What conditions do you need to get your best writing done? Closed door, crowded coffee house? Computer or notebook? Can you just sit down to write, or do you need to wait for the time to be right?
In a perfect world I would have nothing but time to write. And surf the internet. But mostly write. Sometimes while eating ice cream. And ice cream would be good for you - like eating salad.
Yes, that's right. Endless time to write and ice cream is now a vegetable. That's my idea of a perfect world. In retrospect, I guess I could've mentioned something about world peace too. But it doesn't really matter, because sadly, this perfect world exists only in my fantasy.
In the real world I have a full time job and two small children. Free time is not abundant and ice cream goes straight to my thighs. And yet somehow I manage to carve out little bits of time to write.
Now once again, in perhaps not a perfect world, but in maybe a semi-perfect one - these little bits of time would be considered sacred by all around me. In this semi-perfect world there would be a very easy way to deal with anyone who disturbed me.
Effective, yes?Also, in this semi-perfect world? I'd be getting these for Christmas.
And I don't mean some lame stuffed toy version. I want the real thing.But once again, sadly, the world isn't perfect and it isn't semi-perfect either.
I know. It sucks.
But I don't want this post to focus on the negative. I don't want you to read this post and think, "My God she's right. The world isn't perfect or even semi-perfect. Why do I even get up in the morning?" Although it is a valid question. In a perfect world - everyone would get to sleep in if they wanted to and no one would ever again have to worry about getting up in the morning. That would now be an afternoon problem.
But I digress. My point is that even in this so-very-much-less-than-perfect world, there is always a way to find a time and find a place to write - at least there is for those who want to do it badly enough.
Me? I'm one of those that want it badly.
So when I don't have time to write because I have to sit in traffic on my way home from work or give the kids a bath or cook dinner - then I plot away inside my head. I plan how to finish the scene I'm in the middle of or how to start the next one. Or if, like now, I'm in the midst of edits - then I work through what I've changed, what else needs to be changed, and how exactly I plan to do it. Then, when I actually have time to sit at the computer, I don't need to spend a lot of time staring at the screen, I can just jump right in.
No, it's not a perfect or semi-perfect way to write, but so far it's working for me.
That's it from me, but the blog chain doesn't end with here- make sure to check out the other posts on this great topic. You can find Matt's right before mine and Cole will be up tomorrow.
