@ease Having different music depending on type of story is super effective for me too, but the problem I have is that if the music changes to wrong kind, I'm pulled out of the story. I should curate different playlists for different purposes but haven't gotten around doing it. I have my general instrumental playlist and have to skip songs until the feel is just right, so I often just write in silence or put on an ambient sound.
Including other senses is something I haven't thought about but want to try. This years I shall find my writing scent! I'm going to Pavlov's dog myself into healthy writing habits.
Sorry to hear you have been spending a lot time in hospitals, hope you and your loved ones are okay.
I'm going to Pavlov's dog myself into healthy writing habits.
That was my thought! It seems to work sometimes... a little, at least. Haha.
Sorry to hear you have been spending a lot time in hospitals, hope you and your loved ones are okay.
Ah, sorry, that was misleading of me. My loved ones and I are all blessed with good health. I just work in hospitals.
VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com
Kindle Vella - Ashes to Ashes, Earth to Kaybee
@ease Hah, I forgot that was an option too. Glad to hear I was misinterpreting!
@ease Thank you. I'd never considered that the zone could be established aromatically.
Took a cruise to Alaska a number of years back and Lori and I bought the spa package. The room with heated lounges and the mineral spa had an aromatherapy vaporizer that looked like a smoking canon ball (mixed message), which wasn't quite as unsettling as the new-age "dinky-do" music (?) issuing from the speakers.
The sensory combo worked a relaxing magic on Lori, but did the opposite for me. After ten minutes of dinky-do music, I was ready to chew glass.
*Writes down 'aroma zone' on post-it. Sticks it to desk lamp.*
Have fun
I want dancing bananas!
It seemed to be an open ended topic for important writing advice.
Hi Harvey Amos,
Welcome to the forum and thank you for your post.
There is no seeming about this thread, it is absolutely "an open ended topic for important writing advice." That said, I will mention that there are a number of different ways to impart that advice, and it has been my observation over several decades that levity is a mnemonic aid.
Levity also aids camaraderie, and that is the feeling I meant to impart in my previous post. I had genuinely never considered the aromatic environment of my writing space and wished to thank @ease for mentioning it. Including a personal anecdote was my way of bringing my audience closer, and you will find similar anecdotes scattered across my other posts.
Here on the forum, we are a community, albeit scattered around the corners of the globe, but one that recognizes the abject loneliness of the act of writing. Even those of us who sit in boisterous cafes to write are ensconced within a mote of solitude that can weigh heavily on the soul. In recognition of that loneliness, we band together here in this electronic space to share our little tragedies and triumphs, our mundane secrets and profound knowledge.
I'm always happy to note that this is an open forum. You, Harvey Amos, are one of us - glad to have you.
I started this thread to explore the advice, the words of wisdom, and the real life experiences that have aided a writer's ability to relate their stories to their readers. So, what does Harvey Amos have for us? Share something that sparked your creative fire. Share something that made you pump a metaphoric fist and say, "Yes, I've got this."
And please, for the love of all the universe, have fun while you're with us.
From me to everyone reading, you're my comrades in this endeavour,
Have fun
I want dancing bananas!
Share something that sparked your creative fire.
I was just wondering why the topic is marked with a green tick, meaning "solved", if it's an open-ended discussion.
To me "solved" would mean the question is answered and there isn't much point commenting further.
My life changing experience has been my discovery of the almighty algorithm.
Almost 30 years of watching films and TV, even books I have read, tossed in the bin.
I was born again, with fresh, albeit old, eyes, able to see what no-one else does.
Like that kid in the sixth sense, I guess.
I suggest you spread your message around, there are people who need to hear it.
PS
Perhaps I'm more like Neo in the Matrix, discovering everything we see is a lie.
Or Mike Donovan in V, witnessing the skin come off.
Dorothy and the wizard.
(Oh, heck not another one??)
Like in ID4, with the opening head.
Oh, it likes it's little jokes.
But don't turn your back on it for a moment.
When will I wake from this nightmare?
PPS
That has had me thinking of a new aspect of the great one.
I have been enlightened with another small gift of knowledge.
Perhaps as a reward for enduring recent events.
Perhaps these gifts will become more frequent, culminating in my inevitable union with the beast itself.
Oh, what manner of horror has been unleashed upon me?
On the plus side, there are plenty of movies I can go back and revisit.
Sweet!
PPPS
Actually, I think I have just Stumbled upon a huge revaluation of the algorithm.
Some things I had not considered before and will possibly solve a few issues I have been having!!!
Many thanks!
@nova Thank you for the positive input.
I had not noticed that I had activated the "solved" indicator. Thank you for mentioning it. I've put in a report to hopefully have it reversed.
I want dancing bananas!
I always use the same aftershave when I write (and I never use it if I'm not writing).
Please tell us all where we can buy some of this magical aftershave! I will try any magic to get my writing going 😉
"...your motivations for wanting to write are probably complex. You may have a few great passions, you may want to be rich and famous, and you may need therapy."
- Dave Farland, Million Dollar Outlines
"...I also miss almost 100% of the shots I do take."
- Gideon Smith
Writers of the Future:
2026 Q1: P Q2: TBD Q3: TBD Q4: TBD
2025 Q1: HM Q2: SHM Q3: HM Q4: HM (resub of 2024 HM)
2024 Q1: F Q2: HM Q3:SHM Q4: SHM
2023 Q1: RWC Q2: SHM Q3: SHM Q4: R
2022 Q4: R
Submissions to other markets:
2026: 6 submitted 0 acceptances
2025: 163 submitted 10 acceptances
2024: 53 submitted 8 acceptances
2023: 74 submitted 13 acceptances
2022: 22 submitted 1 acceptance
2026 goals: a. 2025 Novel submitted to agents/publishers b. Draft 0 of a new novel c. Speak at a con on panels d. Write 3 serious shorts NOT for WOTF e. Submit something, somewhere, every month
I always use the same aftershave when I write (and I never use it if I'm not writing).
Please tell us all where we can buy some of this magical aftershave! I will try any magic to get my writing going 😉
A productive writing day for me tends to smell like BO and swamp butt. So, yeah, maybe I could use some of that magic smell-good juice too.
"There are three rules to writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
— W. Somerset Maugham
Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
SFx1
HMx6
R/RWCx6
Haha, Walmart has it! I can't say it's especially good (nor bad: my sense of smell is almost as bad as my sense of taste), but it fits the vibe!
VOL 40 2nd Quarter: Third Place ("Ashes to Ashes, Blood to Carbonfiber")
Past submissions: R - HM - HM - HM - HM - HM - SHM - SHM
www.jd-writes.com
Kindle Vella - Ashes to Ashes, Earth to Kaybee
