Approaching the blank page – part 2
Last week was all about stepping away from the blank page to get an idea of what to write about. Now we can step back to the page and begin the task of how to start.
And it’s not by writing.
Writing is a physical activity. You may be sedentary, but it is a biomechanical process, and as such you have to make sure you are doing it right. Eye strain, back ache and carpal tunnel syndrome are among some of the potential injuries you can give yourself when writing.
So take a look at where you plan to do your writing, and make sure it is comfortable. Not too comfortable, you want to actually write, not curl up and fall asleep. If you are writing at a desk or a table, you want it to be at an appropriate height for how you write. For example, if you are typing you want to keep your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle, with your forearms parallel to the ground. But if handwriting it should be slightly higher than that to allow for the higher angle of your elbow. Having a height adjustable chair can help with this.
Speaking of chairs, when sitting at a chair your feet should touch the ground and your thighs be parallel with the ground. Your back should be straight and supported. As someone who suffers from back problems I can tell you that nothing will put you off writing more than persistent pain. You’re going to be writing for long periods at a time, so you need to be comfortable enough to do that.
Make sure you have adequate light levels too. I do most of my writing beside a window so that I have the benefit of daylight. I also have an adjustable swing lamp on my desk for writing at night.
Do you have all the materials close at hand you need to write with? Pen, spare ink, spare pens, pencils (plural), pencil sharpener, eraser, typewriter ribbon, plenty of paper, your computer – however you write, have the essentials at hand so you aren’t having to disrupt your flow of writing.
Finally, unplug from the internet. If you write longhand or use a typewriter, then this isn’t going to be so much of a problem for you. However, if like me you write on a computer, it is a huge pitfall. The internet is great for research, but a fiend for eating up your time. So shut down your web browser. Close the e-mail program. Turn off the instant messaging software. If you have a desktop alert for new e-mails, turn it off too. If you use wi-fi, try turning off the router. Wired internet connection? Unplug it from the computer. Cut yourself off from it while you are writing to remove the temptation to “just check your e-mail”. You can always reward yourself with some web time for completing an hour or so of writing.
These are what I consider the non-negotiable preparation for writing, the things you really have to do to get your writing done.
There are other things of course, that are down to personal preference. Some people like to write in absolute silence, others need music in the background. I prefer to have some music playing, but it can’t be anything that will distract me, so I prefer to have music with no lyrics. And it can’t be the radio for me, as I’ll concentrate too much on people talking, but for others having talk radio playing is a benefit.
Same goes for television. I know writers who can have the television playing in the background, can keep up with their writing while watching a film or a TV show. I’m guilty of doing this sometimes, but it tends to be non-fiction. I just can’t write fiction with the TV on.
And then there’s the subject of refreshments. I heartily endorse having a drink with you whilst you write. What you drink is down to you. I usually have a large mug of coffee, or some water or fruit juice, but I’ve been known to write with a bottle of beer or a margarita. Again, down to you, with a caveat that you don’t use “getting another drink” as an excuse to keep wandering off and not writing. And if do have an alcoholic beverage with you when writing, please drink responsibly. Not everyone can be Hemmingway.
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Write Anything 
I wrote almost 12,000 words in four days during NaNo when a storm knocked out our internet last year. I have never been so productive, so immersed and enjoyed myself so much in years. This year I going to learn to turn the router off and go cold turkey on the internet.
I too am blessed to have my desk by a huge window. Though in Summer the afternoon makes it too hot to work here and winter I wish for just a little sun. But still – I love being here by the window.
And I agree with you reminders about proper posture. I spent my first year at uni sitting on an “ergonomic” chair which was adjusted for my five foot one and a bit housemate … which was excruciating for me … but needed the computer.
I find my cups of tea often go cold or unfinished though it’s nice to have it there at the beginning. Oh – now I am dreaming of writing fiction. But I think for the time being I will just go to bed and do the old fashioned type of dreaming.
Coffee and tea are my drinks of choice when writing. What I really want when I write, though, is salty, crunchy snacks.
I used to be able to write with abandon while the television was on, but I’ve found lately that I am simply too easily distracted. I used to need the sound of music or the television to help me write but these days it seems that silence is better for my fiction or poetry writing efforts while certain specific albums help me write non-fiction or scripts. It also has gotten to the point where I need to have my workspace clean and clutter free or else I focus on the debris and the fact that things are out of place rather than writing!
Before I was switched to working at home, I had found that getting to the office several hours early afforded me the quiet, undistracted time I needed to write a lot. Now that I have a home office, I have not gotten into that groove yet, but I think it will actually be very productive if I just get myself into the habit of going down to the office early and shutting everything else out.
I completely agree that the internet can be the bane of a writer’s existence. I avoided it a lot for years, but as with my television issues, I am finding it to be more and more distracting. What’s worse is that if I am cut off from the internet, I am distracted by the lack of internet access, too! I am going to need to find a way to handle the internet better than I have been lately. Jodi mentioned NaNoWriMo — I am one of the forums moderators for NaNoWriMo and so I have the extra burden of trying to stay connected while also staying offline.
One thing that has helped me write is being around other people who are writing at the same time. It’s not about the sharing of ideas so much as it is about the act of being creative while others are also creating. Something about this seems to help me and so I like my workspace to be large enough and clutter-free enough to accomodate other writers at the same time.
I can never get myself to disconnect the Internet, but when it’s done for me, such as when the power goes out, I always write more because there’s no choice. I get bored otherwise.
And to think you only violated some of your rules whilst writing this article… Man, you’re a saint.
On a more serious note I see we all have our own battles. For me, the internet isn’t a problem, but anything alcoholic while I’m working or writing puts me to sleep. That’s why I enjoy the occasional drink with friends after class, but never before.
I’ll let you into a little secret, when I record a podcast, because it’s usually very late afternoon on a Sunday, I’m quite often sitting with a bottle of beer or cider. But for all other writing, it’s usually coffee.
Rob, that’s a tough one if you are a mod during NaNoWriMo – and I have a difficulty with it too, as one of the best tools I found for getting me through the daily word count was Dr Wicked’s Write or Die – which is of course online!
When I’m blank, this means there’s so much information flying around I don’t know what to focus on. So I begin by dumping words into a mind map and in no time my mind begins to free up some space and my visualization begins. It’s not long afterwards my fingers begin to fly across the page.
Some great tips in here Paul. I think distraction is a key element for people not to develop their ideas, however turning the Internet I find to be more of a distraction. For the type for writing I do I need to do research and constantly be browsing the web. I rely on it to get my work done and without it the distractions start. However, I may be the exception to the rule, so I think the advice stands for the majority of people.
Jenny, you may not be the exception, depending on the type of writing you mainly do. If it is non-fiction, essay or journalistic, then that’s a whole other ball game, and I really should have been clearer that most of what I’m talking about, while having general application, is mainly written with fiction in mind.
When I’m writing a non-fiction article, then having the internet there as an easy reference source is a lifesaver.
If the research is for fiction though (historical fiction for instance) then you may well be the exception – for myself when I write something fictional that needs fact checking I leave a note in the margin to go back and check it later. If I’m in the flow of writing and plot, I don’t want to stop just to make sure I’ve got my dates right!
My laptop recently died a horrible death due to a power surge caused by lightning.
The point is I’ve had to drag my trusty ancient family computer into my office to write (Fiction), and we recently switched to a wireless router which ol’ trusty can’t connect to. Thus, I have no internet in my office.
And it is SOOOOOOO amazing. I was really upset the first few days, because I had to go into the living room to check my email, but I haven’t been so productive in a long while. I very much recommend cutting off the Internet when you’re writing. It really forces you to think, do I really need to do that on the net or can I do it later?
PS: to Paul. Dr. Wicked is working on an off-line version for Write or Die. I believe it should be out before NaNoWriMo and likely under $15.