Hey there guys! As the title suggests, everyone needs a healthy break, right? I feel like asking a random question on my break. Right now I'm sitting on my bed with my story on my lap and the show LOST playing on the TV in the background. Surprisingly, it makes nice background music (if you would call it that) to write to. Now, I've always been a fan of multitasking, so I'm not surprised. But does anyone else like to watch something as they write?
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The only difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.
47,573 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 22 02
But of course! Certain shows are actually fuel for my writing, in even non-plagiarizing ways, especially if they have the same rough subject matter as my story. I tend to watch a lot of Supernatural, Dresden Files, Harry Potter, even (don't tell anyone) Wizards of Waverly Place, and even recently, shows like True Blood. If they're based on a favorite book series of mine, so much the better. I got a whole chapter and change out of a Harry Potter movie alone.
It tends to make the experience a little more fun. And, I can watch the shows I've been meaning to catch up on while writing. What's more fun then that?
----------"Nailing a live octopus to a wall is impossible. Everything else is merely difficult." -Simon R. Green
7,834 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 22 33
Ack. No.
See, I have this problem where my brain is instantly sucked from my skull if the television is on. I can be mid-sentence, walk into a room with a live tv, and instantly my eyes are glued to the screen and I have no idea what it was I was saying.
Imagine that in literary form. :(
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"I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears."
8,148 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 23 09
Oh, yeah. I can't do it with shows that I'm really into (like Supernatural or Glee), but I tend to have TV on in the background at all times... when writing, when doing homework, when sleeping. I tend to pick one of the Nerdy Three: Discovery, History, or National Geographic channels. Like, today I was writing with something on NatGeo about the universe.
42,341 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 06 11
OK - so, is that THIS YEAR's novel? 'Cause if it's not, jot that down for next year. Sucking out brains and eyeballs glued to a teevee sound like a pretty decent beginning (even if there aren't zombies........or are there?)
dale-harriet
38,853 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 07 50
@ Dante: I know what you mean. There a couple of movies that I've seen dozens of times that I use as background noise. Harry Potter is one of them because of the magic involved. Anything I watch has to be something I've seen though so I don't get really distracted by what's on the screen. Forgetting Sarah Marshal is another movie I listen to as noise (it's saved to my computer, so I can't watch and write at the same time).
@ Kitttie: As long as I've already seen what I'm watching, then I can fight out the mind-sucking TV monster! But if not...then I fall victim to it to. Especially to comedy shows.
@ Crayola: NatGeo/History channel is something I like to put on in the background too! The only show I can't watch is called "Pawn Stars" on the history channel. I get too into it and start yelling at the screen when somebody shouldn't sell something.
@ Dale: Ooh ooh! I'm with yah on this one. Kitttie came up with a good idea: Zombie TV brain sucking monster should be a novel! It sounds like some sort of Goosebump book.
----------The only difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.
8,148 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 08 29
Psyoren, I do have that problem with certain shows, especially Discovery Channel ones. Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, and Cash Cab can be dangerous to getting any work done.
But then again, I'm working on my novel right now while I'm in class (and splitting my time pretty well), so multitasking isn't something that I'm unfamiliar with ;)
41,461 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 13 17
I can barely do anything while watching TV (except eat--I do that way too often). I can't even listen to music. I have to completely immerse myself in my fictional world for me to imagine all its details: how it smells, all the sounds, etc.
I thought it'd be easy enough to knock out 1,000 words while at work (I'm on the computer for 4.5 hours each workday, and since I mostly just answer the phones, there's a lot of down time. Oh, and my supervisor's cool with it, so no need to worry). But even that's hard enough as it is, since I can hear the elevators moving, phone's ringing, people stop to talk, et al.
----------6,757 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 22 04
I'm reading Scott Westerfeld's new novel, Leviathan and re-listening to American Gods by Neil Gaiman. not at the same time though. :P I also watched Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story tonight during a couple procrastination hours. :D
----------38,853 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 16 19
@ crayola: OH GOD, CASH CAB. That's another one I can't watch. If the neon lights in the cab flashing every few seconds weren't a big enough distraction, I like to guess the questions too. I also write in lecture all the time. There's just something about people talking on stage that gets the creative juices flowing. Is there a particular class that you write in?
@ exjentric: You're really lucky that your employer is cool with you writing during work! It sounds like you should get some earplugs for the days where people are loud.
@ ariella: How is that book? I heard an interview about it on the radio and was really interested in picking it up at the bookstore. The cover is sooooo coooool.
----------The only difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.
38,853 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 16 21
@ crayola: OH GOD, CASH CAB. That's another one I can't watch. If the neon lights in the cab flashing every few seconds weren't a big enough distraction, I like to guess the questions too. I also write in lecture all the time. There's just something about people talking on stage that gets the creative juices flowing. Is there a particular class that you write in?
@ exjentric: You're really lucky that your employer is cool with you writing during work! It sounds like you should get some earplugs for the days where people are loud.
@ ariella: How is that book? I heard an interview about it on the radio and was really interested in picking it up at the bookstore. The cover is sooooo coooool.
----------The only difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.
38,853 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 16 21
@ crayola: OH GOD, CASH CAB. That's another one I can't watch. If the neon lights in the cab flashing every few seconds weren't a big enough distraction, I like to guess the questions too. I also write in lecture all the time. There's just something about people talking on stage that gets the creative juices flowing. Is there a particular class that you write in?
@ exjentric: You're really lucky that your employer is cool with you writing during work! It sounds like you should get some earplugs for the days where people are loud.
@ ariella: How is that book? I heard an interview about it on the radio and was really interested in picking it up at the bookstore. The cover is sooooo coooool.
----------The only difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.