Do you have a writing zone? An office? A cave? A favorite table in a favorite cafe?
Do you have a preferred writing time? Are you a morning person? A night owl? A moment-snatcher, during naps (someone else’s)?
Do you need music? Silence? Chaos? Strangers? Midday sunlight? Vivaldi in A Minor performed by the London Philharmonic and directed by a tiny Asian child-genius?
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I do. I have a SYSTEM. A source for my brilliance. [1] I write on the computer, which lives in the kitchen. I sit on the wooden chair that I steal from the kitchen table. Sometimes I throw a pillow on it. I write in the dark of morning, sometimes into the light of morning, depending on the season and the mojo. During the summer, that season and mojo are a little short. Because, see, I also demand solitude. And silence (or the hum of the dryer, because then I feel like I’m all fantastic, accomplishing TWO THINGS AT ONCE — I know, nearing perfection). And silence and solitude don’t last past seven a.m.
I’ve been trying to convince Husband that I NEED a laptop. He smiles at me in that comforting way which causes me to stick my tongue out at him, since we all know very well that I need food, water, shelter, 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep… but not so much another computer. But I manage to convince myself that if I had a laptop, I could do all kinds of through-the-summer-day writing. I could still do my early-morning thousand words [2]. And then, when Kids 3 and 4 come into the kitchen, pull up stools, and read over my shoulders, I could hug them, smooch their faces, and sneak off to my room, or a closet, or the basement, and write in the comfort of my Very Own Company. Where, of course, I could bust out another thousand words. Brilliant words, don’t forget.
And then, in the warm afternoon, I could take the lappy outside to the chair in the shade and listen to the breeze sigh through the trees as I write another thousand perfect, uninterrupted words.
See? Clearly, the only thing standing in my way — in the way of fabulous, completed manuscripts — is my total lack of laptop.
And, cue The Grand Delusion.
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I’m all for structure. I’m all for consistency. I’m all for routine. But I’m also realizing that all my NEEDS, writingwise, are not actually food for the Muse. They’re excuses not to get the job done.
I’m not Organizing my Writing Life. I’m putting off doing the work.
*sigh*
Today is the last day of summer vacation around here. And I woke early and got some writing and revising done. And now, with a kitchen full of kids, I’m struggling to remember that I don’t actually have to blog in complete silence and solitude. Tomorrow, the Kids will go away in the morning. And they will not come back for HOURS. And I will have no further excuses to justify my snail’s pace.
Shoot.
Darn it.
All of it.
I don’t want them to go. I don’t want to live on someone else’s schedule. I don’t want to drive from school to school to school dropping off the Left Behind. I don’t want to come last in the Kids’ busy, full lives. I don’t want to watch the mountains turn red and gold and then brown and then white. I’m not ready. I’m not ready for two kids in High School. I’m not ready for drama. I’m not ready for PTA. I’m not ready for undeniable accountability.
But. Here it is, anyway. Accountability, front and center. So, my friends, here is a reckoning. I love that word. I should write a book called The Reckoning. Or you should. Someone should.[3]
*Ahem* At the beginning of June, Fifth Gift was at 30,000 words. At the beginning of July, 39,500. At the beginning of August, 43,500. And today, 47,630. I don’t know how long it should really be, because I have this feeling that it should end when it’s over, when the story’s told, but I think the story will be told around 55-65,000 words. I think. Maybe not. And hey, if not, then fine. But there is the idea. I am still drafting. But also, revising. I know. That’s against the rules. Well, toss the rules. I’m filling in holes, and how do I know where the holes are unless I read through? I have a beginning, a middle, and an end. So these days I’m thickening it all up. And maybe changing the middle. And the end. And surely the beginning.
And as I go through and string together all the shiny beads, I can add things here and there. And I can take some things out, but I know me well enough to bet that I probably won’t, not on this pass. And I can add a few more things. And I can thicken up floppy characters. And I can let my characters eat if they want to. I can always take out half the eating scenes later. And I can baby step to the first full draft.
And I can live without excuses.
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[1] Oh, come on.
[2] This is what we call an “ideal” and thank you very much, but I don’t actually need to be reminded that I don’t, in fact, write 1000 words every day. I already know that. I also know exactly how many pounds I need to lose and all my major character flaws. Thank you for playing.
[3] Do you have that song from The Italian Job in your head now? I do.
(8) Comments for this blog
I did actually get a laptop. And then my own space in my bedroom. And it worked! I started writing a lot more. But I also had visions of taking my laptop outside and wherever else I went and that hasn’t happened so much. Anyway, your writing sounds a lot like mine. Also, I’m feeling the same about my kids going back to school, but still have 3 weeks to worry about that. Oh, wait. We’re down to 2.
I did actually get a laptop. And then my own space in my bedroom. And it worked! I started writing a lot more. But I also had visions of taking my laptop outside and wherever else I went and that hasn’t happened so much. Anyway, your writing sounds a lot like mine. Also, I’m feeling the same about my kids going back to school, but still have 3 weeks to worry about that. Oh, wait. We’re down to 2.
I love the idea that our “needs” are just excuses when it comes to writing. That’s a realization I’ve come to, as well.
Except I really can’t function as a writer without my laptop. So your husband should get you one. We bought my refurbished IBM for $400 on the Internetz and it’s been a workhouse without a single glitch. Except sometimes it think’s it’s Canadian because that’s where we bought it from.
I love the idea that our “needs” are just excuses when it comes to writing. That’s a realization I’ve come to, as well.
Except I really can’t function as a writer without my laptop. So your husband should get you one. We bought my refurbished IBM for $400 on the Internetz and it’s been a workhouse without a single glitch. Except sometimes it think’s it’s Canadian because that’s where we bought it from.
Get. yourself. a laptop! You could maybe write it off on your taxes. Er something.
Silence is a totally under-appreciated thing. Golden.
Get. yourself. a laptop! You could maybe write it off on your taxes. Er something.
Silence is a totally under-appreciated thing. Golden.
The laptop IS a need. I thought I could get by with a Netbook (to supplement my Mac mini desktop), and the thing whirred and whirred and didn’t show me beyond 15 lines of text at a time. I finally got a MacAir a month ago and It. Has. Changed. My. Life.
I’m getting more work done. I’m wanting to work more. I can be in the thick of things, have inspiration, and disappear onto the laptop for those 15 minutes…which in turn set me up for more writing later that day rather than writing later that month.
Plus, I can work on my second life (college English teacher) on the desktop and then feel like I’m getting a break when I transfer to the laptop. It’s a nice feeling, yes indeed.
-S.
The laptop IS a need. I thought I could get by with a Netbook (to supplement my Mac mini desktop), and the thing whirred and whirred and didn’t show me beyond 15 lines of text at a time. I finally got a MacAir a month ago and It. Has. Changed. My. Life.
I’m getting more work done. I’m wanting to work more. I can be in the thick of things, have inspiration, and disappear onto the laptop for those 15 minutes…which in turn set me up for more writing later that day rather than writing later that month.
Plus, I can work on my second life (college English teacher) on the desktop and then feel like I’m getting a break when I transfer to the laptop. It’s a nice feeling, yes indeed.
-S.