Category: on writing

We all have our spaces where we are most productive. It’s interesting, some people can’t get any work done at home. And others could never imagine getting their work done in a busy coffee shop. We all work best in our own way, doing our own thing.

I prefer to work in coffee shops and libraries. But I need to be able to have a snack and a drink nearby while I type. I’ve heard some others don’t allow themselves a snack until they finish their writing. I personally need more encouragement than that to keep going.

I’m always interested in other writers routines and spaces. I don’t have much of a writing space these days. I write where ever I can find the space because it’s usually a desperate attempt to get it all out before 12am. Getting it done before 12 is my only rule. I mean there’s gotta be some pressure, right? Here’ some other writers and their writing processes.

EB White wrote in his living room and disliked writing with music playing in the background.

Ernest Hemmingway wrote first thing in the morning when it was a cool temperature and appreciated warming up while he wrote.

Maya Angelou got herself hotel rooms and brough cards and crosswords to occupy what she called her little mind so her big mind could work on the deep concepts she wanted to write about.

It’s so wild how we all operate in our own creative spaces.

What is your routine? Do you relate to any of these routines?

Source

The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers

It takes me so much work to figure things out but once I get it, I get it After that, I either lose interest or continue to work on the problem. Some problems, I can’t solve over night, those are hard for me but I press on.

So when it comes to writing and getting to the point, the trouble is I have so many points I’m trying to make, and I worry if I don’t include one, I’ll lose a chance to make a difference. Then again, if I include too many then they lose their power. This entire process is choosing which battle I’m willing to accept for now and which one will I accept at a later date.

For most of my work though, I’m battling oppression. For A Triptych, I’m battling the “elders” (though elders are never mentioned). It’s more of a rebuilding of ancient ways. Or maybe just questioning them.

It’s exciting to think about it.

How can we change the world if we’re too busy worrying about what everyone is doing wrong? The key to success is monitoring ourselves. It’s not easy but it’s a valuable task.

Before I started writing, I’m gunna be honest, I was critical. or some might say, judgey. I felt like I was minding my own behaviors but I wasn’t very good at it. Once I started writing and going to workshops with other writers, it really helped shine a light on who I was and how I could be more mindful of those around me. I wasn’t some kind of narcissistic monster but I could have been more patient when it came to the expectations I placed on people, (mostly my friends).

I know that not everyone likes writing. I know that we all have our own things that pull us up to a higher level of thinking but as a writer, I’m bias. I think writing and all that comes with it, can change the world.

Gabriele Guercio, in Art as an Existence, speaks on the metaphor, life is in the process of creating. He says that art represents spirit and its informing ideas as well as the creative action of nature. Seeing the progression of an artist (or writer in our case) shows a natural cycle. It allows the artist’s work to come into being naturally.

To further explain, when you observe an artist’s work who invests in mastering their craft over time, you get to see what Guercio refers to as, “the natural and cultural growth, inner inclination, and outside context; or all the elements that confront each other within the story of an individual’s formation.” This is something J.D. Passavant called Bilding.

Let’s talk about this as creative writers. Let’s say, creative writing brings into consciousness those natural and unconscious forces that are active within the writer and when it finally enters the universe of being, it does so by aiming at the fullness and variety of nature. That would mean that our writing should in some way represent the truth of our inner struggles. It should require us to show up to the page with vulnerability and an eagerness to bring into awareness our inner conflicts. These are not ugly conflicts, there’s so much beauty in vulnerability. This, to the first monograph writer and also to me, is art.

Not everyone is this type of artist. It takes great focus and courage to face yourself and then place your soul on a blank page. I think it is so challenging to write in this way that we can’t help but keep reading. We can’t help but adore the writer.

It’s been a while since I wrote out a blog post. I’m hoping this post will cure my shoulder ache even though it’s not really even related to my shoulder ache
(besides my slouching). It’s funny how we do things that we think will fix a problem but it doesn’t exactly fix the problem. Sometimes it makes new problems on top of old problems. The truth is, my shoulder will stop hurting when I stop slouching while I write in combination with my youngest not needing to be picked up anymore. I’m in no rush to change either of those habits just yet (maybe the slouching). So this blog post is being created to heal my shoulder. Will it heal my shoulder? No. Will it make my life more enjoyable so the pain is less of an annoyance? Maybe. Will it add one more blog post to my collection of blog posts? Absolutely.

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
Lance Armstrong