Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Places to Write

I'm beginning to realize I'm a finicky writer. I love writing in coffee shops. The ambient hum of conversations, the high pitched whistle of the milk steamer, the jingle of coins into the tip jar all combine to create a song which calls my characters out from their hiding places in my brain. I don't love the jittery feeling I get after drinking two espresso drinks and eating a scone, though, so I limit these writing sessions to once a month.

Writing outside seems like such a romantic idea, but it almost never works. The sun will be too bright creating glare off the notebook. Or the breeze will keep blowing my notes in every direction. I can do it in short bursts, but it always leaves me feeling vaguely disappointed and tired.

I love writing at home in my office, or in our library/guest room. A few words trickle out with effort in most of the other rooms (save the master bathroom -- all my best ideas are born there, I just can't shower and type at the same time). But I can't seem to get a lick of work done in the family room with the siren call of the TiVo and HDTV.

Unfortunately, I absolutely can't work when anyone else is in the house, even the lovely house-cleaners who visit for a couple of hours twice a month and keep me from going completely insane surrounded by piles of cat hair and empty yogurt containers. I sit in my office chair, rock-rigid, listening to their happy chatter as they dust and mop (and, let's be honest, put things away in the weirdest places), staring at my computer screen, the voices in my head completely silent. I've been able to write with my spouse in the house, but it takes an unusual amount of effort to get started and I can get pulled out of the writing headspace with "what's for dinner?", or "did we TiVo the latest episode of Top Chef Masters?" (Duh, of course we did!)

What about you? Where do you love to write? Where can't you write one word?

No comments:

Post a Comment