Summary

The undefined website presents a writer's quiz created by Marcus Musick, designed to help writers understand each other's processes and preferences, and it includes personal responses from the author.

Abstract

The undefined website features an interactive quiz titled "A Borrowed Writer’s Quiz — 10 Questions," intended to foster mutual understanding among writers on Medium. The quiz, originally posted by Marcus Musick, covers various aspects of writing, such as daily word count, preferred writing times, planning and inspiration, techniques for overcoming writer's block, editing methods, ideal writing environments, reading habits, favorite topics, and long-term writing goals. The author of the website provides their own detailed answers to the quiz, offering insights into their personal writing routines, challenges, and aspirations. They emphasize the importance of this quiz for learning about fellow writers and express gratitude to Marcus for initiating this exchange. The author's responses reveal a disciplined writing schedule, a love for nature, and a commitment to daily reading, among other personal reflections on their writing journey.

Opinions

The author typically writes over 3,000 words daily, including all forms of writing such as drafts, comments, emails, and texts.
Preferred writing times are mornings (6am to 12noon) and nights (9pm to 2am), although writing also occurs spontaneously.
Stories are planned and outlined in advance, while other writings are done on the spur of the moment.
Inspiration is drawn from nature and the author's imagination, which is considered a significant source of ideas.
The author claims not to experience writer's block but suggests radical changes in routine as a potential solution.
Editing is done post-completion of the writing process, with the use of online tools and apps due to the author's dysgraphia.
The ideal writing environment includes coffee or tea, a practical desk, a comfortable chair, natural light, and ambient instrumental music.
Daily reading is integral to the author's routine, with a preference for news articles, Medium articles, and books, often aided by auditory tools due to worsening eyesight.
The author's favorite topic to write about is nature, particularly anthropomorphic stories, reflecting their biophilia and agriozoophilia.
The long-term goal as a writer is to continue writing until the very end, symbolized by the aspiration to "die at [the] keyboard."

A Borrowed Writer’s Quiz — 10 Questions

Getting to know each other’s writing world.

A quiz put forward by Marcus Musick: The Writer’s Quiz — 10 Questions Answer a few questions and also learn how others write.

This would be a good way for me to understand you, my writing friends here on medium, and for you to understand me. A big thank you to Marcus for posting this questionnaire. My answers can be found after the questions. Thank you for participating. (Tag me if you decide to play along.)

1) How many words do you typically write in a day?

2) What is your favorite time of day to write?

3) Do you plan your writing in advance, or do you write whatever comes to mind?

4) Where do you find your inspiration for writing?

5) What techniques do you use to overcome writer’s block?

6) How do you edit your articles?

7) Where is your ideal writing environment?

8) How often do you read?

9) Do you have a favorite topic to write about?

10) What are your long-term goals as a writer?

[Thank you for taking the time to read this quiz . Feel free to copy and paste the questions and publish your own results! — Marcus]

My answers are as follows:

1) How many words do you typically write in a day? 3,000 +. That seems like a lot, but it really isn’t if you include published works, drafts I am working on, comments, emails and texts.

2) What is your favourite time of day to write? Mornings, 6am to 12noon, and nights, 9pm to 2am. That is the plan. However, I also write as the urge demands.

3) Do you plan your writing in advance, or do you write whatever comes to mind? When it comes to stories, they are “planned” because I have an idea for a story rattling around in my head and outline it there. At the appropriate time, usually first thing after a sleep cycle, I will sit down and begin to write it out. I also plan my hours, usually in the evening, to continue working on my drafts, which are already in progress. Everything else is written at the spur of the moment and comes out as is.

4) Where do you find your inspiration for writing? Everywhere. I suppose if I were to nail it down to a specific area, it would say nature. Inspiration comes in my forms and from many areas in life and stored in my own, considerable imagination. So perhaps I should say, my greatest inspiration comes from my own imagination. 😉

5) What techniques do you use to overcome writer’s block? I do not want to sound cheeky, but outside of mental health issues, I have never experienced writer’s block. 🤔 At least not yet. Knowing who I am, if that were to occur, I would take the opportunity to do something radical, something entirely outside my wheelhouse and comfort zone. Do something that would totally shake up my world. 😱 This would amount to a break in my routine. Sure, you can wait for the ice to melt at room temperature, but heating it up seems more expedient. 🤪

6) How do you edit your articles? Many writers edit as they type, as they probably have a better, ingrained sense of English grammar. I do not. I have my issues. I write as it comes, squeeze it out like a good bowel movement. I do not like interrupting the sheer act of the creative process with unnecessary expurgation. Once I finish the piece, I will spend the time editing.

I am horrible at spelling. I have a phonetic and imagistic mind, to some degree, but write in a non-phonetic language. I do not reveal this often, but I have dysgraphia. I manage my writing with online editing tools and apps. Anyone reading my raw work would find it challenging. Before these tools, school and business writing took a lot of work. 😖 When it comes to on-the-spot writing, like texting, I use voice dictation and/or a lot of edits and retypes.

7) Where is your ideal writing environment? With coffee or tea and a couple of biscuits of course! ☕️🍪 Also, a practical desk with a comfy chair, surrounded by windows, natural light, a lit keyboard with transparent braille key stickers applied on certain keys, a microphone and good speakers (headphones make me anxious), and with low volume ambient, instrumental music in the background. I would have included plants but at present I have not bothered, as the outside camellias and rhodies, fig tree, and maple trees are enough. A cat would be nice, but I am not allowed to have one in my current rental. 😢

8) How often do you read? Every day. That includes news articles (although with my worsening eyesight, I am using more auditory tools these days), Medium articles (with a combo of screen reading and auditory, usually a couple dozen) and a good book. There are a few Medium writers I will read without fail as they post their work. Otherwise, I plan to spend about four hours daily, Monday — Friday, reading on Medium.

I start my sleep cycle every night with the book I am reading. I usually get an hour in of reading before I feel the urge to sleep, but some books have made that easier and sooner. 🙃 I am a deep reader. It takes me about 16 hours to read 500 pages. So … today, a 500-page novel without illustrations would take me nearly two weeks to read.

9) Do you have a favorite topic to write about? I am a biophile, specifically an agriozoophile. I love nature, its flora and fauna. Many of my stories are anthropomorphic. Nature has a purity not found in humanity. Second to that would have to be emotions.

10) What are your long-term goals as a writer? To die at my keyboard. 😌🤓

___________________________________ I want to acknowledge a few of the many wonderful writers and readers on Medium I have come to love and admire. Whose patience, constant affirmation and encouragement, through their support and comments, have kept me writing and coming back for more inspiration and wonder. Thank you one and all.

Jerileewei, Britt H., Mariana Busarova, Benighted, Randy Pulley, Jenny Blue, Paula Shablo, TzeLin Sam, Ammara Hassan, Dalila Silva, Shelli Reals, Shanti C K, Dixie Dodd, Lita, Katy Langston, Sarahmcrandall, Suedcnlily, Joanie, Annie Streckfuss, Marcus Musick