What helps you write your best? When/where are you most creative?

Usually my ideas come to me at midnight, or sometimes even later. When that happens, I always close my eyes, breathe and relax, letting all my thoughts form into ideas and imaginations. When I'm all out, I immediately jot them down on the nearest notepad. I write things in pointers, even though they don't make sense, like these:

- Female vampires bite on the left, male vampires bite on the right

- Elves in my story don't talk English, but some other elven language

Pointers' like those, which usually have nothing to do with what I like to write, but I write them down, anyway.

Sometimes, I get ideas from nowhere. I could be in a car, looking at the trees fly by, and a sudden idea comes to mind. It's always good to carry a notepad with you wherever you go.

When I plan out my story, I keep asking myself questions. For example, if I'm writing a story about achieving you're dreams, I ask myself, "How does he/she achieve it?" and then I write it down: He/she practices running everyday and always thinks positive to achieve being in first place. Or if you're character is stuck in a situation where there are vampires that have him trapped in his house, ask yourself "How does he escape this situation?". You could write: He covers the whole house with garlic (because garlic repels vampires). Be creative. And yes, you might have realized that I'm a "sucker" for vampires. :P

Something else that I think would be helpful, too, is when you have writers block, don't panic. Go for a walk, eat ice-cream, go out with friends, do whatever you want just to open your mind. It helps greatly! And if you're like me, you can write with peaceful music, or music that suits the situation that you're writing about. For example if you're describing a beautiful garden, put on something orchestral. If you're character is in a hard situation, put on some heavy music.

Hope I helped! Best wishes to you and you're writing! I'm a writer, too, nothing published, though! I learn new writing techniques everyday only by writing more and more. I'm only 15, and some people have told me I have a gift of writing like a person who has a degree in English Literature =).

I am an English major so I have to write a lot of papers, the way that is easiest for me is to outline all my ideas. I start of with an introduction to the paper/story. I write bullets with notes on what I am want to include, usually the main points I am going to elaborate on later. Then I start with the body of the paper/story dividing it into sections by the main points from the introduction, I try to write at least 3 ideas for one point that I listed in the introduction (if you wrote 3 main points in the intro, you elaborate with 3 ideas per point so you should have 9). After this the conclusion comes pretty easy so I don't include that in my outline but you could if you wanted to. I also write all of this, then when I turn it into the actual paper I write that out as well because it allows me to cross out and add anything I think of while I am writing. I don't type until I am done adding and taking out ideas. This technique works really well for me, I could write a 5 page paper in about 3 hours and get an A on it. Hope it works for you. If you don't understand I could try to explain it better

I keep a portable tape recorder. I find myself turning on the lights and making tons of notes when I try to sleep. So finally I just gave up and made 1 - 5 am my writing hours. Nice and quiet. Nobody bothers me. Peaceful. And I get tons done. Of course, I still have to write at other times. I ghostwrite and have deadlines, but my personal writing is 1 - 5 am. I get by with lots of naps. I write full time. Lucky me.

Save those notes. Sometimes they fall together when you least expect them. Some idea you had months or years ago will suddenly fill a hole in what you are writing. It has happened to me before. And I am a "wing-it'er" ... I do not outline. I just have a book in my head - beginning to end and as I write it plays through my head. I write very visually and see things like a screenplay.

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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax - C

I am similar to you but I think the issue has been I was afraid my story wouldn't be the first-time writer's award. But you know what, it doesn't matter. Stephen King said you have to write and get rejected so you can learn. And even when you write a story, no matter what, you'll always find flaws with it. So, I think you might want to simply just start your story and write it. Don't stop and stuff it in the drawer because if you do that you'll simply never finish it. The world is full of 30-page unfinished novels because of that.

Another point is this is a symptom of not really knowing where your story is going. So you might want to think about outlining your story on paper or at least in your mind.

Keep a digital voice recorder near your bed. Speak the ideas into it. You can write/type them up later.

Disjointed details are better than nothing! When I am working on a story I generally have two sections/pages/files going -- one for details and one for outlines.

I usually flesh out the outline with the details that evoked the need to write in the first place. When I get stuck or find myself feeling dissatisfied, I move on to another area of the outline, or another set of details. I am a perfectionist and I recognize that unless I give myself permission to continue even when its 'not perfect,' nothing I write will ever be completed -- I used to have a lot of perfectly polished story-starts :)

Sleekcat :), I am a lot older than you but have the same problem, a whole book of poetry on my head in the middle of the night..... Gone in the morning.

Keep a notebook by the bed, switch on the light and scribble whatever is in your mind; in the morning, work from there.

my brain is just like that so i went out and bought a spiral and wheni would come up with ideas even if i didnt rember the whole idea i would write it down anyways but mostly i read a bunch if books to get in idea and then boom my brian goes into over drive

Make a treasure map with guidelines to the family contributors reunion on it. The "treasure" would be the region of the reunion. additionally, deliver each and each guy or woman a "dubloon" to spend on some manage on the reunion with the possibility to earn greater by potential of doing dissimilar issues- partaking, bringing, and so on.. If I knew greater approximately your loved ones(call, place of birth, and so on...) i could be to assist write a limerick or some thing to contain. appropriate desires!