I imagine professional writers sitting for long hours each day, pounding out words. Actually, most writers have other obligations and have to squeeze writing in when they can. I have reduced my commitments quite a bit, especially during the COVID-19 period. But I still word-process for only three or four hours a day. However, my mind really never stops writing.
As Eugene Ionesco says, “A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.” The phrase “thinking about writing” isn’t simply the mental beating yourself up to get started writing, which is what we hear from beginning or struggling writers. It is important not to let that be the only type of thinking you do. Instead, the mind should still be intensely focused on how to produce a well-written product, even far from the computer.
Once you start writing or working on an idea, then the mind becomes a little obsessed. Characters follow you when you leave the computer behind for a while. Conflicts play out in your head as you watch the six o’clock news. When you lie down to sleep, thinking about writing seems to take over completely. Characters make noise sometimes to the point of keeping you awake.
Other times, you may write while dreaming and wake up with an answer to a problem. I have a friend who writes poetry in his sleep. He will wake up with lines for a poem, and simply jot them down on a notepad by his bed. Occasionally, the dreamy writing is so good that he heads to the office immediately.
I don’t write in my sleep, but I do think best in a prone position in a recliner, on the bed, or on the couch. When I’m working out voices for a narrator or working on the scenes needed to drive the plot, I don’t write out all possibilities, I first think deeply about them first. At times, I have had to figure out what to write next so often or for so long, that Peggy worries I’m sleeping too much. The cats, however, prefer me to lie down, but hate it when I suddenly jump up to start word processing once I have solved my writing problem.
When thinking about writing, the biggest problem is how to retain ideas. As many of you know, sometimes the best ideas come in the shower and when driving. Be sure to keep an audio recorder or notebook with you. A friend bought me a waterproof notebook. If you have nothing to record your ideas, try repeating the key words until you are able to write them down. The more you practice just “thinking,” the more apt you are to remember the ideas and wording for longer periods of time.
Once you start writing or working on an idea, then the mind becomes a little obsessed. Characters follow you when you leave the computer behind for a while. Conflicts play out in your head as you watch the six o’clock news. When you lie down to sleep, thinking about writing seems to take over completely. Characters make noise sometimes to the point of keeping you awake.
Other times, you may write while dreaming and wake up with an answer to a problem. I have a friend who writes poetry in his sleep. He will wake up with lines for a poem, and simply jot them down on a notepad by his bed. Occasionally, the dreamy writing is so good that he heads to the office immediately.
I don’t write in my sleep, but I do think best in a prone position in a recliner, on the bed, or on the couch. When I’m working out voices for a narrator or working on the scenes needed to drive the plot, I don’t write out all possibilities, I first think deeply about them first. At times, I have had to figure out what to write next so often or for so long, that Peggy worries I’m sleeping too much. The cats, however, prefer me to lie down, but hate it when I suddenly jump up to start word processing once I have solved my writing problem.
When thinking about writing, the biggest problem is how to retain ideas. As many of you know, sometimes the best ideas come in the shower and when driving. Be sure to keep an audio recorder or notebook with you. A friend bought me a waterproof notebook. If you have nothing to record your ideas, try repeating the key words until you are able to write them down. The more you practice just “thinking,” the more apt you are to remember the ideas and wording for longer periods of time.
For me, this the most productive aspect of my writing process, and it leads to better writing. I hope you “think” productively too.
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