Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Where Do You Write?

Okay, so I know this is going to sound crazy, and it probably is, but I do my best work in the garage with pen and paper. I have a home office with a built-in desk and a relatively new computer, and yet I choose the garage with a notepad. Hm...strange perhaps, but it works for me. First of all, it's a place to escape from the noise and chaos that typically abounds inside my house. I've tried the bedroom, the basement, even the bathroom, and it seems there is nowhere inside to get away from the noise, whether it be the television, the phone, the radio, or even fighting children. The garage offers the privacy and solitude I need to let my words flow. Second, writing things out on paper before actually typing it on the computer allows for a quick edit. Here's how it works: I write a scene in my notebook, kick my kids off the computer, and then type the scene. More often than not, what winds up in the word doc is different than what is written in my notebook. Wa La...first edit already done! Now, you may think writing the scene twice is a waste of time, but if it works for me, who cares? The problem is, though, it hasn't been working out so well lately. There was just too much junk in the garage, at least until last night. I took advantage of my kids' boredom and made them help me clean it out. Today, I wrote several pages (they haven't made it to the computer yet, but at least they're written), and I even had time to blog. My system seems to be working again! So, what about you? Do you have a strange location where you like to write? Or perhaps you have an odd idiosyncrasy that helps you work? Maybe an unconventional method? Please share, I'd love to hear about it!

3 comments:

AiringMyLaundry said...

I'm boring. I just write in front of my computer. I find my words flow better when I'm typing them out. But I will scribble notes and ideas down in my notebook. I try to take it with me wherever I go because I never know when an idea will hit me.

Susan R. Mills said...

Whispering Writer - It's not boring; it's normal. I agree about having the notebook with you all the time. Ideas seem to happen at the strangest moments.

Stephanie McGee said...

When I do actually write, it varies. If it's short stories I do better just writing it straight into my computer. Novels, I have to write in very specific types of notebook. That way I can have the notebook with me for those random times of inspiration. (Or in the case of the chapter written while on study abroad, it was the only option available because I didn't have my computer.) Poetry originals have to be written out on lined notebook paper in a spiral-bound notebook.

Yes, I'm a weird writer.