You’ve
made the decision to write. So when, where and how are you going to do it? Here are some
characteristic approaches.
The Hemingway - tortured author, tapping away on
a typewriter in a mountain retreat. Wild hair, scant meals, sleep-deprived,
continuously slightly drunk and chain-smoking.
The Media Junkie – listening to fast music on iPod or laptop, oblivious of the surroundings which might be a cafĂ©, train, family TV room or workplace. Laptop has ten windows open for ‘research’ including email, twitter, facebook and Wikipedia.
The Midnight Oil – when the house is quiet and
everyone else’s day is over, this one is just starting work. Typing through the
tiredness and pain barrier. Pulling together the inspiration of observations
and events from the preceding daylight hours. Pausing to reflect upon the words
written, listening to the drip of the bathroom tap, the hum of a transformer in
some electrical apparatus somewhere in the house.
The Peacemaker – a scented candle, Buddha Bar on
the music system. Pilates exercises performed with control and precision,
establishing the inner core. Elsewhere in the house family rampage at a safe
distance, out of earshot. Writing flows from the spirit. Characters talk aloud
and their dialogue falls upon the keyboard.
The Early Bird – rising at the hour of milkmen
from yesteryear, moving from bedroom to study and pushing the door firmly shut.
Chapters formulated subconsciously during sleep are thrown onto the page to be
edited during some lull in the day. As the family stirs, heading off to the
bathroom and using time under the shower to think a way out of the present predicament
of the main character.
What do you think
of these approaches? I’ve tried them all at different times over the years. Any
consistent method can be productive, providing you ring-fence the time and
space. That needs support and understanding from the other people in your life.
They need to understand and appreciate your needs as a writer.
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