2014 SLoW Writer's Survey Results!

Hi all,

I'm so excited to announce the results of the writer's survey! In case you missed it, this survey was a fun idea to see how alike (or not alike) we are in our writing habits, traditions, style, etc. We were so excited to have received 97 survey results!!!!

The results are all anonymous, and Google docs actually did all dirty work (AKA math) for me. So without further ado, here are the results!

(Click the image to see it larger*)

Graph 1: 31% of you said you write whenever you get a spare second. I fell in the 14% category of evenings.

Graph 2: 31% said you write at a desk!

Graph 3: Can you believe I forgot to include alcohol in the beverage section? I'm going to go ahead and guess that's what the "Other" was selected for! Coffee was the winner of the category with 34% and water close behind at 30%. Gotta stay hydrated, right?

Graph 4: 42% of you said your word count varies from day to day, which surprised me! Mine does too, so I'm glad I'm not the only one. For you sticklers out there, 1k-2k came in at 30%. Go you! 

Graph 5: 38% said you try and write in any free moment you have! 21% said you set aside 1-2 hours each day.

Graph 6: 28% said your pre-writing ritual consists of reading over where you left off so you can get back in the world. (I'm right there with you) 25% said you check ALL social media so you're not distracted when you write (I feel you).

Graph 7: 38% said you're the type of writer who prefers to write in isolation! Maybe it's why we call it the "writing cave," huh? 20% said you're very self-motivating and challenge yourself.  

Graph 8: It surprised me to learn that 31% of you can't listen to music/prefer silence while you're writing! 21% said you listen to music but always change things up. I love playlists, personally!

Graph 9: WOW! 77% of you have never been to a writing retreat. I haven't either. Let's make a group retreat, yeah? But the 14% who HAVE been to one say they're motivational!

Graph 10: Dang, 33% of you are plotters! Good for you! 29% say that it depends on the story/deadline. Which, you know, understandable.

Graph 11: 57% of you said you have between 1-4 CPs you trust with every story you write. (Me too!) 19% said you don't have any. (Are you looking for one?! I suggest this tumblr CP-pairing website!)

Graph 12: 28% of you say you read your revision notes, take a few days to process, and then dive in. 25% you read, process, consult CPs/editor/agent, ask questions, then dive in!

Graph 13: 36% say you've never worked on a deadline before while 18% say that it depends: sometimes you're on top of it and other times you're eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Graph 14: Wow! 63% of you said the best part of writing the book is the moment everything clicks, when you're passionate about the story and when you can't get your characters out of your head. I LOVE THAT. I also love 0% of you said it was about the money.

Graph 15: I love that 37% of you have never thought about quitting. 33% said you've thought of quitting more than once. Our advice? NEVER GIVE UP! (Also, you're not alone in those thoughts. But keep perservering!)

Graph 16: 27% of you said your ideas can come from anywhere! 16% said the shower and another 16% said after watching an inspiring movie, book, music, musical, etc.

That was fun! I hope it was fun for you, too.

What did you think? More importantly, what were you most surprised to learn? For me, I was surprised that more of you aren't night owl writers! I always feel like that's a stereotypical writer schedule, but it seems like the majority is just trying to write whenever we get a free second.

Feel free to leave a comments on if you fell into the majority or minority within a certain question! For me, my minority was inspirational commuting! I love getting ideas on the road while blasting music. But I was apart of the majority on graph #14!

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this. And for all of you who filled this out, THANK YOU <3