no discipline, I write when I want, usually weekends or at home, when I am not reading or tired. Since, most of stuff are short, I do not need to stay put hours and hours like in academic research and the deadlines are mine (albeit, I must fill some weekly quota for work).


My wife edits my material. She's not a native English speaker but she publishes in her field--in HIGHLY technological prose, though, so we have many aesthetic quibbles. But at least she catches my dumb mistakes. My discipline is too high, which may be why I burn out by noon (or maybe I'm just getting old). I guess I've been goofing off a little lately. I'll probably have to leave the site again before too long and go back to the 19th century full time. I suppose that makes me a fake war correspondent.  :Smile:

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## Pompey Bum

> I seldom post my stories here, because they are designed for young children and because I don't know how to incorporate my illustrations on LitNet. However, as an example, I'll post one in the short story section now.


Oh, I'm looking forward to reading it, Ecurb. Writing for family members is an overlooked--genre? My father and I exchange our book reviews over email and all my writing is destined for my nephews and nieces--including a great nephew who, if he lives as long as my dad, will see the 22nd century. His children can publish it. People will want to know how we cavemen lived by then.

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## Secret III

So my reply that I just spent 10 minutes writing was sent to a moderator for approval. I'm guessing that after (x) amount of words your post becomes a story and needs approval? I'm wondering why the moderators chose to change this forum in such a way. This makes me not want to post.

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## Danik 2016

I also noticed that there has been more moderation of late.

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## Pompey Bum

> So my reply that I just spent 10 minutes writing was sent to a moderator for approval. I'm guessing that after (x) amount of words your post becomes a story and needs approval? I'm wondering why the moderators chose to change this forum in such a way. This makes me not want to post.


I've never heard of any such requirement, but then I don't post short stories here. *Maybe some of those who do can answer your question*, But the person you really need to talk to is Logos, who has been on the site lately and who is pretty good about responding to private messages, at least in my experience. Go to your private message box (just click on notifications at the top of the page) and contact her that way. Hopefully you can just post them. *Do the rest of you submit them for approval first?*

I'm looking forward to reading your story in any case.

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## Secret III

double post

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## Secret III

> I've never heard of any such requirement, but then I don't post short stories here. *Maybe some of those who do can answer your question*, But the person you really need to talk to is Logos, who has been on the site lately and who is pretty good about responding to private messages, at least in my experience. Go to your private message box (just click on notifications at the top of the page) and contact her that way. Hopefully you can just post them. *Do the rest of you submit them for approval first?*
> 
> I'm looking forward to reading your story in any case.


Fair enough. I guess that counting on Logos reading my post without directly issuing it to her is wishful thinking. Perhaps she can lift that restriction for me. I think that I have proven myself a non-troublemaker when it comes to posting short stories.

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## Pompey Bum

> Fair enough. I guess that counting on Logos reading my post without directly issuing it to her is wishful thinking. Perhaps she can lift that restriction for me. I think that I have proven myself a non-troublemaker when it comes to posting short stories.


No, LitNet's a bit like the island in Lord of the Flies these days.  :Smile:  But Logos is usually pretty timely in getting back to you. Just explain the situation to her. Maybe it will work out. Good luck.

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## Secret III

> No, LitNet's a bit like the island in Lord of the Flies these days.  But Logos is usually pretty timely in getting back to you. Just explain the situation to her. Maybe it will work out. Good luck.


Looks like there were a lot of technical malfunctions with the site and thats what ran off the membership. In 2016 the site was quite active.

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## Secret III

> Do you write? What and when do you write? Why do you write? Who do you see as your audience? How long can you write before reaching a point of diminishing returns (also known as crappy results)?
> 
> These days I write every morning from about seven o'clock to about about ten thirty. Then I have a snack and go back to writing until around about noon. But after about 11:00, I'm kidding myself. By then I'm too spacy to have creativity or critical faculty or even good judgement about what I've written so far. Anything I write in the afternoon will inevitably have to be rewritten the next morning, wasting that three to four hour sweet spot. 
> 
> I write non-fiction based on obscure primary sources. I never post this online. I'll probably self publish some eventually. The rest I intend to leave to my family. I write serious poetry only when the muse comes, and we're both kind of busy these days. But I love to write doggerel. I post it here all the time. I'm too old to worry about professionally publishing my prose (or anything else). I consider that a blessing. 
> 
> Anyone else want to answer my questions? Come on, take the Pompey Bum challenge.


You know, being an ameteur at this (see, I don't even know how to spell!) it's nice to see this thread. A lot of artists didn't go to art school or didn't go to art class and whatnot and so they don't relate to being social with other artists, like many of the professionals do. I firmly believe your daily habits will affect the quality and depth of your output. Just like anything else in life. Plenty of sleep and eating a balanced meal will set you up for a good session of art-making or in this case, writing. Most of us need a clear mind and a lot of privacy and comfort to get into prime creative mode.

Personally I make my best stuff late at night when everyone is asleep. And usually theres a "sweet spot" of creativity and I can actually feel all cylinders firing at full speed. Some people like to be intoxicated or whatnot and many times that was my path but getting screwed up isn't necessary. Inspiring unconventionally new pespectives, but not necessary.

Another very important piece of advice for those artists stuck in a social trap. You may find that certain people around you will try influencing your creations in a plethora of ways. They might try being subtle, they might stage elaborate setups with a cast of twenty incognito actors. They might do anything they can to put their thumbprint on your stuff. If so, then your best course of action is not to encourage them by letting them try and indirectly give you "ideas". The second you let that happen they'll take it as far as they can. So, don't use your life or what happens in your life as the basis of your stories. I don't. You shouldn't either.

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## DS Stone

Posting to see if this forum is working again...

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## Pompey Bum

> Posting to see if this forum is working again...



Sarcasm? Just kidding. As you can see, it's never been worse. That probably bodes ill for LitNet. It's helping my writing, though, since it makes for fewer distractions. Keep checking in is all I can tell you. That's what I'll be doing.

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## Pompey Bum

> You know, being an ameteur at this (see, I don't even know how to spell!) it's nice to see this thread. A lot of artists didn't go to art school or didn't go to art class and whatnot and so they don't relate to being social with other artists, like many of the professionals do. I firmly believe your daily habits will affect the quality and depth of your output. Just like anything else in life. Plenty of sleep and eating a balanced meal will set you up for a good session of art-making or in this case, writing. Most of us need a clear mind and a lot of privacy and comfort to get into prime creative mode.
> 
> Personally I make my best stuff late at night when everyone is asleep. And usually theres a "sweet spot" of creativity and I can actually feel all cylinders firing at full speed. Some people like to be intoxicated or whatnot and many times that was my path but getting screwed up isn't necessary. Inspiring unconventionally new pespectives, but not necessary.
> 
> Another very important piece of advice for those artists stuck in a social trap. You may find that certain people around you will try influencing your creations in a plethora of ways. They might try being subtle, they might stage elaborate setups with a cast of twenty incognito actors. They might do anything they can to put their thumbprint on your stuff. If so, then your best course of action is not to encourage them by letting them try and indirectly give you "ideas". The second you let that happen they'll take it as far as they can. So, don't use your life or what happens in your life as the basis of your stories. I don't. You shouldn't either.


I know about the sweet spot and have to manage my morning routine around it. It's not that I feel the cylinders/synapses firing; it's just that everything is so effortless for those few hours. The right choices about language and imagery just come to me. But if I work past it, I have to waste time rewriting Of my work the next morning. If you are younger than me (I'm middle aged), your good period is probably longer than mine. Make hay while the sun shines. I would also recommend against alcohol or drugs other than caffeine. I even suspect the large amount of coffee I drink in the morning may be a reason my noggin won't work right after around 11:00. In any case, don't fall for the romantic image of the hard-drinking/drugging writer. It's mostly a crock of sh*t.

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## Secret III

> I know about the sweet spot and have to manage my morning routine around it. It's not that I feel the cylinders/synapses firing; it's just that everything is so effortless for those few hours. The right choices about language and imagery just come to me. But if I work past it, I have to waste time rewriting Of my work the next morning. If you are younger than me (I'm middle aged), your good period is probably longer than mine. Make hay while the sun shines. I would also recommend against alcohol or drugs other than caffeine. I even suspect the large amount of coffee I drink in the morning may be a reason my noggin won't work right after around 11:00. In any case, don't fall for the romantic image of the hard-drinking/drugging writer. It's mostly a crock of sh*t.


My "sweet spot" hasn't seemed to change either ever since I was a teen. Its always been like 12am to 4am I do my best work, or beyond that, have my best time (like at a party with friends). The only difference is that I cant stay up for three days straight anymore without getting extra sluggish for a couple days following. I do tire out slightly quicker than I did 20 years ago but I guess I am lucky because compared to most people my age I am in tip top shape and on a physical level I could outperform most average 20 year olds. But yeah, age is going to start affecting you no matter how physically great you are.

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## Secret III

Another thing is the privacy discrepany. If say, I spend 10 hours writing something and someone takes a peek at it, no matter how good it is I will discontinue it and throw it away. During the creation of something if I cannot be the sole and only person that observes it from inception to finish it is worthless garbage and so far, despite all my efforts on this 3rd round of stories I have had to throw 7 away forever. I wish I had the respect and consideration that everyone else has for their privacy.

And I will, even if it was the greatest thing ever written I will throw it away. Privacy first.

Did I personally show it to you from my hands to your hands? Did I say, "Hey, have a look at this?" and look you in the eyes with a smile? If not, you weren't invited and you are not a part of the creative process, stranger.

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## Pompey Bum

I guess I know what you mean, but my solution is just not to show people my work. I have hundreds of pages I peck at and change all the time. My family can have it when I'm gone. I seldom post anything real here except for book reviews. A young poet got his feelings a little hurt by some fairly constructive criticism of mine. He wanted to read my poetry to see whether I practiced what I preach. I managed to turn up some by digging around the old site threads. It made me realize how little serious work I'd ever put online. But it wouldn't make me stop working on something just because someone else had seen it. I try--I actually do try sometimes--but I just can't bring myself to care that much what someone thinks about my writing or about me.

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## Secret III

> I guess I know what you mean, but my solution is just not to show people my work. I have hundreds of pages I peck at and change all the time. My family can have it when I'm gone. I seldom post anything real here except for book reviews. A young poet (not ShadowLight, btw) got his feelings a little hurt by some fairly constructive criticism. He or she wanted to see my poetry to see whether I practiced what I preach. I managed to turn up some by digging around the site, but it made me realize how little serious work I'd ever put online. But it wouldn't make me stop working on something just because someone else had seen it. I try--I actually do try sometimes--but I just can't bring myself to care that much what someone else thinks. Not about my writing. Not about me.


Yeah, I don't have a problem with sharing things I do with family and friends. I've given recorded music to family and friends that I made on mix tapes some years ago, stuff I wouldn't put out there to the public, and some things I wrote as well including a few stories but its not cool when people you dont know try and hack your emails and your phone and break into your storage and more in the attempt to get a look at or take what you have created. That aint cool at all. And you know, Im not famous or anything and I dont get paid to do this, so why should I have to deal with that sort of disrespect to my privacy and property?

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## Secret III

LOL... well, to be wordily technical its not cool either if people you _do_ know hack your emails and search your personal belongings. Its not really cool regardless of who they are.

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## Pompey Bum

Hasn't been a problem for me. No one else is interested, which is the way I like it.  :Smile:

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## Secret III

replicate post

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## Secret III

> Hasn't been a problem for me. No one else is interested, which is the way I like it.


Well, I will figure out a solution, just got to really put my mind to it.

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## Pompey Bum

Well, let your email service know about the situation if you think you're being hacked. A shorter term solution would be to clear all your writing off of your email. And as a last resort, you could always get a more secure service. Hope it works out for you.

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## Secret III

> Well, let your email service know about the situation if you think you're being hacked. A shorter term solution would be to clear all your writing off of your email. And as a last resort, you could always get a more secure service. Hope it works out for you.


I use a Sandisk Secure3 flash drive now and password protect it. I keep that locked up along with printed copies.

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## DS Stone

Is anyone using KDP to publish their own books?

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## Charlie Guerard

> I'm trying to combine the modern interests of children and classic stories) For example, the Avengers instead of three piglets  Of course, I'm joking about the avengers, but I think you understand the meaning. Because I am not a professional writer, I asked for help to write my papers. You can try this out to do it. It seems to me that this can help you.


If you need help, you can write me in private messages. I do not have much experience, but maybe I can tell you something.

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## WICKES

Yes, I have just started writing seriously. Why do I do it? It's an interesting question, and one every writer should ask himself. Deep down, many writers (and painters, musicians, singers, actors, etc) do it in the hope of fame and success. They dream of being praised and admired, of appearing on high-brow arts shows, winning awards, and so on. In realty, of course, that's very unlikely. The competition is insanely fierce, and there is always someone better  probably in the same village! 

And not only is it unrealistic, it's also self-destructive. If you write because you want to be nominated for the Booker, or have your poems studied by college students, etc, then you are setting yourself up for failure  and pain. I once heard someone say she was working on "a great modern epic". I mean, god, how arrogant can you be! To hear her talk, you'd think she was about to produce the new Ulysses. No doubt she clogged up publishers inboxes for the nest five years. In fact, writing any novel is arrogant. It takes an average reader at least a week to get through a 300 page book. When you think how many great works there are, and how short life is, you'd need an ego the size of Manhatten to try. You are effectively saying, "spend a week reading this instead of Dickens, George Eliot, Jane Austen, Tolstoy, Vonnegut, DeLilo, Conrad, Nabokov...and so on. 

In general, I'd say write poetry, essays or short stories. Those can be read quickly, both by the publisher and reader. They can also be published alongside dozens of others. That's another thing about writing a novel. You are suggesting that your work ought to take up the space of an entire book!

As for why I do it. Well, it certainly isn't for fame and praise. I am realistic about that. And I'm sure it wouldn't bring the happiness people imagine. Even if, by some miracle, I produced a great novel, had it published and praised, then what? At first I'd be thrilled, but soon the praise would die down and I'd be expected to follow it up. So I sweat blood for a year and the publishers say "meh, not as good as the first one  maybe we made a mistake"! The main reason is a love of language. The older I get, the more overwhelming this love becomes. I am obsessed with language, and the thought of creating a beautiful paragraph, or even sentence, thrills me. Then there is the burning need for a creative outlet. The feeling you get when you create something is orgasmic  even if it's no good. Plus, I like the feeling of getting better each time I try. Finally, I guess, there is the hope that, some day, a poem or story or play will be published, or even praised, by someone whose opinion I value.

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