We've been talking about writing habits, over at Passionate Critters. (My critique group)
Mostly about revision, but also writing in general. Harper did a very nice blog post about it.
There are different habits, different ways of doing things. None of us are the same, we all have our little quirks. Little things we like to do. What works for one person, might not work for another.
Personally, I'm a night owl. I do my best writing at night, way past midnight usually, slurping a tepid (or cold) cup of coffee that has sat on my desk so long, I forgot it's there. (I used to work in IT. Cold coffee is… not unusual.)
When I concentrate, when I'm in the story, I don't see or hear anything else. You could probably rob me blind while I am that deep into it, I wouldn't notice. Well, not until you tried to take my computer. I'd probably murder the burglar for interrupting the flow.
To concentrate, I often fiddle with little strips of fabric, roll it between my fingers while my mind goes into overdrive. For some odd reason the feel of the fabric helps me to focus.
I go outside, stare into the darkness while I have a cigarette (yes, filthy blah blah…) and my characters usually have a conversation in my head while I do it. If there is a particular pose I want to convey, I try it out, see how it would look or feel. My neighbors probably wonder about me. Oh well.
I write everywhere. There isn't a second of the day when I don't write — even if it's just in my head. I get incredibly annoyed when I have something I need to put on paper or screen, and I can't. Boy, do I ever!
But if you watch me — I won't write a word. Not even one. I will wait until everyone is out of the room, because I can't stand having someone watch me. It drives me nuts when someone does that.
Yep, weird.
That's me, you may well have your own habits.
So how do I revise?
Pretty much the same way. I don't have set formula. I don't do it chapter by chapter. I read my stuff many, many, times though.
Over and over. Sometimes just for pleasure. That's when I find things, when I read it as a reader, not as a writer.
I step away for at least a week before I revise. I won't open the file, won't read any of it.
Then I read it again and hopefully notice those odd bits that don't work, or the ones in the wrong place, or where the pace slows down, or… you get the idea.
I cut words. Sometimes just one, sometimes entire chapters. If I get bored reading it, then so does anyone else. Out it comes.
What I don't do is throw that stuff out. It goes into another file.
I look for duplications. I sometimes say the same thing twice, using different words. In fact, I do this a lot.
I look for repetition, words I use a lot, phrases too. Unless it's a trademark of the character, it comes out.
You could say I have a habit of culling my habits. 
27
Nov
I've travelled through the US recently, and I always carry a small moleskine notebook. (Yep, same type ole Hemingway used.)
If I see something interesting, I make a note of it.
Like that there is a 50% off coupon to the VIP lounge in Dallas, if you ask at the Duty Free Shop. How to get there, what floor the lounges are on. What you see from the lounge.
Below is a scan of the actual entry, just so you know I wasn't kidding.
(I'll paraphrase: It's in D Terminal, near gate 23, take the lift to the 3rd Floor, the reception is there. There are several lounges and the normal cost is $35. Smoking room is to the left as you stand in front of the reception desk. It has a TV in it, seats and small tables, as well as a bookcase type thing which acts as a sort of screen for the back of the room. There is tea, coffee, some fruit and snacks on a self-service basis in the regular lounge, which overlooks airside. Plugs available for laptops etc on small tables, not on the ones at the windows. Wifi available (not free), as well as a secluded area with computers. There is temporary storage for handluggage opposite the lounge reception desk, toilets and showers on the right as you walk in, also opposite the reception desk.) Click the image if you want a larger view.
So.
It's that kind of detail. I make a note, because I never know when I might want to use some of it.
I showed my critter friends my moleskine, and at least one of them went out and got herself one after seeing what I do with mine.
Plot snippets, scenes, dialogue, "What if's", descriptions, notes of areas, dates, weather, phone numbers, names, songs I heard… you name it, it's in there.
It's not a diary as such, but it's very much a working writing journal.
I recommend carting one of those little notebooks around with you. They fit in an inside pocket of a jacket, a handbag, or the back pocket of your jeans. Just… use it.
You never know when it comes in handy.
6
Oct
I am in planning mode.
On the 29th October I’ll be leaving for Boston, starting a 2 week trip through the eastern USA, visiting friends. There will be a lot of talk about books, writing, books, writing, writing… and writing… 
You get the idea.
I’ll be jetting around the country, from Boston all the way down to Dallas, with stops in Rhode Island, Alabama and North Carolina. Possibly Tennessee, but not sure yet. That one is up in the air, because well… the woman is kinda busy.
And while I jet around, I’ll take notes. And photographs. And more notes. And pick up leaflets all over the place. Talk to people. If you own a restaurant in any of those places… prepare to lose a menu.
Before then, I have a hot date with Samhain. The publisher, I mean. I’m pitching my "Short" story on the 13th October — wish me luck.
Another day for the calendar is the 1st November, when the results from the Cleveland competition are due in. Cross your fingers for me, pretty please. I’d like to final, at least.
Of course, Halloween (Samhain) is coming up. I’ll be in the US for that, obviously. I wanted to see how it is celebrated there, since it isn’t really done here — and I write for the US market.
I’ll be asking people all kinds of weird questions while I’m there. Sorry Bill, I’m gonna get you drunk and grill you about prisons, and American Football. 
Which brings me to the reason I’m writing this.
I don’t do package holidays to the beach. Can’t stand them. I get bored.
Even when we went to Egypt — a beach holiday for me, and a surfing holiday for my better half — I didn’t stay on the beach.
No. Way.
I spotted a guy with horses for hire — and I was off. I trooped around places regular tourists don’t get to see. I had a guide who didn’t mind my asking him lots of questions about the area, Egypt in general, and local customs in particular.
I had a blast and came away with a wealth of knowledge I would never have aquired had I stayed on that beach.
The thing is, a lot of people don’t get the way I travel. They look at the hopping from one place to the next, stopovers and multiple plane changes… and think I must be insane. (They’d be partially right, but that’s another story.) Why would anyone go zigzagging across the country?
Why not? I will see a lot of things, experience a lot of things. There are nice people everywhere, and I don’t really mind going through an airport to change planes. I take it as an opportunity for research.
Where is the coffee bar? Is there a chapel? Where is it? Do I have to go to a different terminal, or is it all in one place? Which airlines are where? Rental car agencies? How are they situated? Where do you pick up the car? Are the check in desks upstairs or downstairs? Customs? Elevators or closed in lifts? Both? Where is the taxi rank? Restaurants? Shops?
I have a Moleskine for just this purpose, I just haven’t travelled any place since I got it.
It’s called an "Info Moleskine" and I plan to put it to good use in those two weeks.
There is nothing worse than coming home and trying to recall where you’ve been. I make quick sketches of areas, make notes of odd stuff I notice. People I meet. Food I ate (and what I paid, too). Distances I’ve travelled and what I saw along the way that stuck out to me. You name it, I’ll make a note. Maybe not detailed, but I will make a note.
Why?
Because to me, it’s research. I might want a character to fly (or transit) to Atlanta. Well, I’ve never been to Atlanta Airport. I don’t know where anything is. I’d have to make it up, or be incredibly vague.
Things like that annoy me. I don’t want to be vague. I hate it when I read a book and the author describes an area I know — and gets it totally wrong.
So when I travel through, I will make a note of what I see. I can use it later, even if it will only make a brief appearance. But at least it will be authentic.
So the next time you go somewhere, think about making some notes along the way. You never know when they will come in handy, and the more detailed they are, the more authentic the scene you write.
That little moleskine? It’ll be a record of a place in time and it should survive a while. Who knows, in a hundred years, someone might read it and go "Oh, so that’s what it was like!"
It’s a record of a time and place you’ve been to, and reading it over again in a few years time will bring back memories.
It’s worth taking the time — and do it longhand.