Iām in an Inked Voices picture book workshop with an editor who kicked things off by asking about our writing processāincluding the space and mindset we like to be in when we create.
Itās a great questionāone which will invariably have as many ārightā answers as there are creators. Still, itās interesting to hear from the other writers thereānot on an āI should try thatā basis necessarily, but more on a āisnāt the human mind fascinatingā? I mean, Iām not one that thinks someoneās process determines their results, exactly; instead, I tend to believe mindset determines results, and process is how you process your mindset? That probably reads like word salad, but I guess what Iām trying to say is: given how little we know about how/when/why our muse strikes, itās remarkable how much we can coax our synapses to fire up just by making ourselves feel, essentially, comfortableāand obviously being ācomfortableā is different for each person!
You might say having and using your processāeven if itās just your best guess at this pointāis whatās important. Having one means, by default, that you are determined, committed, and actively working towards something. That is NO SMALL THING. Itās how you are attempting to find a path forward, past the overgrown shrubbery and rotting mile markers.
Whew. Can we take a musical interlude?
Thank you, Friend.
I think my very favorite Nirvana song is actually a cover they did of a Meat Puppets song: Plateau.
I will not pretend to know what was on Kurtās mind when he selected this for their Unplugged setlist, but I can only assume he connected with it deeply to choose it over so many of his own songs. Anyways, I love the song, too. Who knows what a song āmeansā in a global sense (being so personal and subjective), but for me, itās about finding your little place of spiritual satisfaction and making it your own, and it pretty much sums up how I feel about finding your way into your creative process.
As usual, Iāve probably overshared.
Still, I want to be clear; I donāt think MY process is for you. LOL! I share it only because (at least for me!) visualization is such an essential component of goal-setting and follow-through. I find this especially true when the goal is audacious or has a very uncertain outcome (cough, cough, āwriting,ā cough, cough).
In my case, I write M-F while the kids are at school, with some extra on the evenings and weekends when they are otherwise occupied. Iād say itās typically about half and half drafting and revising. I also blog once a week, and my blog drafts (many of which wonāt ever see the light of day) are my morning pages.
Alas, I canāt listen to music while I write. However, I listen to it before I start my writing dayāin the hour while Iām getting breakfast together, doing laundry, etc. I have a cringey but āit meā Spotify writing pump-up playlist. (You will not be surprised to see our old friend Plateau on there.)
I usually ping-pong between projects to keep things fresh for myself, though some days are easier than others for MG (which requires focus for more extended time blocks, at least in my case).
As far as time management goes, I love the scene in The Office where Kelly is interviewing for a promotion and talking about how she manages her department, and then Jimās like, āYour departmentās just youā¦right?ā to which Kelly retorts, āYes, Jimābut I am *not* easy to manage.ā LOL! Sheās not wrongāI āfeelā her sometimes! I end up signing myself up for a lot of critique groups and workshops so that I always have deadlines and accountability.
I primarily work at my desk in the basement (see glamour shot above), though I also love working at the kitchen table. I guess Iām easily distracted by noiseāI canāt seem to write or read well at coffee shops or the library, even though I walk to one or the other most days. So Iāve learned just to grab my books and latte and walk backābut I use the round trip of walking for āthinkingā time.
Iāve probably told you more than any of you wanted to know about how I sit in a chair, think, and type! šHow do you do what you do? Feel free to post links if this is a topic youāve written about yourself!
Yours in processing our processes,
Elayne
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This is great Elayne! I love seeing/learning/reading about other people like this! Sometimes it is so I can get ideas of what I could try or do, or to learn that I am not the only one that does/thinks/or is something! I should write a post like this! And I love your set-up! It looks nice and cozy in an industrial sort of way! And Molly Bangās Picture This book is great! She really explains composition so well. I ended up purchasing my own copy from a used bookstore online!
Argh - why does inspiration (how to organize, ideas on doing anything differently) always feel for me so like I'm running behind and will never catch up?! "Someday" I'll share my not-so-organized writing spaces (and get a second monitor :))