Writing environment

Mar 30

Meditation is all about clearing the mind and focusing your thoughts. So does it have a place in a writer’s toolbox?

The other night I was having dinner with an acquaintance who spent the last 7 months traveling around the world. He was telling me about this 10-day meditation retreat he did in Tibet. And what he got from the retreat? He said it made him a better (faster) computer programmer because he learned how to focus his mind.

This got me thinking. When I sit down to write, I often find my mind wandering every which way. That’s the curse of our super connected, internet-crazed society. There’s so much going on you don’t know where to look. So would meditation help me to stay focused on my writing? Or would meditation actually be a hindrance?

When I write, I have to let my mind wander. That is part of the creative process. I wander in and out of the plot, pulling at bits that work and don’t work. But I also feel my mind drifting to things like what to make for dinner or how nice the sky looks today or what will happen next in that book I’m reading.

I’ve decided to try an experiment. For the next month, I will devote time every day to meditation. Originally I thought I would do it before falling asleep, but that’s when I do my best brainstorming. Instead I will do it after work – a nice way to calm me down. Of course, since I don’t really know how to meditate, this might be slow going and I may need more than a month. But a month seems pretty doable. Being as I am in the editing stage of my writing, the part I always dread, this might actually be the best time to give this experiment a try. What do you think? Do you use meditation to help your writing? Or do you think writers should have minds full of ideas circling all around competing for attention?

Jan 12

What makes an ideal writing space? I’ve been thinking about this for a while because, until this weekend, I have been without one.

This weekend, I finally got to create my own writing space. No more sharing a desk with the boyfriend. No more being forced to write on the sofa, or the other sofa, or in bed. Finally, after almost a year, I got my own desk (or second desk since the one we were sharing is technically my desk).

What makes the perfect writing space?

Everyone is different. This is a very personal thing. Some people write best in crowded coffee shops late at night. Others find inspiration while listening to music or starting at 5 in the morning or staring at a television. For me, I work best when I’m in a familiar, distraction free place.

But I also need a space that inspires me.

What’s in my new writer’s space?

A desk that is just the right size – I needed enough room for my computer and a notebook. If it’s too big, I’ll just cover it with distractions. Too small, and I will feel cramped and uncomfortable
A drawer – a drawer is key. I need to be able to stash stuff away. Out of sight = Out of mind
Writing books – Last year I found these amazing bookends. They’ve been hidden away in my bookshelf, but now they are out on display, cradling my writing books. Seeing my writing books while I write helps inspire me
Natural light – I need natural light or I feel like I need to go elsewhere to find it
A comfortable chair – I’m still looking for the perfect chair, but for now, a chair from the dining room table will just have to do.
I’m also thinking about a bulletin board for posting ideas, but this might become too distracting.

Other than that, I’m pretty easy going in regards to what I need. Because when it really comes down to it, all you really need is an idea, a little bit of skill, tons of patience and persistence, and something to write the story on, whether its pen and paper, a typewriter, or a computer.

What goes into your writing space? Do you have certain things you need? Do you enjoy a stark space or do you prefer a busier one? Or are you one of those lucky people that can write anywhere?

My perfect writing space

Oct 31

I realize tonight is Halloween and you probably have better things to do then to be worrying about tomorrow. But there are some things you can and should prepare before running out to the parties and the trick-or-treating sugar rush that is Halloween.

My NaNoWriMo Checklist

To ensure that you are ready for this year’s NaNoWriMo, make sure you have the following:

Tons of coffee or tea, waiting to be brewed. I personally go for the tea. I like to be relaxed when I write. But I know for many people, NaNoWriMo equals zero energy, and they need every ounce of liquid caffeine they can get
Along the same lines, a favorite tea cup/coffee mug. If you have been wanting a new one, NaNoWriMo is the perfect excuse to get one.
A plot. Even if you haven’t created an outline or character sketches or anything like that, before you go to bed tonight, you should know what you are going to write about. Even if all you have is a plot to steal the world’s light bulbs and the main character learns about it and goes out to save the day, despite his phobia of light bulbs, that’s good enough. You have the general plot and a little bit of information about your character. So long as you have something to draw from, you’re good to go. If you don’t have something to draw from, get cracking. You have precious few hours to come up with an idea.
A NaNoWriMo account. This should seem obvious, but if you haven’t registered, go ahead and do that today. No sense wasting time tomorrow with creating a profile and uploading a picture and writing a story summary and etc. etc. To sign up, just follow this link.
Some NaNoWriMo buddies. Ok, this isn’t necessary, but it makes you feel better going into the competition with other writing mates. It’s really easy to get buddies. You can add me (dragonfly83) or you can search for people in your area/genre/etc. Then you just select the “add as buddy” link below the person’s avatar and congratulations, you’ve got a buddy.
A good music play list. If you like to listen to music while you write, set up your play list now. It will save some serious procrastination time later. And if you need some inspiration about what to include, check out the NaNo Soundtrack forum.
Snacks – nothing ruins a productive writing session like having to run out to the grocery store.
Better yet, the number and menu for a variety of take-out restaurants
Comfortable clothing – I enjoy writing in warm socks, comfy yoga pants/sweats, tanks tops and sweatshirts. If your writing clothes are dirty, wash them before tomorrow
And finally, confidence – confidence in your writing and in yourself. Even if your idea seems like it’s getting crazy or stupid, just go with it. NaNoWriMo should be about having fun while doing something you love. Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be good. You have the months after November to bring it to that level.

Do you have anything else to add? What goes into your ideal writing environment? How do you prepare for NaNoWriMo?

Oct 11

Even Arthur is excited about the new iMac!

Today I have done something liberating. I sat down and I organized all of my writing.

Writers are hoarders

We tend to hoard our work, or at least I do as do several writers I know. You don’t want to trash something that could develop into something later. Sadly, though, my folders are so disorganized I spend valuable writing time trying to find my documents. It’s all just this giant mess of files, some stuck in my writing folder, some lying around my documents folder, and even more just hanging out on my desktop.

Laptop vs. Desktop

This weekend the boyfriend brought home a shiny, brand new iMac. I definitely prefer writing on a desktop. While the idea of taking my laptop to other places to get a change of scenery seems great, in truth it is just a huge distraction. It means I have no order. You go to work and you have a desk you are forced to sit at. With my laptop, I can easily move to other areas, look at other things, and next thing you know, the day is done and I have barely done any writing. Now I can say that the desk is for writing and if I want to be on Twitter or Facebook, I have to do that on my laptop, in another room. Separating the distractions keeps you focused.

Now that the weekend is over, I finally get to play with the new computer, and I will be able to use it every evening after work. On the weekends I will still have to switch back to the laptop, but hopefully the discipline of writing on the desktop will help me become a more disciplined writer.

A Folder for Everyone

In trying to set up the most organized, clean writing environment possible, I have organized my writing. Every document I deem worthy of being a good idea, which, let’s face it, is pretty much everything, gets copied from Word into Pages (Apple has made it really easy to convert Pages documents into iBook format) and then saved into a sub-folder of writing. The sub-folders are:

Chick Lit
Young Adult
Children
Middle Grade
Short Stories
Writing Exercises
Ideas
Essays

For works-in-progress, I have assigned a sub-folder to their category. For example, my Max book is organized Writing–>Middle Grades–>Max. All the files for this project live in the Max folder.

Now when I am searching for a document, I can easily locate it, saving me time and keeping me from getting distracted. And, since I have converted everything into Pages, it means there will be one less step if I decide to turn anything into an ebook.

How do you organize your writing? Do you prefer a desktop or a laptop? What do you think of Pages vs. Word? Is there another program you prefer to use?

Can meditation make you a better writer? – The Meditation Experiment

Creating a Writer’s Space

What makes the perfect writing space?

Are You Ready? Countdown to NaNoWriMo – Part 4

My NaNoWriMo Checklist

Order in the Chaos

Writers are hoarders

Laptop vs. Desktop

A Folder for Everyone