Monday, June 18, 2012

Monday Thing-That-Starts-With-Q

Just trying to dodge Kevin the spambot, who posts a comment every Monday when I use the Q-word.

Today's... you know... is about the "how' of writing. As always, feel free to answer for yourself in the comments!

Where do you write? Is it always the same place, or can you write anywhere? Do you use a computer, typewriter, paper and pen? Do you write to music, or do you need silence?

I usually write in my "office", which is a corner of the guest room consisting of a wing-backed chair I used to use for nursing when The Son was wee, an ottoman that doubles as a low desk, a big Rubbermaid container full of writing books and old notebooks, and a nice view of the pines that surround my house and diligently protect it from sunlight. My other writing place is in a comfy chair in the "quiet reading room" at the library. The key is that I cannot be sitting at a table or desk; I have never been able to create with my feet on the ground. I need to sit back with my feet up on something. Obviously, I use a laptop, although I do also scribble in notebooks when I'm trying to work out plot solutions. Writing by hand seems to access a different part of my brain.

To my sorrow, I cannot write to music, or while the TV is on, or at a coffee shop while the people at the table next to me are discussing their love lives, or while some truck in my neighborhood is apparently going around the world backwards. I'm a "Silence!" writer. I prefer to write when the house is empty, and I use a fan for white noise.

3 comments:

  1. Okay, this is probably less encouraging than pressure, but I was thinking about your book today. So...at what draft stage do I get to read it? Like, when you get to the end of the story? Or do you have to get through a full revision? I'm as likely to show someone something I've written that's half done, so I don't know the real rules, but I kind of want to read it NOW.

    Sorry. Just selfish, I know!

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  2. Dude, my rough drafts are SO BAD. I know everyone says that, but seriously. They are painful and embarrassing.

    But if I manage to stick to my editing plan, I should be able to give you a teaser (first chapter?) by Octoberish.

    Happy birthday tomorrow, by the way!

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