Try movie soundtracks. They are designed to not be to overt and yet create a mood over time. Choose full soundtrack albums and don't shuffle the music, let its progression of songs build up. Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Harry Potter, and anything by John Williams start off smooth and you end up writing like you are being chased by wolves. The length is often convenient to a good writing session, helping us ND writers stay to the end. You don't want lyrics confusing the verbal part of your brain so stay the the melodic and soundscapes. The Blade Runner soundtrack makes me imagine I write like Hemingway, a drink in one hand, pecking at a manual typewriter. The Batman soundtrack will make your brooding much more intense... And it will make you write like Batman. Cheers and good writing.
Yes!! I just went to the LA Phil for the first time and heard the Harry Potter scores and it was magical and moving. I will definitely be writing to it when I rewrite my fantasy. I definitely do get distracted with the lyrics sometimes in my music while writing, it’s a good point that instrumentals help so much and the length makes it that much better.
I do this with the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. One channel on here uploaded all the Davey Jones themed songs together and made a "suite". Makes you feel like Davey himself when he played the organ, except the keys im pressing are from a laptop and im stressing over what to name my character and not my tragic romantic backstory.
I avoid movie soundtracks like the plague as so many include songs with lyrics. If there's one thing 100% guaranteed to disrupt my writing of words, it's hearing words and then due to both ADHD and hearing loss, concentrating as much as I can to listening to those words, hoping I heard it all correctly. Wait, what was I doing again? Certainly not writing, was it the laundry? Dishes? Oooo, I bet I was cleaning or maybe watching a video. I'm all about music, but I create my own ambient music playlists, sometimes with my own ambient music. The entire genre is actually designed to not be to overt, hence the reason it's called ambient.
@@DesoloSubHumus yup, I agree. "No lyrics" is a must. Try older sound tracks and remember you might have to skip the one or two songs that have lyrics. Try John Williams to start with. Using the same music every time with a set, acceptable length will help regularize the writing session. Try not to leave the session until your music is done. Over time this creates a habit. Cheers and good writing.
@@MichaelHolstine I've haven't seen many movies, but so far, every one has had lyrics for most of the soundtrack, so it may well be a case of just having terrible luck in terms of the movies I come across. I've never heard of John Williams, so I'll have to look him up. As for writing until the music is done, that simply isn't going to happen. Quoting my other comment on this video: "Is there any alternative for the Pomodoro method for those of us with jobs and other commitments? In reality, I'll find I may have between 2 and 10 chances to write in any given 6 month period, often ranging for 2 minutes (most common) to 30 minutes (if I'm really, really lucky), and none of those moments are scheduled. They all depend on other people leaving me alone, and I have no control over other people's schedules - it happens when it happens - there is no way to plan for them. I also have to get the full chapter/multiple full chapters done in that time or else I'll forget where I was going with it. ..." I'm called into other rooms or end up with the shoulder-surfing critic (who is 100% certain I'm the worst writer ever and I should never write or say another word again) to be able to write on a regular, scheduled basis for any pre-set time. To be honest, I've never written until the end of the music, rather I write until the headphones are yanked off or until the music is drowned out by voices, usually yelling for me to look at some meme.
I relate to this a lot. Learning about my neurodivergent brain has helped me better understand why i do the things i do. Body doubling and Journaling has made a big difference. I found writing first thing in the morning brings out my best ideas. Keep making more content about you creative process because it's always good to see how others get the creativity out.
So glad you can relate!! Yes exactly! It is so nice to understand my own brain and give it what it needs to flow better and create. I’m glad journaling and body doubling works for you too, I love hearing what works for others. Thank you so much for the encouragement to keep talking about the writing process! Wishing you tons of success. 🙌
this is SO helpful. i realized last year that i want to do screenwriting, so ive been trying to build more consistent habits to get into it and build a portfolio. for me, something that helps my writers block a lot is watching a movie and analyzing it, but for the longest time i thought i was just "being lazy" but it really is great for getting me to think about my story structures and how to get through writing character arcs
Welcome to screenwriting!! It really does help internalize the structure when you watch it. It’s my favorite thing to do before or after I read the script! I try to pinpoint beginning and ends of the acts and any major beats and I’ve started teaching my family story by pointing it out too. It becomes a fun game.🤭
@@PikaLeeMedia thank you so much!! yesss i've gotten my writer friends to analyze movie beats with me and i think its helping us all improve our craft a lot!
Yay for the same brains! I have never tackled a 100K project before, so I am rooting for you! I have friends who write Sci-Fi and Epic Fantasy primarily and I admire the heck out of them for it.
Is there any alternative for the Pomodoro method for those of us with jobs and other commitments? In reality, I'll find I may have between 2 and 10 chances to write in any given 6 month period, often ranging for 2 minutes (most common) to 30 minutes (if I'm really, really lucky), and none of those moments are scheduled. They all depend on other people leaving me alone, and I have no control over other people's schedules - it happens when it happens - there is no way to plan for them. I also have to get the full chapter/multiple full chapters done in that time or else I'll forget where I was going with it. Pomodoro seems to rely on specific, planned periods of time, though, and the assumption is made that we can plan our own schedules around the writing, as if no one works on call or has 'flexible hours' or gets called in to cover for people calling out sick all the time.
There was a reverse of this I’ve heard some people will do which is just time tracking. You can use a stopwatch on your phone and instead of losing the flow you’d stop when you’re done and track that session time in your notes. Pomodoro doesn’t need to be planned and often I run one using my countdown on my phone at work for ten minutes or fifteen during lunch. It mostly helps with my time blindness. I know sometimes I don’t have time during lunch so I work around my 50 hr workweek by going into work earlier to write or staying later if I know at home I might be distracted. Something my friends do is after they finish writing, they make a quick prose note/summary of what is going to happen next so they don’t lose it if they come back way later. I do this myself if I’m deviating a bit from my outline. A few also use voice notes and attach it to the document so you can find it later. Hope you find something that works for you! 🙌
@@PikaLeeMedia Time tracking might work, though going to work for some quiet time won't work (I work in a grocery store, so it's constant customer questions, even off the clock, plus I write on my PC at home). Taking summary notes isn't going to work, as I stop writing due to the distraction and it just gets worse if I don't just minimize/close the window - there's barely time to hit Ctrl-S to quick save (I've even hard to stop mid-word before) and all to avoid the multi-hour argument about whether I should even be writing. But the time tracking does sound like it'll work (timer on a whole separate device), so thank you!
Try movie soundtracks. They are designed to not be to overt and yet create a mood over time. Choose full soundtrack albums and don't shuffle the music, let its progression of songs build up. Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Harry Potter, and anything by John Williams start off smooth and you end up writing like you are being chased by wolves. The length is often convenient to a good writing session, helping us ND writers stay to the end. You don't want lyrics confusing the verbal part of your brain so stay the the melodic and soundscapes. The Blade Runner soundtrack makes me imagine I write like Hemingway, a drink in one hand, pecking at a manual typewriter. The Batman soundtrack will make your brooding much more intense... And it will make you write like Batman. Cheers and good writing.
Yes!! I just went to the LA Phil for the first time and heard the Harry Potter scores and it was magical and moving. I will definitely be writing to it when I rewrite my fantasy. I definitely do get distracted with the lyrics sometimes in my music while writing, it’s a good point that instrumentals help so much and the length makes it that much better.
I do this with the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. One channel on here uploaded all the Davey Jones themed songs together and made a "suite". Makes you feel like Davey himself when he played the organ, except the keys im pressing are from a laptop and im stressing over what to name my character and not my tragic romantic backstory.
I avoid movie soundtracks like the plague as so many include songs with lyrics. If there's one thing 100% guaranteed to disrupt my writing of words, it's hearing words and then due to both ADHD and hearing loss, concentrating as much as I can to listening to those words, hoping I heard it all correctly. Wait, what was I doing again? Certainly not writing, was it the laundry? Dishes? Oooo, I bet I was cleaning or maybe watching a video.
I'm all about music, but I create my own ambient music playlists, sometimes with my own ambient music. The entire genre is actually designed to not be to overt, hence the reason it's called ambient.
@@DesoloSubHumus yup, I agree. "No lyrics" is a must. Try older sound tracks and remember you might have to skip the one or two songs that have lyrics. Try John Williams to start with. Using the same music every time with a set, acceptable length will help regularize the writing session. Try not to leave the session until your music is done. Over time this creates a habit. Cheers and good writing.
@@MichaelHolstine I've haven't seen many movies, but so far, every one has had lyrics for most of the soundtrack, so it may well be a case of just having terrible luck in terms of the movies I come across. I've never heard of John Williams, so I'll have to look him up.
As for writing until the music is done, that simply isn't going to happen. Quoting my other comment on this video:
"Is there any alternative for the Pomodoro method for those of us with jobs and other commitments? In reality, I'll find I may have between 2 and 10 chances to write in any given 6 month period, often ranging for 2 minutes (most common) to 30 minutes (if I'm really, really lucky), and none of those moments are scheduled. They all depend on other people leaving me alone, and I have no control over other people's schedules - it happens when it happens - there is no way to plan for them. I also have to get the full chapter/multiple full chapters done in that time or else I'll forget where I was going with it. ..."
I'm called into other rooms or end up with the shoulder-surfing critic (who is 100% certain I'm the worst writer ever and I should never write or say another word again) to be able to write on a regular, scheduled basis for any pre-set time. To be honest, I've never written until the end of the music, rather I write until the headphones are yanked off or until the music is drowned out by voices, usually yelling for me to look at some meme.
I relate to this a lot. Learning about my neurodivergent brain has helped me better understand why i do the things i do. Body doubling and Journaling has made a big difference. I found writing first thing in the morning brings out my best ideas. Keep making more content about you creative process because it's always good to see how others get the creativity out.
So glad you can relate!! Yes exactly! It is so nice to understand my own brain and give it what it needs to flow better and create. I’m glad journaling and body doubling works for you too, I love hearing what works for others.
Thank you so much for the encouragement to keep talking about the writing process! Wishing you tons of success. 🙌
hi fellow neurodivergent writer!!! Sooooo excited to find your channel, thank you for being here!!!!
Welcome! 🎉 So glad to meet a fellow neurodivergent writer!!!
this is SO helpful. i realized last year that i want to do screenwriting, so ive been trying to build more consistent habits to get into it and build a portfolio. for me, something that helps my writers block a lot is watching a movie and analyzing it, but for the longest time i thought i was just "being lazy" but it really is great for getting me to think about my story structures and how to get through writing character arcs
Welcome to screenwriting!! It really does help internalize the structure when you watch it. It’s my favorite thing to do before or after I read the script! I try to pinpoint beginning and ends of the acts and any major beats and I’ve started teaching my family story by pointing it out too. It becomes a fun game.🤭
@@PikaLeeMedia thank you so much!! yesss i've gotten my writer friends to analyze movie beats with me and i think its helping us all improve our craft a lot!
@pop-punkreptile5827 🥳
You have the same brain that I do! At least I know I'm onto something. 2k/100k words at the moment and I ended up here, distracted. xD
Yay for the same brains! I have never tackled a 100K project before, so I am rooting for you! I have friends who write Sci-Fi and Epic Fantasy primarily and I admire the heck out of them for it.
goodjob !!!!
same
Excellent advice! Now-If only I had the attention span to find out what it you said! 😂 😭 💀
I loved this, it was great tips and info. Some I do already! I'll definitely be putting these other tips to use to stay up on game!!
1:25 for neurodivergent viewers.
You’re the goat
So helpful! Thank you!
I do a lot of the same things. Didn't know I'm neurodivergent until last year
It’s incredible how we unconsciously do these little things to help ourselves write or create art! It’s really great to know what makes us tick. 😁
Is there any alternative for the Pomodoro method for those of us with jobs and other commitments? In reality, I'll find I may have between 2 and 10 chances to write in any given 6 month period, often ranging for 2 minutes (most common) to 30 minutes (if I'm really, really lucky), and none of those moments are scheduled. They all depend on other people leaving me alone, and I have no control over other people's schedules - it happens when it happens - there is no way to plan for them. I also have to get the full chapter/multiple full chapters done in that time or else I'll forget where I was going with it. Pomodoro seems to rely on specific, planned periods of time, though, and the assumption is made that we can plan our own schedules around the writing, as if no one works on call or has 'flexible hours' or gets called in to cover for people calling out sick all the time.
There was a reverse of this I’ve heard some people will do which is just time tracking. You can use a stopwatch on your phone and instead of losing the flow you’d stop when you’re done and track that session time in your notes. Pomodoro doesn’t need to be planned and often I run one using my countdown on my phone at work for ten minutes or fifteen during lunch. It mostly helps with my time blindness. I know sometimes I don’t have time during lunch so I work around my 50 hr workweek by going into work earlier to write or staying later if I know at home I might be distracted.
Something my friends do is after they finish writing, they make a quick prose note/summary of what is going to happen next so they don’t lose it if they come back way later. I do this myself if I’m deviating a bit from my outline. A few also use voice notes and attach it to the document so you can find it later. Hope you find something that works for you! 🙌
@@PikaLeeMedia Time tracking might work, though going to work for some quiet time won't work (I work in a grocery store, so it's constant customer questions, even off the clock, plus I write on my PC at home). Taking summary notes isn't going to work, as I stop writing due to the distraction and it just gets worse if I don't just minimize/close the window - there's barely time to hit Ctrl-S to quick save (I've even hard to stop mid-word before) and all to avoid the multi-hour argument about whether I should even be writing.
But the time tracking does sound like it'll work (timer on a whole separate device), so thank you!
GREAT
Your voice sounds ai 😭
😭