If you’re a writer, where and when do you write?
It took me a while to figure out where and when I work best. And it shouldn’t have been a mystery. I’ve always been an early riser. When I was a kid, I was up ahead of Saturday morning cartoons. I actually took an eight o’clock calculus class in college on purpose to get it out of the way. Breakfast is my favorite meal and morning is my best time of the day.
Why, then would I ever try writing after work, in the evening, when I’m not at my peak? Because I’m just plain stubborn. I was already getting up at 6:30 in the morning for work and didn’t want to get up any earlier. But when I committed myself to my first manuscript, I decided to give my freshest time to writing, so I got up at 5:00 and wrote for an hour and a half before work.
I was soooo productive. Usually my excitement about my project was enough to keep me writing on the bus on the way to work. And thinking about my manuscript through the morning (because, as I like to say, thinking is working). Sometimes I would write at lunch, too. Usually when I would get home I would be bushed and winding down which was OK, because I had already been pretty darn productive. I’m not saying that 5:00 AM is for everyone. In my case, it was just the time of day I was free and freshest.
Which leads to another question: Where do you write?
Here’s a fun fact about me: I have a writing office and I never write there. It holds those dozens of notebooks with writing ideas, a cork board with ideas stuck on it, and my coffee hotplate that keeps my coffee warm. It might be because the room is intemperate. Or it could be because my cat hangs out in there a lot and is jealous of my computer. Or maybe it’s too quiet. But for whatever reason, if I’m at home, I almost always end up writing in the living room.
However, most of the time, I don’t write at home. I’m one of those lucky people who can write just about anywhere, but being at the house is distracting for me. At home, there’s always something that needs my attention: cleaning, laundry, dishes…. At a coffee shop, it’s just me and my mini HP. If I need inspiration, I just look around. But a lot of the time I write on public transportation, at my desk at work, and sometimes in cafes. The only thing that really throws me off is music. It’s harder for me to “hear” my characters when I’m listening to lyrics, too. Again, that’s just me. Stephanie Meyers puts her books out with a playlist…so clearly music is a big part of her inspiration.
So what about you? Where and when do you like to write? Do you have a special room? Music? Any odd rituals?
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Kate's Book Blog 
I just have to make time to write. It doesn’t really matter what time of day (getting up early is out, though!), I just have to make sure I clear enough time to get into a groove. It’s hard to go back to something if I get interrupted, especially if I was really rolling.
I like to listen to music with words in languages I don’t understand while I write.
Kate, I’m a lot like you. I love mornings and am the most productive then. If only work didn’t get in the way, I think I could keep going.
I can write anywhere and seldom write in my office. A beautiful room with a big desk and lots of resource books. My favorite place is my garden or the deck. Summers are so short that I love sitting outside in my “outdoor office”.
The earth could crumble and I wouldn’t notice, but as a rule, music does not work for me. Although, ever once in a while I will have a manuscript that seems to call for a soundtrack. These almost always come in the form of a movie soundtrack that just feels right.
I’ve had Shrek for a MG novel and Brother Bear for my YA. Crazy, I know…
Kate, you sound so much like me as a kid! You’ve inspired me to try a little experiment ;). I just don’t want to wake up any earlier, but that is definitely when I’m at my freshest. I think I’ll have to pay a few early morning calls to the coffee shop down the street.
Right now what I’m doing is not working!! I live in a tiny apartment, so I usually write at the kitchen counter or on the couch while my husband watches TV…not the greatest situation.
Thanks for the idea!!!
I do my best writing first thing in the morning, before my mind gets cluttered up with anything else. Sometimes, if I’m really energetic, I’ll come back and do some more later in the day (but I’m learning to try not to be so tied to my computer so often I don’t).
It’s so interesting to hear how other people work! Thank you, everyone, for sharing!
I should do a blog on HOW you write, too. I used to hand write everything and then transcribe into a computer. Now I have a mini that I can carry and I’ve been working on that. You know what? I’m finding that I miss the organic process of handwriting and taking notes in the margins. Even though it adds more time, I might have to go back to that for my next WIP. Go figure. 🙂
I like to listen to something with a beat when I’m revising. Writing requires quiet. I’m like Jamie in that it takes me a little time to settle into my groove, so I try to write only when I can dedicate a few uninterrupted hours to it. Usually, this is during the morning in my recliner with a pillow under my legs and a cat on my feet. 🙂 Outside or in a cafe would be waaay too distracting for me; I need solitude to write.
I USED to have a terrific system, and I miss it, but circumstances changed. I used to have to ride an hour and a half on the subway and buses to get to work, so I wrote for 90 minutes on the way to work and 90 minutes on the way home at the very least. Some pro writers put in that much time. And I would top it up when I could. I usually wrote on a Jornada, which is a clamshell mini with a keyboard that’s big enough for hunt and peck that they don’t make anymore. I got switched to another school, one that is much closer and I’m still trying to figure out a good system. I still write on the subway when I go shopping, sometimes. For some reason, it works for me. Occasionally, when things aren’t going that gtreat, I’ll head off to the subway – seriously.
Scott McCord told us in chemistry class that studying to music is a good thing, as long as that music was instrumental. The lyrics interfere with your intra-head conversations and those with the printed word and picture. And he was a Chemistry teacher with a PhD in music. Almost embarrasses me to admit how much that man was right about considering my feelings for his teaching style…..
Mr. McCord! It’s been a million years since I thought of him. That man was a mad genius (For people who are reading and don’t know, Mr. McCord was our high school chemistry teacher. Our first six weeks we learned that “our perceptions are limited” and he likened an electron to a “light-speed rhinoceros”. If, when you’re past your ten year high school reunion and can still remember lessons from chemistry class, your teacher did something very right.) Thank you, Chris!!!