Give Me Back My Reality: How to Stay Tuned-In
Where do you write?
I write on a computer, on a desk, in my dorm room at the university, which I pay upwards of $30,000 a year attend so that I can skip classes and write.
I write on a black Logitech keyboard angled at 45 degrees across my desk, one corner hanging over the edge, because my left hand it too lazy to reach all the way to the desk. I prop my feet up on the support piece that stretches between the leg of my desk and the drawers. The desk faces my bed, and the window, so I sit in this crappy wooden school-issued chair and look out at the pink flowering trees in the dean's back yard. She grows tomatoes in her garden. Sometimes I fantasize about popping the screen out of my window and jumping one story down to steal her tomatoes. They would go well with the fresh basil I'm growing.
In my opinion, the worst thing you can do for your writing is put your desk facing a blank wall. For me, the wall represents blockage and confinement. I like to see past my desk, to feel a flow of air, to be able to peek at the world even while I'm removing myself from it. Some people like to face a blank wall, though; less distractions. Personally, I can't write without distractions. Music, a water bottle, some cool little toy or puzzle to fiddle with, a sketchpad and pencil to doodle with, all keep me more productive than if I were locked in a totally white cell with only a typewriter and the command, "write".
I like to think of it as engaging the brain; if you use one part of your brain and not the rest, eventually the part you are using gets worn out, and the rest of your brain gets bored, and that's when your brain stages a revolt and instead of paying attention to your Calculus professor, you suddenly find yourself making out with the cute guy in the desk in front of you in a kitschy little Parisian cafe. Your brain can't stand the reality you're making it endure, so it forcibly deports you to fantasy-land--which is fun and all, until finals rolls around and all you can do under question three is doodle a stick figure in a beret.
Or maybe that's just me.
The point is, to stay tuned-in to writing, to produce really good material, you have to stay engaged. It has to be fun. Not all parts of the writing process are fun, but if you can create an environment of interest, you can trick your brain into staying put and getting the work done. So put up some photos you find inspiring, turn on some music that fits the tone of what you're working on, spritz some enticing air freshener around. Woo the muse.
Happy Tuesday!
I write on a computer, on a desk, in my dorm room at the university, which I pay upwards of $30,000 a year attend so that I can skip classes and write.
I write on a black Logitech keyboard angled at 45 degrees across my desk, one corner hanging over the edge, because my left hand it too lazy to reach all the way to the desk. I prop my feet up on the support piece that stretches between the leg of my desk and the drawers. The desk faces my bed, and the window, so I sit in this crappy wooden school-issued chair and look out at the pink flowering trees in the dean's back yard. She grows tomatoes in her garden. Sometimes I fantasize about popping the screen out of my window and jumping one story down to steal her tomatoes. They would go well with the fresh basil I'm growing.
In my opinion, the worst thing you can do for your writing is put your desk facing a blank wall. For me, the wall represents blockage and confinement. I like to see past my desk, to feel a flow of air, to be able to peek at the world even while I'm removing myself from it. Some people like to face a blank wall, though; less distractions. Personally, I can't write without distractions. Music, a water bottle, some cool little toy or puzzle to fiddle with, a sketchpad and pencil to doodle with, all keep me more productive than if I were locked in a totally white cell with only a typewriter and the command, "write".
I like to think of it as engaging the brain; if you use one part of your brain and not the rest, eventually the part you are using gets worn out, and the rest of your brain gets bored, and that's when your brain stages a revolt and instead of paying attention to your Calculus professor, you suddenly find yourself making out with the cute guy in the desk in front of you in a kitschy little Parisian cafe. Your brain can't stand the reality you're making it endure, so it forcibly deports you to fantasy-land--which is fun and all, until finals rolls around and all you can do under question three is doodle a stick figure in a beret.
Or maybe that's just me.
The point is, to stay tuned-in to writing, to produce really good material, you have to stay engaged. It has to be fun. Not all parts of the writing process are fun, but if you can create an environment of interest, you can trick your brain into staying put and getting the work done. So put up some photos you find inspiring, turn on some music that fits the tone of what you're working on, spritz some enticing air freshener around. Woo the muse.
Happy Tuesday!
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