If you're going to take writing seriously, you need to consider it as a lifestyle - and as such to take into account what you eat, drink, how you exercise, sleep and schedule your work (writing) in your day. Right now, I want to talk about things you can do to your schedule and environment in order to maximise your effectiveness as a writer.
Where is your writing space? Is it in the middle of the kids' play area, or facing the kitchen, which is always begging you to clean it? Do you even have a writing space? To be honest, I'm not going to tell you that you have to have a dedicated writing space that you don't do anything else in, though there are people who argue this. For the first month or so of my challenge, I wrote in my four-poster bed. Every night I would get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on the lanterns that I had hung from each post. I would then write for a few hours before going to sleep. Of course, this breaks my rules about how to get a good night sleep, but I have absolutely no problem with sleeping - it's the staying awake that is the difficulty. This was a great time in my writing life.
After my tax return arrived, I bought a present for myself and my writing life: my Writing Chair (it in itself is not special; it's IKEA and probably half the world has the same chair, but it's given significance by my treatment of it). I aim to do nothing in that chair except write. Is my writing any better for it? Hard to tell, but my back is happier. Having the chair also puts me in the mindframe of writing each time I sit in it, because that's its purpose in my house.
Surroundings: I live in a one bedroom apartment, so my chair is in my main living area facing the kitchen. I find that sitting facing an unclean kitchen can be highly stressful, and constantly tempts me to leave my writing in order to clean. While I know it's possible to train yourself to block out the niggling thoughts about cleaning, I simply hired a cleaner. For the price of staying an hour and a half longer at work (or not going out to a movie and dinner), I come home every second week to a completely clean apartment. Definitely worth it.
I've also taken considerable pains with making my living area one that I find conducive to writing (and comfortable to myself!). My furniture is now arranged so that bookshelves with inspirational books are within arm's reach, and my chair is surrounded by plants (flourishing plants seem to have a similar effect on my mind, while wilting ones sadden my soul). On the walls, I've placed large and beautiful prints of places I've travelled and adventures I've had, which brings a smile to my face and excites my imagination.
Lighting is very important to me, and not just having good light. Sometimes I need low, mood lighting, while at other times I need sunlight streaming in. I've fiddled around with my lighting options, and have a lamp that has a warm light bulb in it, along with my down lights, and moved my chair to be situated right near the windows. I still love the lanterns over my bed, and think fondly back to those times writing like a princess, but have not moved them to my current location so I still get princess reading time before sleep (part of my sleep routine!). Think for a moment how your lighting might affect you? Are your lights too harsh? Do you need to invest in a lamp? You might be surprised the difference it makes.
Lighting, music and sounds are all sensuous ways of putting your mind in writing mode. Some people (including myself) use soundtracks for their writing, and scented candles to evoke the writing atmosphere. I use both, combined with other techniques. What scents/sounds put you in the mood to write?
I once heard about writer who had tried unsuccessfully to write while raising young children. She eventually tried locking them in a play pen so she could sit down and write, but the complaints and noise made that impossible. So her solution? She set the kids free and locked herself in the playpen! And it actually worked for her, so don't be afraid to think outside the box (or in this case, inside it!).
So, now I want you to visualise your ideal writing situation. If you could write anywhere, with no budget restrictions, what is around you? At least, what are the key elements?
For me, I have two images I keep coming back to:
A clear, light conservatory, with a comfortable chair and greenery around me. A water feature and cool breeze, with a side table that has shelves for books and can hold my pot of exotic tea that I breathe in deeply while thinking.
The second is that of a warm, carpeted study, with large French style windows that look out into tree branches. A fire crackles in the hearth, and dark wood bookshelves surround the room. A large mahogany desk is what I work out, and when I pause I savour the delicious smell of freshly roasted coffee with the warmth of the blaze.
For me the colour contrasts and the amount of light are important, and the nearness of books inspires me, and the use of natural elements such as wood soothes me. The images probably mean I don't need much memory input, such as the photographs I have up around me, as the books do that for me. I try to recreate the essence of these two images as much as I can in my current environment.
Another task: describe your imaginary writing space in as much detail as you can, down even to the scent in the air. Spend five minutes trying to go deeper: where is the light coming from? What is closest to you? What colours dominate the scene? Are you sitting, standing, reclined? How are you supported: feet up with a neck rest, sitting on a desk chair, no back rest? What is your method of writing - desktop, laptop, typewriter? Once you have gotten as much detail out as you can, go through and make a list of elements that are most important to you. Then from these, implement any you can into your current space.
Where is your writing space? Is it in the middle of the kids' play area, or facing the kitchen, which is always begging you to clean it? Do you even have a writing space? To be honest, I'm not going to tell you that you have to have a dedicated writing space that you don't do anything else in, though there are people who argue this. For the first month or so of my challenge, I wrote in my four-poster bed. Every night I would get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on the lanterns that I had hung from each post. I would then write for a few hours before going to sleep. Of course, this breaks my rules about how to get a good night sleep, but I have absolutely no problem with sleeping - it's the staying awake that is the difficulty. This was a great time in my writing life.
After my tax return arrived, I bought a present for myself and my writing life: my Writing Chair (it in itself is not special; it's IKEA and probably half the world has the same chair, but it's given significance by my treatment of it). I aim to do nothing in that chair except write. Is my writing any better for it? Hard to tell, but my back is happier. Having the chair also puts me in the mindframe of writing each time I sit in it, because that's its purpose in my house.
Surroundings: I live in a one bedroom apartment, so my chair is in my main living area facing the kitchen. I find that sitting facing an unclean kitchen can be highly stressful, and constantly tempts me to leave my writing in order to clean. While I know it's possible to train yourself to block out the niggling thoughts about cleaning, I simply hired a cleaner. For the price of staying an hour and a half longer at work (or not going out to a movie and dinner), I come home every second week to a completely clean apartment. Definitely worth it.
I've also taken considerable pains with making my living area one that I find conducive to writing (and comfortable to myself!). My furniture is now arranged so that bookshelves with inspirational books are within arm's reach, and my chair is surrounded by plants (flourishing plants seem to have a similar effect on my mind, while wilting ones sadden my soul). On the walls, I've placed large and beautiful prints of places I've travelled and adventures I've had, which brings a smile to my face and excites my imagination.
Lighting is very important to me, and not just having good light. Sometimes I need low, mood lighting, while at other times I need sunlight streaming in. I've fiddled around with my lighting options, and have a lamp that has a warm light bulb in it, along with my down lights, and moved my chair to be situated right near the windows. I still love the lanterns over my bed, and think fondly back to those times writing like a princess, but have not moved them to my current location so I still get princess reading time before sleep (part of my sleep routine!). Think for a moment how your lighting might affect you? Are your lights too harsh? Do you need to invest in a lamp? You might be surprised the difference it makes.
Lighting, music and sounds are all sensuous ways of putting your mind in writing mode. Some people (including myself) use soundtracks for their writing, and scented candles to evoke the writing atmosphere. I use both, combined with other techniques. What scents/sounds put you in the mood to write?
I once heard about writer who had tried unsuccessfully to write while raising young children. She eventually tried locking them in a play pen so she could sit down and write, but the complaints and noise made that impossible. So her solution? She set the kids free and locked herself in the playpen! And it actually worked for her, so don't be afraid to think outside the box (or in this case, inside it!).
So, now I want you to visualise your ideal writing situation. If you could write anywhere, with no budget restrictions, what is around you? At least, what are the key elements?
For me, I have two images I keep coming back to:
A clear, light conservatory, with a comfortable chair and greenery around me. A water feature and cool breeze, with a side table that has shelves for books and can hold my pot of exotic tea that I breathe in deeply while thinking.
The second is that of a warm, carpeted study, with large French style windows that look out into tree branches. A fire crackles in the hearth, and dark wood bookshelves surround the room. A large mahogany desk is what I work out, and when I pause I savour the delicious smell of freshly roasted coffee with the warmth of the blaze.
For me the colour contrasts and the amount of light are important, and the nearness of books inspires me, and the use of natural elements such as wood soothes me. The images probably mean I don't need much memory input, such as the photographs I have up around me, as the books do that for me. I try to recreate the essence of these two images as much as I can in my current environment.
Another task: describe your imaginary writing space in as much detail as you can, down even to the scent in the air. Spend five minutes trying to go deeper: where is the light coming from? What is closest to you? What colours dominate the scene? Are you sitting, standing, reclined? How are you supported: feet up with a neck rest, sitting on a desk chair, no back rest? What is your method of writing - desktop, laptop, typewriter? Once you have gotten as much detail out as you can, go through and make a list of elements that are most important to you. Then from these, implement any you can into your current space.
About the Author:
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