If you want to write prolifically and productively, you need to start thinking of writing as your life, and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. By adjust your lifestyle, I mean taking into account what you eat, how you exercise, your sleeping patterns - and equally critically, where you put writing in your daily schedule. Here, I want to look at creating the right environment to maximise your effectiveness as a writer.
Firstly, where is it that you dedicate yourself to writing? Do you have a dedicated writing space? Or do you snatch a corner of the kids' play area, or crouch in the kitchen as it begs you to clean it. Perhaps it's time to get one - there are many people who argue that having a space that is solely dedicated to writing is an excellent way to get your brain in the mood. I'm not one of those people, though I think it's important to have a time and space put aside to write in. When I first dedicated my lifestyle to writing, I wrote in my four-poster bed, which had lanterns hung on each post. Every night I'd get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on each of the lanterns. The next few hours before sleep I would dedicate to writing. This was a great time in my writing life.
However, when I got my tax return (yippee!), I went out and bought myself a named 'writing chair'. (In itself it's not particularly special; it's IKEA and probably half the world has the same chair, my treatment of it lends it significance.) My aim is to keep this chair for purely writing purposes. I'm not sure whether my writing is any better for it (difficult to tell), but my back is certainly happier.
As I live in a one bedroom apartment, my chair is in my main living area facing my kitchen area. This can lead to stress in some people, and while you can train yourself to block out the call of other things that need to be done, I found that the most effective way to rid myself of those nagging thoughts about cleaning was to get myself a cleaning lady. Lilly and her partner come every second week and clean my entire apartment, so I never have to worry about it. All for the price of staying an hour and a half longer at work (or not going out to a movie and dinner). Definitely worth it.
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, and not just having good light. Sometimes I need low, mood lighting, while at other times I need sunlight streaming in. I've fiddled around 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 still love the lanterns over my bed, and think fondly back to those times writing like a princess, but have not moved them to my current location so I still get princess reading time before sleep (part of my sleep routine!). Think for a moment how your lighting might affect you? Are your lights too harsh? Do you need to invest in a lamp? You might be surprised the difference it makes.
I also have different scented candles that I light depending on the book I'm working on. This way, I associate smells not only with my writing, but a particular style and atmosphere of writing.
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. Her solution? Free the children and lock herself in the pen! And it actually worked for her, so don't be afraid to think outside the box (or in this case, inside it!).
Picture for a moment your ideal writing place. 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?
For me, 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.
A warm, carpeted study, with large French style windows that look out into tree branches, dark wood bookshelves all around, and a large mahogany desk facing into the room. There are also comfortable chairs for curling up and reading beside the fire. The room smells of fresh coffee.
The amount of light and contrasts are of salient importance to me. The nearness of the books inspire me, and the use of natural elements such as wood soothes me. The images probably mean I don't need much memory input, such as the photographs I have up around me, as the books do that for me. I try to recreate the essence of these two images as much as I can in my current environment.
Another task: describe your imaginary writing space in as much detail as you can, down even 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.
Firstly, where is it that you dedicate yourself to writing? Do you have a dedicated writing space? Or do you snatch a corner of the kids' play area, or crouch in the kitchen as it begs you to clean it. Perhaps it's time to get one - there are many people who argue that having a space that is solely dedicated to writing is an excellent way to get your brain in the mood. I'm not one of those people, though I think it's important to have a time and space put aside to write in. When I first dedicated my lifestyle to writing, I wrote in my four-poster bed, which had lanterns hung on each post. Every night I'd get home from the gym, have a shower, dinner, and then jump straight into bed and turn on each of the lanterns. The next few hours before sleep I would dedicate to writing. This was a great time in my writing life.
However, when I got my tax return (yippee!), I went out and bought myself a named 'writing chair'. (In itself it's not particularly special; it's IKEA and probably half the world has the same chair, my treatment of it lends it significance.) My aim is to keep this chair for purely writing purposes. I'm not sure whether my writing is any better for it (difficult to tell), but my back is certainly happier.
As I live in a one bedroom apartment, my chair is in my main living area facing my kitchen area. This can lead to stress in some people, and while you can train yourself to block out the call of other things that need to be done, I found that the most effective way to rid myself of those nagging thoughts about cleaning was to get myself a cleaning lady. Lilly and her partner come every second week and clean my entire apartment, so I never have to worry about it. All for the price of staying an hour and a half longer at work (or not going out to a movie and dinner). Definitely worth it.
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, and not just having good light. Sometimes I need low, mood lighting, while at other times I need sunlight streaming in. I've fiddled around 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 still love the lanterns over my bed, and think fondly back to those times writing like a princess, but have not moved them to my current location so I still get princess reading time before sleep (part of my sleep routine!). Think for a moment how your lighting might affect you? Are your lights too harsh? Do you need to invest in a lamp? You might be surprised the difference it makes.
I also have different scented candles that I light depending on the book I'm working on. This way, I associate smells not only with my writing, but a particular style and atmosphere of writing.
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. Her solution? Free the children and lock herself in the pen! And it actually worked for her, so don't be afraid to think outside the box (or in this case, inside it!).
Picture for a moment your ideal writing place. 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?
For me, 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.
A warm, carpeted study, with large French style windows that look out into tree branches, dark wood bookshelves all around, and a large mahogany desk facing into the room. There are also comfortable chairs for curling up and reading beside the fire. The room smells of fresh coffee.
The amount of light and contrasts are of salient importance to me. The nearness of the books inspire me, and the use of natural elements such as wood soothes me. The images probably mean I don't need much memory input, such as the photographs I have up around me, as the books do that for me. I try to recreate the essence of these two images as much as I can in my current environment.
Another task: describe your imaginary writing space in as much detail as you can, down even 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.
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