What is the medium you most like to work with and why? Post interesting mediums that get creative juices flowing!!

For me, I can't write unless it's on my laptop. It's terrible, especially if a great monologue hits me and I can't write it down there and then. I carry a notebook but it all becomes notes as soon as I see the lined paper! XD

It's really nice to write outside, I think. All the smells and sounds are more stimulating that a study, and it makes it seem less like work.

I'm old school, I'm afraid. Pen and (unlined) paper for me, preferably gel pen in a silly color like light green with sparkles in it. Srsly. I have "inherited" a love of sparkly gel pens from my 8-year-old daughter. I have a huge collection of them. So yeah. Pen, with all the scribbling-out and arrow-drawing to insert text that such requires. I guess it's just what I'm comfortable with. When I started writing, they didn't have computers. Well, at least none that didn't take up an entire room.

I do, of course, eventually type up whatever I write on a computer, usually my laptop while I'm sitting in bed, but I do enjoy initially writing with pen and paper. It's therapeutic, I guess.

I never write in pencil, though. I hate the sound of pencil on paper in the way most people hate fingernails on a chalkboard. I lament the loss of erasing, but I just can't deal with that sound.

So I'm not the only one! My friends and family laugh at me because I avoid pencils for exactly this reason (just writing with one sends shivers up my spine), but it's nice to know that I'm not alone in this idiosyncracy .

I write only on my computer. I write fast in ink, but even that can't keep up with my sometimes maniacal flow of thought. Thankfully, I type 90 WPM, so I'm able to commit my words to keyboard without too much trouble.

I actually quite like writing with pencils ^_^ It's got a scratchy sort of quill sound to it! XD

Where do you tend to write, or feel most comfortable? Do you have your own writing nook or do you change the scenery? I suppose on computers this is kind of limited, but say on paper etc.

(Rabid, your avatar made me laugh! XD)

I hate writing on computers. I always carry a writing journal around with me and three blue pens plus one black pen for titles and whatnot. I find I write my best when I'm handwriting everything. Of course, everyone I know thinks I'm crazy, but at least I know when the computer crashes really badly, I won't lose my writing.

As far as where I like to write, anywhere is good for me. I can't get comfortable outside, but I do get some of my really good inspiration when I'm outside. Then I generally come in and write it. My favourite place of all time to write is in my bedroom, with a quite CD playing in the background and a cup of coffee.

Adding to the 'Great Pencil Debate of '09', I can't stand writing with them. My writing always becomes really smudged and especially illegible when I use pencil, so I stick strictly to pen.

I type most of my writing, because I lose notebooks. I have a fantastic memory for sudden flashes of inspiration, so generally I can carry it until I can type it. And if I can't, then it probably wasn't a great idea anyway.

I backup my work to DVD every two months, and everything important goes on my hard drive, email and thumb drive, so the redundancy protects me from crashes.

I prefer to write inside, because outside is distracting because of the birds adn the clouds and the joggers and they boys.

Yay for more pencil haters! I glad I'm not the only one. I guess it's just a frequency of sound that is annoying to mine ears.

Now, as for writing locale... It will depend on my mood and/or what I'm writing. I am blessed in that I live in rural Colorado, so when there isn't 4 feet of snow on the ground, as there is now, I will either hike to or grab a horse and ride to some remote, picturesque location and write whatever I thought about on my way to that picturesque location. On the other hand, I also enjoy a dark-ish room, candlelight, and quiet but repetitive ambient music as a writing milieu, particularly if I'm writing something...well, moody. Anything with lyrics will tend to distract me, whereas instrumentals just kind of wash over me and set a mood.

Also, on pencils versus pens, I prefer mechanical pencils, because they don't make noise, and mostly don't need to be replaced. I don't like pens because I make illegible spelling errors whenever I wite fre ehand and its a reflex to turn my pencil over and erase and rewrite, but with pen I have to retrain myself every time to cross out and rewrite.

Arrows are the best way of dealing with new trains of thought for me, pencil or pen, and for large trianss, foot notes.

As far as environment, my computer is a desktop and I can't actually take it anywhere scenic, but my house is backed by a forest and the study window faces the trees, so I can see all of the cute woodland creatures scurrying about. The most atmospheric time for me to write is during a thunderstorm, but that doesn't happen as often as I'd like. I've learned that soft music is truly essential for me to get the creative juices flowing.



Glad you like it .

Add me to the pencil hater group, but my reason is different than not liking the sound. I actually press so hard when I write, I always break pencils. My husband laughs at me, saying he can practically read what I've written just by feeling the back of the page. I leave ridges on the back and indents in the page beneath.

I can write on the computer, but I think best with a pen in my hand. I prefer to write at home, either at my dining table or in an easy chair. I get too distracted bug watching if I'm outside and people watching in public. I can't listen to music with lyrics while writing and rarely listen to instrumental music unless I'm having trouble accessing a feeling I want to convey. Then I'll put something on to get me there.

I also often doodle while writing. Drawing faces and facial expressions helps me to visualize better. This is also a good way for me to work through writer's block.

Ok, I'm jealous. -_-

My best time to think is outside with music, walking if possible. Walking my dog is a great excuse for this! But I can't write with music, even for atmosphere.

And Mollypog, I second the doodling. When I can't write I draw (maps in particular) and often times I'll do a character sketch, love the outfit and suddenly feel that I want to write about that dress, I want to write about that scene with the dress, I want to wriiite. ^_^

I enjoy typing on my Desktop. The laptop keyboards are too tiny. Though I am getting used to that, seeing as how I'm using a Macbook to type this. But I do my really writing on my Desktop because I hate Microsoft Word that's used by Mac. So strange and unattractive.

I like pencils but I find it messy and disorganized.

I only ever write with pen and paper when I have an idea I need to jot down quickly and work out later, or when I don't have access to a computer and then I'll only ever be able to write something I've thought of first -- like the next scene in a story I'm already working on.
My handwriting is completely illegible, even to me sometimes, and writing on the laptop just makes my thoughts flow better. I type very fast, so I can keep up with my equally fast thinking better.

As for environment, I think my favourite place to write is my room. I have a room in the attic, which sounds gloomy but it's actually very light. My desk is by the big window, and I have a lovely serene view.

I can only write on binder paper with a (mechanical) pencil.
I can hand-write as slow as my thoughts develop. :D

Also, legal pads are great...yes, the yellow over sized paper.
When I make poems, most are the best when I spit it all out on paper and erase a lot to make me feel smart.

Microsoft Word and Cinergy Script Editor are my tools of the trade. Ergonomic, soda-stained keyboard is a must for typing. Well, maybe not the stained aspect. ^^; I can't type on laptops, and it's a bit difficult on standard keyboards, but I survive.

Unless I'm doing a stream of conciousness assignment for a class, I can't use paper and pencil.

It hurts my hand because I write so furiously, and I can't easily fix my mistakes, ya know?

Same, I like writing on the computer more because I have horrible hand writing; my family teases me because I can draw but my writing come out like tiny sticks that goes in any direction. but when I do write on paper, it feels nice, the paper is smaller then the computer paper so it give me a sense of writing a lot XD. I write for two pages and I feel like a climbed a mountain

I primarily type, although I always carry a blank book in case something hits me and I don't have my netbook on me.

I keep a flash drive handy too, because I tend to move between my desktop, my netbook, and my boss's home computer (she allows me access to it when the kids are asleep).

I journal exclusively longhand, although I do blog as well. I also prefer to write poetry longhand - something about that KIND of catharsis that begs for it to be done physically with an ink pen.

I prefer ink over pencil, simply because I always have one - I have a checkbook, so I have to have a pen, in case I have to write a check. I also prefer colored ink - blue, red, purple, green, orange - to black ink.

Hmm. Well as for me I ALWAYS use the computer (I'm nevre seen without one!! I'm not sure if that's good or bad... I have a laptop and PC, but my laptop isn't really mine, therefore I shouldn't be saying "my laptop", should I...?)

Microsoft Word. My WPM the last time I tested it was 120-something, but even my thoughts flow faster than that. (That's pretty scary.)