If you ever want to write prolifically, writing needs to become a priority in your life - a skill that you practise daily. As such, you need to make it part of your lifestyle; it needs a dedicated place in your daily schedule, you need to factor in what you eat, drink, how you exercise and sleep. But these are many changes. Right now, I just want to talk about things you can do to your immediate environment in order to maximise your effectiveness as a writer.
Critically, where is your writing space? Is it in the middle of chaos, surrounded by childrens' toys or facing the distressingly filthy kitchen? Do you have a writing space? Now, while I can recommend having a space dedicated just to your writing, it's not necessary. For the first month or so that I dedicated my lifestyle to being a writer, I wrote in my four-poster bed. Every night I would get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on the lanterns that I had hung from each post. I would then write for a few hours before going to sleep. It made for terrible sleep hygiene, but as I have no problem with sleeping (more with staying awake), it was fine, and it was truly a wonderful time in my writing life.
When I got my tax return I went out and bought myself a special 'writing chair'. (It in itself is not special, as 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, though my back is a bit happier.
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.
Lighting, music and sounds are all sensuous ways of putting your mind in writing mode. Some people (including myself) use soundtracks for their writing, and scented candles to evoke the writing atmosphere. I use both, combined with other techniques. What scents/sounds put you in the mood to write?
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. So her solution? She set the kids free and locked herself in the playpen! And it actually worked for her, so don't be afraid to think outside the box (or in this case, inside it!).
Picture your ideal writing situation. What immediately jumps out when you try to picture yourself writing in the future, once you are rich and famous and can write anywhere? 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.
In these two images, the colour contrasts and the amount of light are important. The nearness of books inspires me, and the use of natural elements such as wood soothes me. The two examples I use mean I don't need much memory input, such as the photographs I have up around me, (the inspirational books on the shelves serve that purpose for me). I try to recreate the essence of these two images as much as I can in my current environment.
Describe your imaginary writing space in as much detail as you can, even down 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.
Critically, where is your writing space? Is it in the middle of chaos, surrounded by childrens' toys or facing the distressingly filthy kitchen? Do you have a writing space? Now, while I can recommend having a space dedicated just to your writing, it's not necessary. For the first month or so that I dedicated my lifestyle to being a writer, I wrote in my four-poster bed. Every night I would get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on the lanterns that I had hung from each post. I would then write for a few hours before going to sleep. It made for terrible sleep hygiene, but as I have no problem with sleeping (more with staying awake), it was fine, and it was truly a wonderful time in my writing life.
When I got my tax return I went out and bought myself a special 'writing chair'. (It in itself is not special, as 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, though my back is a bit happier.
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.
Lighting, music and sounds are all sensuous ways of putting your mind in writing mode. Some people (including myself) use soundtracks for their writing, and scented candles to evoke the writing atmosphere. I use both, combined with other techniques. What scents/sounds put you in the mood to write?
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. So her solution? She set the kids free and locked herself in the playpen! And it actually worked for her, so don't be afraid to think outside the box (or in this case, inside it!).
Picture your ideal writing situation. What immediately jumps out when you try to picture yourself writing in the future, once you are rich and famous and can write anywhere? 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.
In these two images, the colour contrasts and the amount of light are important. The nearness of books inspires me, and the use of natural elements such as wood soothes me. The two examples I use mean I don't need much memory input, such as the photographs I have up around me, (the inspirational books on the shelves serve that purpose for me). I try to recreate the essence of these two images as much as I can in my current environment.
Describe your imaginary writing space in as much detail as you can, even down 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.
About the Author:
This is an excerpt from Buffy Greentree's book 'The Five Day Writer's Retreat', available now on Amazon. Five_day_Writer_Retreat
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