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.
Firstly, where is it that you dedicate yourself to writing? Do you have a dedicated writing space? Or do you snatch a corner of the kids' play area, or crouch in the kitchen as it begs you to clean it. Perhaps it's time to get one - there are many people who argue that having a space that is solely dedicated to writing is an excellent way to get your brain in the mood. I'm not one of those people, though I think it's important to have a time and space put aside to write in. When I first dedicated my lifestyle to writing, I wrote in my four-poster bed, which had lanterns hung on each post. Every night I'd get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on each of the lanterns. The next few hours before sleep I would dedicate to writing. 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.
The location of the writing space is important. I live in a one bedroom apartment, so the spaces I could dedicate to writing are not very varied. My main living area is across from my kitchen, and my writing chair is in this space. It used to stress me that my kitchen (always in my line of sight when I was sitting in my special chair) was messy. It was very stressful, and while it's possible to block those nagging thoughts about cleaning-as-procrastination, the most effective way to rid myself of those nagging thoughts was to get myself a cleaning lady. So, for the price of staying an hour and a half longer at work (or not going out to a movie and dinner). I get a completely cleaned apartment every second week.
However, I have made considerable efforts to make my living environment nice. I have rearranged furniture so I have bookshelves with inspirational books within arm's reach. I have put up inspirational words and favourite quotes, and I have plants nearby. I don't know exactly why, but a healthy, flourishing maidenhair fern brings peace to my soul. (The wilting Japanese peace lily a friend has left with me, on the other hand, is not so great.) I also have large prints of places I've travelled to and adventures I've had, which excites my imagination.
Lighting is very important to me, a not just having a good light - it sets my mood, illumines my thoughts, and places the shadows of my plots before me. Sometimes low, mood lighting is the most effective, while at other times I need sunlight streaming in. I've experimented 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 love having lanterns around my four poster, and think fondly back to those times that I wrote in bed like a princess, but have not moved them to my current location so I still get princess reading time before sleep. How does lighting affect you? Are your lights too harsh? Do you need to invest in a lamp? You might be surprised the difference it makes.
I also have different soundtracks that I play depending on the book I'm working on. Music changes my mood and the tempo of my writing (also sometimes the tone), so it's an excellent tool to vary what you say and how you say it (as well as putting you in the mindset).
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. Her solution? Free the children and lock herself in the pen! 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?
Personally, 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.
Firstly, where is it that you dedicate yourself to writing? Do you have a dedicated writing space? Or do you snatch a corner of the kids' play area, or crouch in the kitchen as it begs you to clean it. Perhaps it's time to get one - there are many people who argue that having a space that is solely dedicated to writing is an excellent way to get your brain in the mood. I'm not one of those people, though I think it's important to have a time and space put aside to write in. When I first dedicated my lifestyle to writing, I wrote in my four-poster bed, which had lanterns hung on each post. Every night I'd get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on each of the lanterns. The next few hours before sleep I would dedicate to writing. 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.
The location of the writing space is important. I live in a one bedroom apartment, so the spaces I could dedicate to writing are not very varied. My main living area is across from my kitchen, and my writing chair is in this space. It used to stress me that my kitchen (always in my line of sight when I was sitting in my special chair) was messy. It was very stressful, and while it's possible to block those nagging thoughts about cleaning-as-procrastination, the most effective way to rid myself of those nagging thoughts was to get myself a cleaning lady. So, for the price of staying an hour and a half longer at work (or not going out to a movie and dinner). I get a completely cleaned apartment every second week.
However, I have made considerable efforts to make my living environment nice. I have rearranged furniture so I have bookshelves with inspirational books within arm's reach. I have put up inspirational words and favourite quotes, and I have plants nearby. I don't know exactly why, but a healthy, flourishing maidenhair fern brings peace to my soul. (The wilting Japanese peace lily a friend has left with me, on the other hand, is not so great.) I also have large prints of places I've travelled to and adventures I've had, which excites my imagination.
Lighting is very important to me, a not just having a good light - it sets my mood, illumines my thoughts, and places the shadows of my plots before me. Sometimes low, mood lighting is the most effective, while at other times I need sunlight streaming in. I've experimented 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 love having lanterns around my four poster, and think fondly back to those times that I wrote in bed like a princess, but have not moved them to my current location so I still get princess reading time before sleep. How does lighting affect you? Are your lights too harsh? Do you need to invest in a lamp? You might be surprised the difference it makes.
I also have different soundtracks that I play depending on the book I'm working on. Music changes my mood and the tempo of my writing (also sometimes the tone), so it's an excellent tool to vary what you say and how you say it (as well as putting you in the mindset).
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. Her solution? Free the children and lock herself in the pen! 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?
Personally, 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.
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